Rock and stone installation in St. Clair Shores and across Metro Detroit: Stone that looks like it belongs.

Yes. HD Landscape is based in St. Clair Shores and installs river rock, black stone and boulders here and across Metro Detroit, from Grosse Pointe to Birmingham. Call or text Jake at (586) 718-8762 for a free estimate.

Mulch, around most trees, shrubs and perennials. University of Minnesota Extension says organic mulches are generally favored, and that stone and gravel add no organic material to the soil. Rock makes sense in side yards, along walks and foundations, and anywhere you would rather not add a new layer each year. We install both.

Partly in the ground, with the good face turned out. A boulder sitting on top of the soil looks like it fell off a truck. One or two good stones usually do more than a row of small ones.

Sometimes. Fabric can keep stone from sinking into the soil, especially in a bed with no plants. It is not a permanent weed stop: University of Illinois Extension says it suppresses weeds for only a couple of years and restricts water and air moving through the soil, so it takes care around plants. In St. Clair Shores, a liner that stops water can also change how that area counts toward the stormwater fee. Ask Jake which way he would go on your bed.

Some will. University of Illinois Extension says deep stone can hold weeds back in the short term, but weed seeds and soil blow in, and those weeds can be hard to control. Clearing the bed first helps, and a little pulling each season keeps it clean. We can handle that with weeding or monthly maintenance.

Deep enough to hide the ground, usually a few inches. Small stone covers well in a thinner layer and big river rock needs more, so the right depth comes down to the stone you pick. We work it out at the estimate, so the bed gets what it needs and no more.

Yes, as long as the ground under it slopes away from the house. Stone does not move water, so a bad grade stays a bad grade under a nice looking bed. If the slope runs the wrong way, yard grading comes first.

Yes, kept back from the trunk. University of Minnesota Extension says stone and gravel are best for walkways and spots where you do not want anything to grow, and it calls for a 6 inch mulch free ring around a trunk. For trees, a ring of mulch is usually the better choice.

Yes. The old material should come out first, because stone laid over old mulch gives weeds something to root in. Then the bed gets shaped, edged and filled with new stone. Stone is harder to change than mulch, so take your time on the color.

Often one day where the scope allows. Large beds, a lot of boulders or tight access can take longer. One customer had his yard gutted and leveled, with new sod, pea gravel and new plants, and wrote that it was done in one day.

Spring through fall, whenever the ground is workable. Stone can go in during the heat of summer without the watering worries a new planting has, so it is an easy job to fit in when the rest of the yard is busy.

The price comes down to the size of the bed, the stone you choose, how much has to come out first and how easy the spot is to reach, and Jake needs to see it to put a number on it. The estimate is free, and you can go through it line by line. A stone bed skips the yearly layer, which is worth weighing against mulch.