I don't know how big your yard is, but I would start small, with the gravel, meaning, just big enough for the seating at first--the point being, you can always expand, but you will never remove the gravel once you've got it in (I'm making assumptions about what you will or won't do in the future based on human nature, the nature of gravel removal, and your post!). Also, will be an issue for the next (owner?)--if you will be responsible for future sale of the property, then that is one reason to avoid some forms of home improvement that may be seen as drawbacks. If you are the least bit inclined to "gardening" and to enjoy a bit of greenery, you might be able to plan and install some pockets of groundcover for the same price as covering everything with gravel--it is possible to build up soil areas without a lot of digging and leveling, particularly for planting one of the tough groundcovers (not for growing tea roses right away!). There would be some upkeep to establish the plantings but again, you could start small-- an area 3x3 or 4x4. You might approach your yard by mapping out quadrants or areas and tackle one or 2 , but leave the rest bare until you phase in the whole plan. The return would be that you would not be trying to establish a lawn from scratch under poor conditions but you would have some green space. You haven't said whether you have any trees in your yard or overhanging your yard--leaves, cones, acorns, maple seeds-- but that is an issue for pea gravel--you don't want a lot of gravel if there is going to be a lot of organic debris falling on it, requiring constant raking and upkeep.

I think the pea gravel under the stepping stones will guarantee that your stepping stones will shift. I'd put the landscaping fabric down first, then some sand, then the stones, then the pea gravel mixed in with the smooth black rocks. to fill in the edges.

Almost all plants in an Alpine garden needs a slope. Usually rocks are used to support the slope. Drainage is paramount, no matter how you achieve it. Adding sand to good loam or clay and you get stucco if you have no slope and it retains water. Free draining is the key. Build your berm as high as you are able. Some alpine plants prefer limestone based soil and some prefer acid. Some don't care what the ph is. I smear mud on rocks, plop some sedums on it, and walk away. You can arrange the rocks as in a rock outcropping, dump gravel between them , squeeze a few plant in, and watch things grow. An alpine garden does not need plants wall to wall. Mike This next picture isn't meant to look good, but to show how sedums and succulents can be grown in even the most adverse conditions. Here they are growing on wood and rocks with just a minimum amount of soil. Friends come by and add or subtract stuff all the time. I'm not in charge. lol Ignore the telephone booth. It's a joke. I'm still trying to find an appropriate place for it. Mike Here's another part of the garden that looks a little alpine. It needs a major makeover as I haven't touched it in about two years. Time constraints, you know. I have done nothing to the soil except give it a slope. It's good loam on the acid side. Mike...on vacation

1)top (12:00) pourus pumice 2)right side (3:00) sifted for size scorsa 3)bottom (6:00) dry stall **avalable at farm feed and supply stores 4)left side (9:00) poultry grit ** avalable ay arm feed and suply stores 5) Center composted gravel * Also sifted for size having different shapes and sizes of granite in it including courser sifted SAND. Aqaruim gravel in this pic would be okay to use primarlay as a top dressing and maybe a piece or two ( small amount) in a grity mix soil but it's just to polished or not pourus enough to be relaiable. Personaly I wouldn't use the AKA river polished materails as an ingrediant in part of a gritty mix. There proberly is a Ph balance use or a potted plant application ( Proberly a few 1000 if I had to guess.) for it but I hadn't used what the google pic shows in anything here. Keep it simple. Even in 100 % pourus sifted sand a lithop is at a five star Ritz Carlton when potted here. While out grit shoping think sizeable by sifting materails that are both pourus and sharp. This post was edited by nomen_nudum on Thu, Jun 26, 14 at 16:04