The history of gabions goes back several centuries. They were used both in military affairs and in construction. According to one of the versions, Leonardo da Vinci came up with the idea of putting stones in metal mesh boxes. He tried this idea during the construction of the Cathedral of San Marco - the pearl of Milan. Gabions play the role of a foundation there. The cathedral is still standing, which means that the attempt has justified itself. So, in essence, a gabion is a wire mesh filled with stones. The second option is a box with rectangular cells welded from wire, which is also filled with stones.
The most common types of gabions
- Box-shaped. These are rectangular structures of a cubic or rectangular shape. Their height can be up to 1 meter, width up to 2 meters and length up to 6 meters. Used as a foundation for small buildings or as retaining walls to anchor soil on slopes.
- Mattress-mattress. These are low and wide systems. The best option for creating artificial reservoirs. Also good for strengthening slopes.
- Cylindrical. They are something like a well log made of stones. It is good to use for arranging flower beds.
They can be combined with each other, which will give additional attractiveness.
Advantages of gabions
Such structures have several undoubted advantages. Let's note some of them.
Flexibility. The structure may bend and stretch slightly from external influences. They absorb a large amount of precipitation, which does not affect their quality in any way.
- Strength. To create gabions, a double-twisted metal mesh is used. If it suddenly breaks, it is precisely this torsion that will prevent it from creeping.
- Durability. Galvanized mesh will last a very long time. You can choose a more expensive stainless steel, then the service life will increase. And a stone is generally a material out of time.
- Permeability. Since there are small voids between the stones, such a structure allows moisture to pass through, so there is no need to build a drainage system.
- Environmental friendliness. Gabion materials do not harm the environment, which is important.
- An unusual and very attractive look. The shape of the gabion can be absolutely any, limited only by your imagination, and opens up tremendous possibilities for decoration.
- In our time, gabions have found widespread use in summer cottages. Let's look at a few ideas for their application.
Terracing
If your site is in a hilly area, you can remedy the situation by using gabions. For this, one or more ledges are formed. The resulting steps are decorated with plants.
Water bodies
Gabions are simply irreplaceable for creating artificial reservoirs. Mattress-mattress structures are laid on the bottom and not only strengthen the banks, but also make them very beautiful.
Retaining walls
They zone and decorate the garden area wonderfully. In this case, small inclusions from special transparent elements will look great in gabions. You can go even further and integrate LED lighting into them, then in the evening your garden will sparkle with magical colors. And if you plant such a wall with plants in pots or plants growing directly from the wall, this will be your favorite corner for relaxation. Also, all kinds of awnings and arches are perfectly created from gabions.
Fences and fences
Here such quality of gabions as noise absorption plays an important role. Behind such a fence it will be quiet and peaceful. If you make an ornament from the filler, for example, using stones of different colors, your site will be a decoration of the area. Combining gabions with wood inserts, you can also achieve an interesting effect. And, of course, decor with plants and flowers will not be superfluous. If you plant perennial curly perennials along the fence, they will creep along the wall in the future and you will get a beautiful contrast of living greenery and cold stone.
Garden architecture
From gabions, beautiful, durable and functional structures will be obtained, for example, barbecues or braziers. The only caveat is that to create them, you need to use heat-resistant stones, since ordinary ones will crack. Garden furniture will look very unusual - benches, tables, stools. The seat and countertop in such furniture are made of wood, it gives the atmosphere coziness and warmth, and the stones add a touch of brutality. Thus, you can equip a recreation area. Flower beds and all kinds of gabion fences will attract the eye and emphasize the beauty of flower beds. And if you take a grid of complex shape, cover the gaps between the stones with earth and sow with grass - the result will be a landscape gabion-statue. The shape can be any - turtle, hedgehog, and so on.
Decorating a plot with gabions is not only practicality, but also an atmosphere of reliability and romance.
