Hi Cheri, You aren't nuts, but this will take some care. Ocean and river stones can have deposits which will inhibit the mortar's bond. The most obvious culprit with ocean stones is sea salt and organic matter, but there are oils and waxes that also get into the mix, sadly enough. ALL of your pebbles will need to be washed aggressively!! I'd use a solution of Tri-sodium Phopsphate (hardware-grade TSP) in a wheelbarrow and REALLY stir those rocks up. Use a garden hoe or some other long-handled "mixer" to churn the stones so that they rub against each other. Not only is the TSP working to remove "bases" from the surface and pores of the stones, but the abrasions of all the stones against each other will expose fresh surface area too. Be rough! :^) With all of that done, then rinse the stones very very well and then let them dry. If they dry chalky, churn them again in just plain water until the TSP is completely washed off. Then you can start setting them. Remember that you should wear protective clothing and equipment when working with TSP. It's caustic and will irritate your skin and can damage your eyes! Gloves, long sleeves, and eye protection are a must! Best of luck, Shaughnn

In my last home, on the advice of a landscape architect, we used pami pebbles for our aggregate walkway/patio and had the concrete mix tinted a medium brown-reddish color. It was a beautiful combination, especially in contrast with plant materials and a flagstone and brick accent wall. Got many compliments over the years. I didn't find it hard to walk on with bare feet because the pami pebbles are so smooth. We had our backyard patio installed a few years later by a different company and was talked out of using the same materials. Never liked the patio as much as the front yard - in looks or bare-foot comfort.

Trees have a big impact on your home value - established tree canopy can even raise the value of your neighbors by 3-15 percent. The loss of tree canopy has a deleterious effect on home value, energy costs, and enjoyment. That is important to understand, as rocking the base of trees creates several issues that can lead to tree loss. Rocks harm trees as they: 1) Compact soil, reducing important air flow around roots, 2) Inhibit the absorption of rainfall, which keeps roots cool and encourages deeper roots, and 3) Encourage heat around the roots, making trees less drought tolerant. The strategy produces additional issues. Rock mulch amplifies heat islands (and therefore your electric bill) and increases run-off, which must be [strategically directed[(https://www.houzz.com/magazine/dry-riverbeds-solve-water-runoff-stsetivw-vs~1501884) to avoid property damage. Because the roots of rocked trees will search more shallowly, they also become more likely to damage property. In LA, the drought causedirreparable harm to our tree canopy throughout the city. The natural challenges were amplified by landscape choices, including rocking trees and gravelscaping more broadly. Healthier options include leaving the area natural or planting foliage native to the underscores of woodlands nearest you. Here in LA, great understory options include: Sword fern and Island Alum Root Canyon Prince Hummingbird Sage Hope this helps! Best of luck to you.

I am not anti-rock. There are a lot of variables, koffman, such as the heat density of the rock the transfer qualities, size etc.. As far as pushing through the rock, that is handled by keeping the rock away from the crown of the hosta. Since you are in 7b this would be a decent zone for growing hosta. Adding rock, depending on how much sunshine the rock will get and your exact conditions, elevation, size of the rock, material of the rock, etc. you would increase your 'zone' slightly or maybe a one half zone (????). I like rock, big rocks, I don't like it as a mulch. However, personal preferences aside, Rocks are an incremental increase in your 'zone'. Will it slip you from 7b to an 8a? Perhaps if you are close to the line. In any event in your location I would look at any increase in heat as a negative for growing hosta. The more rock, the bigger the rock, the greater the heat coefficient the greater the solar heat gain. In cold climates using rock would extend the season, maybe extremely slightly, maybe noticeably; only a real life test would tell. Passive solar using stone or concrete to store solar heat in homes is very effective and was even used by the Anasazi Indians thousands of years ago who carved out their homes in cliffs facing South and such that the sun shone in to heat the dwelling when the sun was low in the winter and the dwelling was shaded when the sun was high in the summer. I wouldn't worry about pips getting through as long as you don't cover them with heavy rock. I have had hosta that,over many years, grew through landscaping fabric and squeezed the fabric into a solid block of plastic with the hosta eyes growing and thriving through the holes they poked through. Unbelievable!!! If you like a rock bed and are willing to trade off less optimum growing conditions for the hosta, then that is a personal choice that no one can say is right or wrong. In any event rocks can be removed, albeit not easily in many cases. Jon PS, a few years ago I watched as a contractor used a wet/dry vac to vacuum up pea stone behind a rock wall. The stone was for drainage behind the wall, however it kept falling into the hole as the contractor was digging it out for a deck footing. If removing the stone you may put in and eventually get tired of becomes necessary this might be a good trick to remember. OK, I have shared enough of my ramblings and potentially useless thoughts.....for now.