Landscape pavers are a key element in garden design. Whether you take a “less is more” approach with a paved pathway meandering through your garden or choose to create a functional area between green spaces, pavers are a versatile and flexible backyard landscaping tool.
What are the different types of pavers?
Landscape pavers come in a vast array of styles and colours. Most common pavers in Australia are either ‘natural’ or ‘composite’.
Natural pavers |
Composite pavers |
Bluestone Dense, hardwearing volcanic stone formed over millions of years with grey-blue colouring. | Concrete One of the most common pavers, made with cement and aggregates. Durable and strong solution for large areas like driveways. |
Limestone Hard sedimentary stone with a textured surface, normally pale but can be grey, blue and red. | Composite granite Made with around 95% granite and 5% resin, composite granite is less porous and more affordable than natural granite. |
Granite A natural grey speckled igneous rock creating a non-slip surface ideal for around pools and garden edges. | Recycled composite A more eco-friendly paver choice using recycled stone and aggregates to make a wide range of pavers. |
Clay brick Limited in colour choices but hardy in outdoor spaces, brick is a popular driveway paver or garden edge. |
Consider colour
Choosing the right paver colour is about performance as much as the look. For example, dark pavers might be striking in a high-contrast backyard design palette, but they get very hot underfoot when exposed to too much Perth sunshine.- Light colours are better for walkways because they reflect heat
- Coloured stone can fade in the sun
- Natural textured limestone is ideal around pool areas
- Brick and plain concrete are limited in colour but easier to clean (and fade resistant)
- Textured stone can be used as a striking feature in landscape design