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Health & Fitness

Patio Town: Rockin' Your Yard Since 1965!

When Peter and Sharon Blomquist founded Patio Town in 1965, they started the first retail outlet in the Twin Cities where homeowners could buy landscape rock, natural stone, patio block, pavers and retaining wall block. They were committed to showing the do-it-yourselfer how easy it is if you have the right know-how.

We're proud of this D-I-Y tradition, and at our free Saturday seminars you can learn how to install paver patios, walkways, stairs, seat walls, retaining walls and more at one of our three Minneapolis-St. Paul locations: Oakdale, Brooklyn Park/Maple Grove and Burnsville.

My last Patch blog post covered hardscape terms, and this post will cover more about natural stone and landscaping rock. Patio Town carries more than 35 types of wall stone, flagstone, boulders and decorative rock in a variety of colors and sizes plus gravel (pea and Class 5), crushed rock and riprap. Decorative rock is considered ¾" to 3" diameter. Boulders are typically 6" – 12" diameter. You can use our handy estimating guide to see how much rock you'll need for your project.

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Wall Stone & Flagstone

Wall Stone is typically 8" wide, while rock edging is typically 4" wide and is used for natural rock walls and edging around gardens, plantings and trees. Flagstone is natural rock typically used for steppers, paving stones, accents, pond borders, water features, planters, edging and other landscaping features. With a natural non-skid surface, flagstone is perfect for walkways, sidewalks, paths and trails. Irregular-shaped flagstone works well as stepping stones and accents, while cut natural stone is used for patios and as column caps.

Find out what's happening in Oakdalewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Boulders

Large or small, landscape boulders are found naturally as fieldstone or in river beds and are quarried from below ground. Boulders can help you create landscaped water features such as artificial ponds and other interesting accents plus walls and borders. Combine large and small boulders with a flagstone path for a walkway that looks like a dry stream bed. River jacks are flatter boulders that can be used as decorative accents and borders. Artificial boulders, with a hollow center, are perfect for covering well heads and other yard obstacles.

Decorative Rock

Decorative rock is a maintenance-free ground cover or rock mulch used for planting beds, gardens, borders, decorative accents and other areas in your yard. It also helps to retain moisture and prevent weeds, like natural mulch. Size typically runs from ¾" up to 3" diameter. Typically you'll want rock ground cover to be double the diameter of the rock, covering an area with a layer 3" to 6" thick.

Stepping Stones & Stairs

Paths, stairs, landings and walkways can be created with natural stone, flagstone, exposed aggregate patio blocks and pre-cast concrete blocks. Natural stone steps are a stunning solution for stairs within your yard. They also work well within other hardscapes, such as leading up to a patio.

For more info, watch Andrew from our store in Brooklyn Park/Maple Grove talk more about natural stone on YouTube. Do you have a question about your summer landscape projects? Send them to patch@patiotown.com.

Patio Town, with stores in Burnsville, Oakdale and Brooklyn Park/Maple Grove, has been your outdoor living headquarters since 1965 with furniture, fire features, outdoor living kits and grills plus landscaping supplies, rock, pavers, retaining walls and more! And remember, we can help you in three ways: do-it-yourself resources, on-site help and through our full-service design/build service, Villa Landscapes.

 

 

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