The Gravel Garden: Visionary, Drought-Defying, Naturalistic Designs

by Jeff Epping, Teresa Woodard

Gravel gardening is a drought-defying, low-maintenance gardening technique in which deep-rooted, drought tolerant perennials are planted in a 6-inch layer of gravel that suppresses weeds and conserves water. In The Gravel Garden, longtime horticulturalist Jeff Epping explores the art of gravel gardening as a naturalistic approach with huge promise for the future of ecological landscaping. Alongside 20 gorgeously photographed gardens in both the US and Europe, including Epping's own home gravel garden in Wisconsin, the book offers insights from leading naturalistic designers such as Roy Diblik and Cassian Schmidt, as well as practical techniques for various scales and applications, from intimate home settings to expansive public and commercial spaces. Gardeners at any scale will be inspired to create their own beautiful garden with the resilience necessary to stand up to our changing climate.
 

320 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication June 2, 2026

Reviews

[Alicia Bayer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really beautiful and helpful book. It is brimming with good information, gorgeous photos, and inspiration from all kinds of gravel gardens around the world, both public and private. The author does a great job of showing how environmentally friendly gravel gardens are and how much easier they are to maintain. The deep layers keep the roots cooler, make them need far less watering, and keep out weed seeds. They are tidy looking while incorporating native plants that help nature, and the gardens featured are so beautiful. There’s a wide variety, from old English estates to abandoned lots that have been adopted and planted to gorgeous gardens in neighborhoods with HOAs. Each garden features a biography and story, lots of photos, advice about its style, and profiles of plants used.

Highly recommended.

I read a temporary digital loan of this book via netgalley.

[Debra Gaynor]

Jeff Epping, Teresa Woodard
Author, Horticulturalist Jeff Eppling shares his expertise on creating a gravel garden. This book is filled with beautiful photographs and information that will inspire the reader to create their own Gravel Garden. Author Jeff Epping suggests plants and offers tips for gravel gardening.
A Gravel Garden is much easier to maintain because the roots are deep and they stay cooler, needing less water, there will be few weeds. The gardens look neat and well maintained. Currently it is early spring, I have gardening on my mind. I can see countless pictures that intrigue me and make me want to create a Gravel Garden.
There are over 300 pages in this book showing 20 gardens. This is a must have book if you enjoy gardening. This book will be published June 2, 2026

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

[Mollified.Moments · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars and honestly this came at the perfect time because my yard needs a serious overhaul and I’ve been trying to figure out what to do with a couple of problem spots. Gravel garden might be the answer I didn’t know I was looking for.

This book is beautiful. Like genuinely stop and stare at the photos beautiful. But it’s also actually useful which is not always a given with garden books. It covers everything from grand English estates to regular neighborhood yards with HOAs which made it feel way more achievable than I expected. And the environmental stuff was a bonus. Less watering, cooler roots, better for pollinators. It just makes sense.

If you’re thinking about reshaping any part of your outdoor space, this one is worth picking up.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for planning a Gravel Garden.
They walk you through planning out the whole thing, with pictures every step of the way. They even show pictures with descriptions.
I thought it was cool that not only did they show you how to do your yard, deal with your HOA but also how they can be done in public places.
So many great ideas. I wish I'd had this book when I first put in my vegetable gardens because I would have gone the gravel route before putting in my raised boxes.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

[Carolyn Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been planning to create a gravel garden for a couple of years. This informative book has given me the knowledge and motivation to proceed with my project. The numerous suggestion for plants and plans are helpful and some of the ideas in this book are very creative. I recommend this book as a must read for gardeners everywhere.

[Olga Maxwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved everything about this book. From the information to the pictures it inspired me to start my own gravel garden. Loved the abundance of the beautiful photographs showing gardens all over the world. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy and for the chance to read this book before it came out to the general public.

[Suzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow! What a beautiful book! Photography is amazing and these gardens are inspirational. Even includes tips for creating your own. Comprehensive...when I saw 20 gardens, I was surprised at 300+ pages.

[Shannon Rochester · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my digital copy in exchange for an honest review. I snagged this one because every now and then I think about doing something with our flower garden or our yard...this wasn't the best book for THOSE ideas but I thought it was a really good book and it had so much information packed inside it. The pictures were amazing, they had all sorts of drawings and layouts and testimonies...not to mention parts that told you exactly what they planted. For someone thinking about a gravel garden, I would 100% recommend this book...heck, even if you are just looking for ideas like me.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I hear "gravel garden" I usually picture a weed-infested hellscape that's heating up the yard via reflective sun. After reading this book, I have a different picture. Sure, there are some "rock gardens" out there that meet my original assumptions, but if done well, it sounds like this could actually be a really good option for an earth-friendly, low-maintenance style of landscaping.