Question 1

River rock vs crushed stone for landscaping?

Accepted Answer

River rock and crushed stone serve different landscaping purposes, with crushed stone being more functional for drainage and pathways, while river rock excels in decorative applications. The choice depends on your specific project needs, budget, and aesthetic preferences.

Crushed stone is the workhorse of New Brunswick landscaping. It's angular pieces lock together, making it ideal for driveways, walkways, and as a base material under patios and retaining walls. In our freeze-thaw climate, this

Question 2

How do I choose the right polymeric sand for paver joints in NB?

Accepted Answer

Choose a polymeric sand rated for freeze-thaw cycling and joint widths matching your specific pavers, applying it only when temperatures are above 10°C and no rain is forecast for 24 hours. In New Brunswick's Maritime climate, where freeze-thaw cycles, heavy rainfall, and spring thaw create exceptionally harsh conditions for paver joints, not all polymeric sands perform equally — selecting a premium product designed for cold climates makes the difference between joints that last 5-8 years and jo

Question 3

What salt-resistant plants and materials work best along NB driveways?

Accepted Answer

Rugosa roses, daylilies, and native grasses like switchgrass are among the most salt-resistant plants for New Brunswick driveways, capable of withstanding the heavy road salt exposure that kills more sensitive species along Maritime driveways and walkways every winter. Combined with salt-tolerant hardscape materials like natural granite and concrete pavers, these plants create durable, attractive driveway borders that survive NB's 5-6 months of winter salt application.

Rugosa roses are the gold

Question 4

What type of gravel is best for New Brunswick landscaping projects?

Accepted Answer

Three-quarter-inch crusher run gravel (also called Granular A) is the best all-purpose base gravel for New Brunswick landscaping projects, providing the structural stability, drainage, and frost resistance needed in Maritime conditions. For decorative surface applications, 3/8-inch to 3/4-inch washed river rock or pea gravel offers an attractive, natural appearance. The right gravel depends entirely on whether you need structural support or visual appeal — and in NB's freeze-thaw climate, gettin

Question 5

Should I use cedar or pressure-treated lumber for raised beds in NB?

Accepted Answer

Cedar is the recommended choice for raised garden beds in New Brunswick, especially for growing vegetables and herbs, because it is naturally rot-resistant without chemical treatment and does not introduce preservative compounds into the soil where food plants grow. Eastern white cedar, widely available from NB lumber suppliers, contains natural oils (thujaplicins) that resist decay for 10-15 years in ground-contact applications — more than enough lifespan for a raised bed that can be rebuilt wh

Question 6

What ice melt products are safe for concrete in New Brunswick?

Accepted Answer

Calcium magnesium acetate (CMA) and calcium chloride are the safest ice melt products for concrete surfaces in New Brunswick, causing significantly less surface damage than sodium chloride (rock salt), which is the most commonly used but also the most destructive de-icer for concrete driveways, walkways, and patios across the province. Understanding which products protect your concrete investment is especially important in NB, where 5-6 months of winter mean heavy de-icer usage from November thr

Question 7

How do I choose the right fertilizer for acidic New Brunswick soil?

Accepted Answer

Before choosing a fertilizer for New Brunswick's acidic soil, address the acidity itself with dolomitic lime — fertilizer applied to soil below pH 6.0 is largely wasted because essential nutrients become chemically locked up and unavailable to plants at low pH levels. NB soils typically range from pH 4.5 to 6.0, well below the 6.0-7.0 range where most lawn grasses, shrubs, and garden plants absorb nutrients most efficiently. A $30-60 soil test is the essential first step before spending money on

Question 8

Are landscape fabric alternatives better than fabric for NB gardens?

Accepted Answer

In most New Brunswick garden situations, thick organic mulch (3-4 inches of cedar or hardwood) is a better weed suppression strategy than landscape fabric, which tends to cause more problems than it solves in Maritime conditions within 2-3 years of installation. While landscape fabric initially blocks weeds effectively, NB's heavy rainfall, spring thaw cycles, and abundant organic debris create conditions where fabric degrades, clogs, and actually traps weed seeds on top of the fabric surface.

Question 9

How do I select quality compost for New Brunswick garden beds?

Accepted Answer

Quality compost for New Brunswick garden beds should be dark brown to black, smell earthy (never sour or ammonia-like), crumble easily in your hand, and be fully finished — meaning you cannot identify the original source materials. At $35-55 per cubic yard from NB suppliers, compost is the single most valuable amendment for Maritime gardens, improving soil structure, water retention, nutrient content, and biological activity in both the clay soils common around Fredericton and the sandy soils al

Question 10

Is rubber mulch or wood mulch better for NB flower beds?

Accepted Answer

Wood mulch is the better choice for New Brunswick flower beds in almost every situation, providing essential soil-building benefits that rubber mulch cannot match while costing significantly less upfront. Cedar or hemlock bark mulch at $45-70 per cubic yard decomposes slowly over 2-3 seasons, feeding the soil organisms and earthworms that keep NB's acidic, often nutrient-poor soils productive. Rubber mulch at $80-120 per cubic yard never decomposes, which sounds like an advantage but actually me

Question 11

What type of sand should I use under pavers in New Brunswick?

Accepted Answer

Use coarse concrete sand (also called bedding sand or C-33 sand) as the setting bed under pavers in New Brunswick, applied in a 1-inch thick screeded layer over your compacted gravel base. This specific sand type has angular, sharp-edged particles that lock together under compaction and resist shifting, unlike round-grained play sand or mason sand, which are too fine and smooth to provide a stable paver base in NB's freeze-thaw conditions.

The bedding sand layer serves a specific purpose in the

Question 12

How do I choose the right topsoil for a NB landscaping project?

Accepted Answer

Choose a screened, loam-based topsoil with a balanced texture of sand, silt, and clay, ideally with 3-5% organic matter content, and always buy from a reputable NB supplier who can tell you the soil's origin and composition. At $35 to $60 per cubic yard delivered in the Fredericton and Moncton areas, topsoil is a significant investment for any landscaping project, and quality varies enormously between suppliers — cheap topsoil often comes loaded with weed seeds, clay clumps, rocks, or constructi

Question 13

What grass seed varieties perform best on New Brunswick lawns?

Accepted Answer

Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass blends are the most popular and successful grass seed choices for New Brunswick lawns, with fine fescue varieties providing the best performance in shaded areas and on sandy coastal soils. The ideal NB lawn seed mix contains roughly 40-50% Kentucky bluegrass, 30-40% perennial ryegrass, and 10-20% fine fescue, giving you the beauty, durability, and adaptability needed to thrive across the province's varied conditions.

Kentucky bluegrass is the backbone o

Question 14

What natural stone options are available in New Brunswick for patios?

Accepted Answer

New Brunswick offers several excellent natural stone options for patios, with locally quarried sandstone, granite, and slate being the most popular and cost-effective choices because they are sourced within the province, reducing transportation costs while providing materials naturally suited to Maritime freeze-thaw conditions. Using NB stone also supports local quarrying operations in communities across the province.

Sandstone is the most widely used natural patio stone in New Brunswick, avail

Question 15

What type of mulch is best for New Brunswick gardens?

Accepted Answer

Cedar mulch is generally the best all-around choice for New Brunswick gardens, offering excellent longevity, natural pest resistance, and an attractive reddish-brown colour that holds well through Maritime rain and humidity. At $50 to $70 per cubic yard delivered in the Moncton and Fredericton areas, cedar costs slightly more than hardwood mulch but lasts 2-3 seasons compared to hardwood's single season, making it more cost-effective over time.

For New Brunswick's specific climate conditions, m

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