A gravel garden makeover
I was approached to redesign a small back terraced garden in Lancashire to make it wildlife friendly and a nice place for the customer to sit and relax. The hard landscaping features prevailed in the original garden. On exiting the patio doors of the house there was paved area filled with gravel. On walking up into the garden again there was a stone path and more gravel surrounding a circular patio and planting was largely confined to pots and containers.
A greener redesign
One of the main features of the brief was that the client wished to have more greenery in the garden and also a wildlife pond. Also to have some screening for her bin area and an archway and trellis to provide an entry to the garden and separate it from the neighbouring space. We worked together on a suitable design which eliminated all the gravel areas and replaced them with planting suited to the aspect of the house and the conditions of the soil. A planting plan was drawn up, materials and the desired elements were purchased and then the build began.
The hard work!
All the stones and gravel were painstakingly removed and the areas where the gravel had been dug out were filled with topsoil and soil conditioner and also some sand and grit to combat any drainage issues in the north facing site. The lower part of the garden was laid with bark and the pavers repositioned into a random pattern.
The wildlife pond
A small pre-formed wildlife pond liner was sourced and dug into the ground ready to welcome some visitors hopefully next spring! With its aquatic planting the pond will hopefully provide a haven and for small animals, birds and insects throughout the year.
A new entrance
A beautiful new archway was erected to create an entrance way to the garden. This will eventually be covered by a Hydrangea petiolaris (Climbing Hydrangea) and a Lonicera henryi (Honeysuckle). The flooring was originally covered with bark mulch to combat some drainage issues but this was replaced in spring 2021 with a pea gravel to enable some creeping varieties of plant to weave amongst the pavers. Pictured are the purple Vinca minor ‘Atropurpurea’ and the white Anemone canadensis. These will live quite happily in the semi-shade conditions between the paving stones to create a lovely naturalistic look to the garden.
The planting
Parts of the garden receive quite a lot of sunlight whereas the area nearer the house has shade for a lot of the day and the planting had to be suited to the conditions accordingly. A willow trellis was constructed against the wall of an outbuilding which will provide support for a beautiful climbing rose to be purchased in spring. Also in the garden there is a Hydrangea petiolaris (Climbing Hydrangea), a Lonicera henryi (Honeysuckle), and a mature Hedera helix (English Ivy) which will scramble up and around the boundaries providing both beautiful nectar filled flowers and shelter for wildlife throughout the year. Other planting includes shade tolerant species such as Brunnera macrophylla ‘Jack Frost’ (Siberian bugloss) and Ajuga reptans (Bugle).
The garden also includes wildlife friendly perennial planting favourites such as Echinecea, Rudbeckia, & Buddleia. Hopefully these will attract the wild visitors the customer loves to see in the garden.
The finished garden
The wildlife pond is now in situ and surrounded by decorative stones awaiting its inhabitants. The planting will flourish next spring and summer when more varieties can be purchased and added to the garden.
