- 1). Collect your materials: builder's sand, terracotta pieces, slate pieces, pebbles or river rocks, string, 2 wooden poles, cement, mortar trowel and a water source. If you can't find terracotta or slate pieces, then break terracotta pots and slate slabs but be careful when breaking them.
- 2). Choose where you want the circle feature installed in the garden. The pebble circle is a visual feature and not something you are going to want to have people walking over. The slate and terracotta can also be dangerously sharp.
- 3). Rake and level a smooth circular area to the size you want the pebble circle.
- 4). Mark out the area for the finished circle using a pair of compasses. These can be made from 2 small pieces of wood linked by a piece of string the length of the radius of the circle.
- 5). Start placing the materials by working in concentric rings; add a circle of old terracotta and another of slates, then a "wheel" of pebbles and terracotta.
- 6). Add sufficient water to sand and cement mix to achieve a crumbly consistency. A crumbly consistency has a more natural and organic look.
- 7). Use a mortar trowel to smooth the cement over the circle. Keep water close to wash off mortar so that you can maintain smoothness.
- 8). Continue working quickly before the cement sets; press in the vertical border of slates.
- 9). Wipe any mortar that has gotten on the tops of the stone, terracotta, or slate carefully before it has a chance to dry.
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