First time planting with gravel mulch...

We moved into our new house in the middle of winter and are now starting to spruce up our front yard with some new perennials. We have 2 gravel beds that we have been planting in; one is part sun/full sun and the other is part sun/shade. In the shady bed we have planted hostas and in the sunny bed we have planted a large range of perennials: salvia, Russian sage, gaillardia, phlox, candy tuft, ice plant, and several others.

Because this is our first attempt at planting in a bed with gravel mulch, I am slightly concerned about a few things. We live in Wyoming and do have hot summers- will my plants get roasted due to the rocks retaining heat? Also, will my plants be able to spread sufficiently?

Any help or expertise is much appreciated!

I am so sorry no one has responded to either post of yours about this. I have no experience except for removing gravel from my gardens... terrible stuff! :)

What I suspect is there is no one knowledgeable who has seen your posts, so about all I could suggest is to contact your local extension office or nursery and ask them your questions.

Thank you for your advice!