Creating a dry bed

You don’t need water to suggest its presence in the garden. Just build a dry bed that looks as though a rushing stream deposited the stones and settled them in. This bed (right) took two people only four hours (including shopping time) to complete. It measures 3m long and widens from 30cm to 1m; it’s 3 to 5cm deep at the sides and 5 to 10cm at centre.

You will need:
- 1 roll of landscape or pond liner fabric
- 6 boulders ranging from 20 to 30cm across
- Gray cobblestones
- Gray-toned and sand-colored pebbles

Here's how:
1. Carefully choose a suitable location for the dry bed in your garden. Use a hose to outline the river bed’s edges, adjusting it as needed to create gentle curves.

2. Dig the bed with a spade, making it deeper in the centre. Use excess soil to build berms beside the bed. Remove the hose.

3. Lay landscape fabric over bed to prevent weeds from sprouting. Avoid getting soil on fabric (it can host weeds). Place boulders, setting them into depressions 5 to 10cm deep beneath fabric.

4. Scatter 1/3 of the largest cobbles over fabric, then add a 3 to 5cm layer of pebbles around them. Toss in remaining cobbles and finish with smallest ones. Walk lightly on bed to settle stones.

  source: sunset publishing