Granite to Stone

I finished the last major renovation in the Zen garden - the removal of the granite stepping stones and replacement of the steps with rocks.

There had been three circular granite stepping stones in the garden since I first built the garden back in 2009. 

Originally I liked the idea of using the granite steps. However, it quickly became apparent that three would not be enough. In order to maintain a normal walking stride I would need four steps. Having only three made walking down into the garden more difficult. Essentially, there was no last stone on which to step. I also planted moss around each step. However, each year I had to replace the moss. It simply didn't take well to the wide area of peastone around the last step.

After removing the granite steps, I dug large holes into the locations where each rock would rest. The rocks came from my left over rock pile. There were still some very large stones, each with at least one flat surface, perfect for steps. Once the holes were dug, I placed a rock in each, made adjustments, and tested them for proper height and spacing for a normal stride. 

Rather then fill in the gaps and space around the stones with more peastone, I instead placed smaller flat faced rocks around each and filled the smaller gaps with peastone. In time, the steps will settle and become solid. 

In the meantime, they work great and add a more natural appearance to the garden steps than did the granite stepping stones.

New Natural Stones, 2014