Icon - Arrow LeftAn icon we use to indicate a rightwards action. Icon - Arrow RightAn icon we use to indicate a leftwards action. Icon - External LinkAn icon we use to indicate a button link is external. Icon - MessageThe icon we use to represent an email action. Icon - Down ChevronUsed to indicate a dropdown. Icon - CloseUsed to indicate a close action. Icon - Dropdown ArrowUsed to indicate a dropdown. Icon - Location PinUsed to showcase a location on a map. Icon - Zoom OutUsed to indicate a zoom out action on a map. Icon - Zoom InUsed to indicate a zoom in action on a map. Icon - SearchUsed to indicate a search action. Icon - EmailUsed to indicate an emai action. Icon - FacebookFacebooks brand mark for use in social sharing icons. flipboard Icon - InstagramInstagrams brand mark for use in social sharing icons. Icon - PinterestPinterests brand mark for use in social sharing icons. Icon - TwitterTwitters brand mark for use in social sharing icons. Icon - Check MarkA check mark for checkbox buttons.
You are reading

Landscaping: 10 Ideas for Practical Seashell Surfaces

Search

Start typing to search...

Search
Landscaping

Landscaping: 10 Ideas for Practical Seashell Surfaces

July 15, 2021

“A great alternative to gravel, crushed clam or oyster can be used on paths, patios, courtyards, driveways, and even bocce ball courts (the shells don’t hold water or imprints from shoes and balls),” writes Janet. “As the shells are walked on or driven over, they break into smaller pieces that disperse evenly, creating a stable surface that’s not prone to the ruts and holes you get with crushed stone toppings.”

In additional to being practical, seashell surfaces are environmentally friendly—and stylish. We’ve rounded up some of Gardenista favorites to make the case.

Parking Pads

Having grown up in Maine, the Massachusetts-based landscape architect Matthew Cunningham immediately knew seashells would be the perfect material to pave a parking area at the end of a driveway in Lamoine, Maine (a three-hour drive north of Portland). Photograph by Matthew Cunningham.
Above: Having grown up in Maine, the Massachusetts-based landscape architect Matthew Cunningham immediately knew seashells would be the perfect material to pave a parking area at the end of a driveway in Lamoine, Maine (a three-hour drive north of Portland). Photograph by Matthew Cunningham.

For more of this project, see Landscape Architect Visit: Clamshell Alley on the Coast of Maine.

Dining Terraces

The surface is a bespoke mix of crushed cockle shells with limestone chips and dust. Photography courtesy of Farlam & Chandler, from Before & After: A Seaside English Garden by Farlam & Chandler.
Above: The surface is a bespoke mix of crushed cockle shells with limestone chips and dust. Photography courtesy of Farlam & Chandler, from Before & After: A Seaside English Garden by Farlam & Chandler.

A carpet of crushed seashells is the perfect “rug” for an outdoor dining area.

Herb Gardens

Above: A seashell surface doubles as walkway and mulch in an herb garden where lavender flourishes in one of Landscape Architect Edmund Hollander’s Grand Estate Gardens.

A sense of scale and proportion can elevate a humble surface material in an estate garden.

Garden Paths

Seashells from the nearby Chesapeake Bay are used on the paths at Colonial Williamsburg. Photograph by Justine Hand.
Above: Seashells from the nearby Chesapeake Bay are used on the paths at Colonial Williamsburg. Photograph by Justine Hand.

See more at Garden Visit: Secrets of Another Century at Colonial Williamsburg.

Garden Gateways

On Cape Cod, a split-rail fence marks the boundary between the clamshell driveway (which gets a refresher layer every two to three years) and the entryway to the garden. Photograph by Matthew Williams for Gardenista.
Above: On Cape Cod, a split-rail fence marks the boundary between the clamshell driveway (which gets a refresher layer every two to three years) and the entryway to the garden. Photograph by Matthew Williams for Gardenista.

See more of this garden at Gardenista Book Sneak Peek: The Architects’ Studio on Cape Cod.

Cottage Gardens

&#8\2\20;Few would dare to work with the acid yellow of Patrinia, but against this chocolate door on Cape Cod it really works,&#8\2\2\1; says Justine. &#8\2\20;In this clamshell driveway, where this perennial self-seeds to wild effect, designer Tim Callis paired Patrinia with fennel and oregano.&#8\2\2\1; Photograph by Justine Hand.
Above: “Few would dare to work with the acid yellow of Patrinia, but against this chocolate door on Cape Cod it really works,” says Justine. “In this clamshell driveway, where this perennial self-seeds to wild effect, designer Tim Callis paired Patrinia with fennel and oregano.” Photograph by Justine Hand.

See more in 10 Garden Ideas to Steal from Provincetown on Cape Cod.

Side Courtyards

Above: When visitors step inside the front gate, at a white clapboard captain’s villa and boathouse on the harbor in Fjällbacka, a remote resort town on the western edge of Sweden, the first surface they encounter is seashells. The shell-paved courtyard creates a sense of separation between the house and the nearby road. Photograph via Anna Ski.

For more of this garden (and for a closeup view of the seashell ornamentation on the front gate), see From Sweden with Love: A Romantic Captain’s Seaside Villa.

Bocce Courts

Above: Photograph via Myco Supply, which sells Bulk Crushed Oyster Shells for bocce courts.

For a DIY bocce court, first spread a three-inch layer of drainage rock. Next add a weed barrier (such as a layer of landscape cloth). Then spread a three-inch layer of crushed rock, fine gravel, or decomposed granite. You can also top dress the surface with a special bocce court blend of crushed oysters; for information, see Myco Supply.

For more, see Hardscaping 101: Bocce Courts.

Ribbon Driveways

Photograph courtesy of Bridgehampton, New York–based Stelle Lomont Rouhani Architects, members of our Architect and Designer Directory.
Above: Photograph courtesy of Bridgehampton, New York–based Stelle Lomont Rouhani Architects, members of our Architect and Designer Directory.

Mulching Materials

Crushed shells as mulch in containers. Photograph by David Straight, courtesy of Jared Lockart Design, from Au Naturel in Auckland: A Beachside Courtyard by Jared Lockhart Design.
Above: Crushed shells as mulch in containers. Photograph by David Straight, courtesy of Jared Lockart Design, from Au Naturel in Auckland: A Beachside Courtyard by Jared Lockhart Design.

N.B.: This post has been updated with more examples; it was first published July 2018.

If you’re designing or resurfacing a path or driveway, start with inspiration from our curated design guides for Driveways 101, Pavers 101, and Sustainable Surfaces.

(Visited 4,880 times, 3 visits today)
You need to login or register to view and manage your bookmarks.
Add to Collection
New Collection

Explore Deeper Into These Areas

Previous Post

Object of Desire: A Woven Rug Made for Gathering Around a Tree

July 13, 2021
Next Post

Flavorful and Fragrant: 5 Top Drought-Tolerant Herbs to Plant Now

July 16, 2021

Have a Question or Comment About This Post?

Join the conversation

Related Stories

Read all recent posts

join us on Instagram Logo

gardenista_sourcebook

Sourcebook for Cultivated Living, sister site to @remodelista
Tag us using #gardenista 🌿🌱

Gardens & Outdoor Living

v5.0

×
Join the Remodelista Family of Websites

Become a Member at no charge

When you register as a free Member of the Remodelista family of websites (Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home), you gain access to all current posts plus 10 archived posts per month, our internal bookmarking tool, and the community bulletin board.

Member benefits include:

  • Access to all posts published in the past year
  • Access 10 archived posts (older than one year) per month on each site
  • Use of our internal bookmark tool, so you can save products, posts, and other pages for quick reference
  • Access to our community bulletin board so you can ask and answer design-related questions
  • Unlimited access to the Product Catalogs, Design Travel sources, and Architect & Designer Directory listings
  • Choose from our ten newsletters to keep up with the latest on the sites

Or Subscribe for Maximum Value!

For $5/month ($59.99 paid annually) you'll enjoy unlimited, ad-free access to Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home and all the benefits of Membership.



Subscriber benefits include:

  • Unlimited access to all three sites
  • Weekly access to subscriber-only content
  • Ad-free browsing environment
  • Unrestricted access to 30,000+ archived posts
  • Receive the full-text daily newsletters
  • All features that Members have access to
  • Annual subscribers pay 50% off the monthly subscription price of $9.99
×
Subscribe to the Remodelista family of websites

For $5/month ($59.99 paid annually) you'll enjoy unlimited, ad-free access to Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home and all the benefits of Membership.



Subscriber benefits include:

  • Unlimited access to all three sites
  • Weekly access to subscriber-only content
  • Ad-free browsing environment
  • Unrestricted access to 30,000+ archived posts
  • Receive the full-text daily newsletters
  • All features that Members have access to
  • Annual subscribers pay 50% off the monthly subscription price of $9.99
×
Sorry! As a registered member you get 10 free posts from our archive (posts more than a year old) every 30 days. You have reached your limit for this 30-day period. If you would like to access unlimited posts from the archive (ad free, too), become a subscriber today, and keep reading as many articles as you want.

Full Access Individual Subscription

Benefits include:

  • Unlimited access to Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home sites
  • Ad-free browsing environment
  • Unrestricted access to 30,000+ archived posts
  • Receive the full-text daily newsletters
  • All features that Members have access to
  • Annual subscribers pay just 50% off the monthly subscription price of $9.99


×
Sorry! You have reached your limit of three (3) free posts from our archive every 30 days. You can increase this to 10 posts by joining as a free Member, or read unlimited posts with no ads by becoming a paid Subscriber.

Subscribe to the Remodelista family of websites

For $5/month ($59.99 paid annually) you'll enjoy unlimited, ad-free access to Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home and all the benefits of Membership.



Subscriber benefits include:

  • Unlimited access to all three sites
  • Weekly access to subscriber-only content
  • Unrestricted access to 30,000+ archived posts
  • Receive the full-text daily newsletters
  • All features that Members have access to
  • Annual subscribers pay 50% off the monthly subscription price of $9.99

Become a Member at no charge

When you register as a free Member of the Remodelista family of websites (Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home), you gain access to all current posts plus 10 archived posts per month, our internal bookmarking tool, and the community bulletin board.

Member benefits include:

  • Access to all posts published in the past year
  • Access 10 archived posts (older than one year) per month on each site
  • Use of our internal bookmark tool, so you can save products, posts, and other pages for quick reference
  • Access to our community bulletin board so you can ask and answer design-related questions
  • Unlimited access to the Product Catalogs, Design Travel sources, and Architect & Designer Directory listings
  • Choose from our ten newsletters to keep up with the latest on the sites

My Account

Your member profile is powered by memberstack