If you’re planning a hardscaped living space in your backyard, today you have plenty of options for materials, but none offer the beauty, durability and timelessness of natural stone. From beautiful travertine or marble to durable Blue Mist granite, Bluestone or Limestone, there are a wide variety of colors, sizes, and shapes available to meet every need.

Related: Outdoor Living Transformation – 13 Ideas to Build the Outdoor Space Your Neighbors Will Be Talking About

While every piece of natural stone is unique, you can mix and match sizes and shapes even species of stone to create fabulous outdoor spaces that can transform your backyard into a fantastic spot to relax with family and entertain friends. From elegant stone patios to intimate fire pits, functional outdoor kitchens or retaining walls, there’s a natural stone product that will meet every need.

Let’s explore some of the most popular natural masonry stones available for your next outdoor project!

Rustic to Contemporary, Natural Stone Offers a Great Look!

Unlike interior stone veneers, natural “outdoor” stone tends to be thicker and sometimes rougher than indoor options. Here’s are five of the most popular choices!

  1. Blue Mist Granite– Blue Mist Granite is an extremely durable blue-gray species of granite that can add an element of class and distinction to your landscape. It comes in a variety of shapes and forms and is used for anything from patios and courtyards, to steps, walkways, pool coping and outdoor kitchen countertops.
  2. Bluestone –Durable, weather resistant Bluestone is a favorite of landscape architects and designers thanks to it’s variety of color choices and fine-grained texture, which make it a natural non-slip surface that’s perfect for pool patios and walkways. Bluestone is a very dense form of sandstone found and mined in southwestern NY state and northeastern Pennsylvania. It’s available in a range of colors from green to blue-gray, light purple, and rusty brown.
  3. Stanstead – Stanstead is a classic granite commonly found in New England. It’s composition is predominantly white with black and gray specks. It’s, mostly used for steps and platforms, however custom fabrications like Stanstead wall caps are elegant and beautiful in any landscape. Salt & Pepper is an affordable alternative to Stanstead imported from overseas.
  4. Brownstone– Much like Bluestone, Brownstone is a form of sandstone that is durable and was commonly used in 19th century urban architecture. Today it’s a favorite for backyard landscapes from retaining walls, to walkways. Brownstone offers a fairly uniform color palette, stands up to weather extremes and is a naturally beautiful addition to any backyard transformation!
  5. Limestone– Is great for building garden walls, after all it was used in the building of the Empire State Building! Limestone is actually composed of plants, fossils, mud, sand and rock that’s been compacted under intense pressure for thousands of years. It comes in a variety of colors from white to black and even red so you can use it to create really interesting patterns in your landscape design. In fact, some limestone is actually cut to emphasize and highlight the fossils embedded and can be used to create a truly unique surface! If you’re looking for durability, make sure to use outdoor rated limestone of at least Type III as rated by ASTM International.

Natural stone is a durable, colorful material that you can use to completely transform your backyard space into an elegant oasis for family gatherings. Whether you use it to create patios, retaining walls, architectural features, outdoor kitchens, or fire features, it’s a smart investment that will remain beautiful and functional for many years. Here at Old Station Outdoor & Landscape Supply we carry a full line of outdoor natural stone materials. If you’re planning an outdoor project, give us a call or stop by!