I won this landscaping design and build contract in Shanganagh, Co Wicklow through my website Landscaping .ie. On the first viewing, this garden was in a state of disrepair. The surrounding walls were different levels and finishes, only half the lawn remained, the rest of which being mud, the ground level was uneven, sloping towards the house, leaving a large step accessing the garden from the double doors. The aspect of the garden was good, being South Westerly so received plenty of sun. There was an old 6×4 shed and two trees Betula ‘Jacquemontii’ and Prunus pissardii, including various climbers on the walls.
After surveying the space and taking pictures I sat down with the clients, to discuss their requirements and my recommendations. The following is the wish list we came up with:
- Keep the Prunus ‘Pissardii’, remove everything else
- Child friendly
- Remove old shed and replace with two sheds, one utility and one for kids
- Create room affect
- Install new fence same height all around
- Install side gate to create utility area down side of house
- Reduce height of step accessing garden from double doors
- Garden lighting
- Low maintenance
- Patio
- Synthetic grass lawn
- A bit of colour, all year round interest
- Contemporary
- Clever use of space
- Deadline date for Communion
- Limited budget
Synthetic grass lawn, patio & paths
Armed with the above information I created a scaled low maintenance garden design which took into account all the factors discussed. A low voltage garden lighting scheme had to be sacrificed due to budget restrictions, but we did install a framework of cableing through the garden for future garden light installation. The surrounding walls were clad in 150x22mm pressure treated Scandinavian Spruce boards connected with nails to 50x50mm pressure treated joists. The 50x50mm pressure treated joists were connected to the wall using 110mm express nails. The whole fence was topped with 50x22mm latt with over hang, this small detail really finished the look but more importantly will extend the life of the structure going forward. The fence was then painted in Ronseal ‘Pebble’. Once the fence was installed the base gave us our level throughout the garden. To reduce height of step entering the garden from the double patio doors all levels were increased using compacted quarry screenings, a step was constructed down the side of the house to act as a retainer with an ACO drain in front to remove water run off. The two garden sheds were then installed, the 6×6 Wendy house to the right including verandah, and a 6×4 utility shed to the left. 600x300x20mm flamed silver granite slabs were used to create the patio and paths within the garden. The slabs were laid in a full bond patten with 5mm grouting gaps. This style gives a real geometric look to a patio space. The raised beds comprised of two either side using granite paving off cuts installed on the edge, 50mm high. The bed to the back, between the sheds was created using 1000x400x200mm tumbled silver granite kerbs, giving height and grounding the sheds within the space. The synthetic lawn was then installed using 40mm ‘Real Turf’, both the sheds also had synthetic grass in, which worked really well.
The following is a summary of the work schedule followed to create this Wicklow landscapers garden contract:
- Remove existing shed and cart to dump
- Remove Silver Birch/rubbish, cart to dump
- Raise down pipe and install gully underneath
- Supply and install Armoured cable for future garden lighting
- Supply and install patio/paths using 600x600x20 and 600x300x20mm flamed silver granite slabs, disguise man holes with paving (19Msq)
- Supply and install raised beds using 1000x200x100mm brush hammered silver granite kerbs and 600x150x30mm granite slips
- Fill raised beds with top soil, protect tree with 300mm plastic tubing
- Supply and install new fencing to a height of 2M using 150x22mm pressure treated Scandinavian Spruce boards, paint in Ronseal ‘Pebble’ (22.5Lm)
- Supply and install two custom built Baumanns garden sheds
- Supply and install synthetic grass lawn (15Msq)
- Meet client at Gardenworld Nurseries to choose plants
- Deliver and plant plants
- Supply and install new side gate to create utility area down side of house
- Removal of extra rubbish
- Finish base of both sheds with synthetic grass
Formal planting including Ligustrum delavaynum, Buxus sempervirens & Hydrangea ‘Annabelle 
Raised back bed with paved area for seat
The planting comprised of Lavanduls ‘Hidcote’, Acer palmatum ‘Garnet’, Buxus sempervirens, ligustrum delavaynum standards, Hydrangea ‘Annabelle’, Erica darlyiensis, Nandina domestica ‘Fire Power’ and Drimys winteri. All these plants were positioned correctly so they will thrive into the future.
The garden was only small but after landscaping looked larger and created an extra room when viewed inside the new extension. Importantly the deadline for the Communion was met, the original brief was fulfilled and the clients were very happy with their new garden. If you require a professional landscaper Wicklow or Landscaper Dublin, contact Kevin Baumann on 086 8198444.
