River Rock Landscaping Beds Under Deck in Cottage Grove

The space under and around a deck is one of those areas homeowners just don't know what to do with. Grass won't grow well under there. Mulch gets messy. And bare dirt just looks unfinished. For this Cottage Grove homeowner, we had about 275 square feet of landscaping bed space to work with - running under the deck and wrapping around into that tight area between the deck and the patio.

We started by stripping out the existing ground cover and vegetation completely. From there, we installed vinyl edging along the full perimeter of the beds to give everything a defined, finished edge that holds its shape over time. That curved edging line you can see along the lawn perimeter is intentional - it creates a clean separation between the rock and the turf without looking rigid or boxy.

Then came the separation fabric and river rock. We finished the beds with 2.5-inch river rock spread evenly throughout. That size of rock looks great, drains well, and doesn't scatter as easily as smaller stone. At the base of the steps, we removed the existing sod and set pavers in - up to 8 square feet - giving a solid, clean landing spot right where foot traffic hits hardest.

The end result is a low-maintenance solution that looks sharp, handles drainage well, and solves the problem of that awkward under-deck space for good. No more mowing under there, no more bare patches, no more guessing what to do with it.