The Original Garden
I was asked to redesign this back garden of a relatively newly built house in Cottingley, Bradford. The garden comprised of a slightly sloping lawn and a stepped patio down one side. As with a lot of newly built houses the soil quality was not good and this caused some drainage issues down the edging of the lawn in places. As there was a dog in the house this could get a bit muddy at times. The customers wanted to retain the patio but have some form of shade from the midday sun. They also wanted a modern geometric look with spaces to grow plants to attract wildlife. However they were clear that they did not want to plant into the ground but instead utilise planters and containers.
The Design
The simple design I created was based on reshaping the areas of the lawn where the drainage was poor. This was done by edging the areas with strips of block pavers and filling with decorative cobbles making a firm base to house containers and planters. The strip of block pavers acts as a barrier to prevent the cobbles getting onto the lawn, this is especially useful when using any aggregate adjacent to grass to prevent the two merging. Originally the design was for a curved edged lawn but the customers preferred the straight lines seen in the final design. A large wooden gazebo was added to the rear of the patio to provide some shade and make the outside area accessible in all weathers if desired. Large wooden planters were commissioned from a local tradesman which were placed to zone off different areas in the garden and supplement the many containers and pots the customers already had housing their Acer collection along with other plants.
The Hard Work!
The areas to be filled with the cobbles were marked out and the turf and soil was removed and set aside. Much of this would later be reused to fill the large wooden planters and save on the amount of new topsoil required. The block edging was laid at a height where the lawnmower would be able to mow over the blocks for ease of maintenance and some tough weed membrane was pinned over the soil to prevent unwanted weeds peeking through the stones in the years to come.
The Gazebo
The customers commissioned a bespoke gazebo with a tiled roof which looked great in the corner of the patio. They also decided to stipple the flooring using a stencil design which gives the garden a lovely Mediterranean look and sets off all the planters.
The Planters
Three large bespoke planters were commissioned from a local tradesman and these were erected and painted by the customers in their choice of colour. These were then filled with soil and compost ready for planting.
Decorative Cobble Edging
The spaces that had been created by reshaping the lawn were filled with some 30-80mm Irish Cobbles. There are many different shapes, sizes and colours of decorative aggregates available to suit any garden style or taste. These beautiful cobbles change colour when they become wet giving them a lovely warm tone.
The Finished Garden
The beds were planted up by the customers with plants of their choosing which included a great selection to attract wildlife, insects and pollinators to the garden throughout the year.
