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Which Aggregates Should You Order?

Posted on 27th May 2022

Here at Stone and Surfaces Direct, we proudly source the highest quality natural stone products from all over the UK. Amongst our impressive collection, we have our low maintenance slate decorative aggregates which are perfect for transforming gardens.

Most of our aggregates are derived from Cumbria’s beautiful southern Lake District. Sourced from the quarry and delivered directly to your door, we are proud to say that each and every piece of slate you receive is high quality and full size, with no excess dust filling the bag.

Our decorative aggregates are ideal for many uses in the garden and can also be used to create driveways and pathways surfaces because of their durability. Decorative aggregates are also known for weed prevention and low maintenance upkeep.

Which aggregates you choose depends on what you want to achieve and the colour scheme of your garden. Let’s take a look at some of our most popular choices on aggregates and what makes them the best on the market.

South Lakeland Blue Slate Chippings (20mm or 40mm)

Our practical and beautiful blue slate chippings come from Kirkby in Furness quarry in the Lake District. Their natural appearance presents a mid to dark blue colour when wet and a pale blue/grey look when dry, with some occasional natural brown flecks throughout.

This type of slate is renowned for its durability, strength, and colour fastness and is over 450 million years old. Our South Lakeland decorative aggregates are perfect for creating planting borders and rockery gardens due to their angular and relatively flat shape.

Our blue slate is also a consistent colour with no other inclusions that are often found with other decorative slate chippings.

They are also a fantastic solution for ponds and water features because they are fish friendly (wash before use) and are unlikely to change the pH levels of ponds.

Welsh Plum Slate Chippings (20mm or 40mm)

Sourced direct from the quarry at Caernarfon in North Wales, our Wesh plum slate chippings are fine-grained and durable in a rare plum colour that brightens beautifully when wet. This is the only pure plum colour available and is exclusively unique to Stone & Surfaces Direct.

Ideal for driveways, pathways, and gardens; the 40mm composition allows for the slate to bed down in use to ensure a more comfortable walking surface is created for everyday use.

Our plum slate chippings have a thicker depth compared to other slate and are stronger, which means they will resist breaking under heavy use. For this reason they are perfect for driveways and will require minimal maintenance and only an occasional top-up.

South Lake Dove Grey Chippings (20mm or 10mm)

These beautiful and highly versatile light grey limestone chippings are sourced from the Lake District and display a light cream tint in colour. However, when wet the decorative chippings display a slightly darker colour.

These dove grey aggregates are perfect for garden paths, planting borders, driveways and parking spaces, and general ground cover. Unlike our other chippings, we do not recommend these for use in ponds because they are not fish-friendly.

They are also ideal for weed prevention and will help maintain the moisture in your garden soil during long hot summer spells to prevent plants drying out.

Our quality control means that we try to ensure there are little to no small pieces of dust in our bags of decorative slate aggregates, unlike most other similar products available on the market.

With over 25 years of experience distributing natural stone paving, porcelain paving, aggregates, and interior solutions worldwide; we are the people to help you achieve the perfect patio, garden, or home interior.

Talk to one of our experienced stone professionals about your specific needs today.

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