There was very little in this garden to begin with. The aspect was North facing. We first surveyed the garden, met with the client and came up with the following brief.
– Low maintenance
– Garden lighting
– Seating area
– All year round interest
– Granite paving
– Open fire
Armed with this brief our landscape designer came up with a low maintenance garden design shown below.
Our landscapers removed all existing paving, trees, shrubs, perennials and unwanted rubbish and carted to dump. The design was then marked out accross the site with line paint. This process is very important and time should be taken to get it right. Sometimes areas can be out of proportion or look incorrect so we dont always stick rigidly to the design. Small changes are often made at this stage, as a 2D design looks completely different when laid out in 3D.
The raised beds and two central seats were first to be constructed. Materials used were 4″ solids plastered with cement render and capped with silver granite. The beds were finished at a height to double up as seating. The beds were then filled with topsoil from the excavations for the seating and gravel areas. When designing or landscaping thought should be put into the easiest route to completion, double handling should be avoided.
Our landscapers then completed the two raised silver granite patios at either end of the garden and the patio in the centre. The patios were constructed using 60x30cm rectangular slabs laid on a 3:1 sand and cement mix. This size of slab is favoured as it looks well and is easy on the back.
The beds either end by the patios were created using 200x100x100mm silver granite cobble laid on a 3:1 sand and cement mix.
The gravel areas were then created by first laying geo textile matting covered by a 75mm layer of Ballylusk dust which was then compacted and finished by a 25mm layer of 14mm Ballylusk gravel which was also compacted. This use of materials results in a very stable and attractive surface.
The planting consisted of Buxus sempervirens, Heuchera ‘Purple Palace, Epimedium spp, Thuja smargard, Acer palmatum ‘Dissectum’, Iberis sempervirens, Libertia spp, Erica spp, Rosmarinus ‘Prostratus’, Alchemilla mollis, Sedum ‘Munstead Dark Red’, Polystichum polyblepharum.
Our landscapers then installed the low voltage lighting system. This was a plug and go system which can be installed by non electricians. It is versatile as it allows the client to move lights to different positions or add lights.
The client was very happy with his low maintenance garden. If you like what you see and require a professional service contact Kevin Baumann on 086 8198444
