Get matched with top mulch and topsoil pros in Buffalo Center, IA

Pea gravel consists of many small, rounded stones that, unsurprisingly, kind of resemble peas. They range in size from 1/8 to 3/8 of an inch. Higher-end products might be a little more uniform and have fewer jagged rocks in the mix.

The best way to landscape your front yard on a budget is to invest in hiring a professional for hardscaping—things like upgrading walkways, redoing driveways, and installing partitions around garden beds. You can often do the softscaping yourself—think laying down mulch, caring for your lawn, removing weeds, and planting flowers and shrubs. It’s also almost always worthwhile to pay a professional for routine yard maintenance, as this dramatically improves curb appeal and delivers above 100% ROI in most cases.

Determining how many boulders you’ll need for your landscaping project depends on the area you need to cover and how big each boulder is. First, you’ll need to determine how big of an area you want covered, then divide that by the base surface area of the boulders. A landscape professional can help you determine how many boulders will be right for your project.

A 40-pound bag of topsoil covers 0.76 cubic feet, enough for 4.5 square feet with a 2-inch depth or 36 square feet with a .25-inch depth, such as topdressing a standard garden bed. If you want 2 inches of fresh topsoil for your 36-square-foot garden bed, you’ll need eight 40-pound bags.