There was a lot of old paving that had to be removed from the garden, along with a concrete shed. As the access to the garden is down a narrow lane, we spent quite a while lifting and smashing slabs and then wheelbarrowing down to the main road.
The structure of the steps were to be kept, with the new paving to going over the top. The old decking by the back door was very weak. We removed this also. The new paving will cover the whole area surrounding the house.
Whilst the rotten timber and paving were being removed, Jerry got to work demolishing the shed. This summer has been seriously hot, making landscaping tough, but we never give up. The perimeter wall was kept, with a new shed being constructed to replace the old one, at the end of the landscaping.
Once the staggered level, timber raised borders were created, and the new paving started being laid, the garden really started to take shape. A square timber raised bed was also added next to the steps. Our customer was keen to have planting that would make the garden more welcoming to wildlife and people.
A new drain cover was also added to the upper patio, infilled with the grey sandstone paving. It certainly looks much smarter. Some of the plants, like Rosemary and Thyme which had been dug up from the garden originally, had been kept and could then be planted in the new borders.
Jerry measured the slabs perfectly, making sure the patio was level and the paving was flush. The original concrete shed base was kept for the new shed to be built upon.
Once the paving had been finished off with matching edging. The ground was prepared with fresh top soil for the new lawn. The rest of the plants were added; a variety of drought tolerant items such as lavender, achillea, gaura, grasses and verbena bonariensis to compete with the hotter, drier summers that we now experience in the UK.
Along with drought tolerant planting, we chose RTF turf (Rhizomatous Tall Fescue), which is a hardier grass. It has exceptional drought resistance, deep roots reaching up to 1.5 meters, high wear tolerance, and unique self-repairing qualities that fill in bare patches naturally without the use of heavy over seeding. This was a really good project to be involved in. It was very enjoyable to see the transformation taking place.
Although the grass has become slightly patchy in places due to the soaring hot temperatures since turfing; with a good watering regime into the autumn, and the winter rains coming the lawn will be perfect in no time. If you’d like to discuss drought tolerant options drop us a line.
