Garden design, garden planning, garden layout, planting plants and planting schemes

Making more Patio for more Sun

Posted on July 17th, 2010

A sunny area but no Patio to enjoy the Sun

Mark out area for new Patio

Excavate area, instal and compact Hardcore sub-base (foundation)

Probably to be found in every garden, a sunny spot away from main Patio which seems to get lots of sun but for some reason has no Patio!  Here’s a quick ‘how to..’  and get more Patio space for more sun enjoyment. The Patio stone featured here is Limestone.

Installation of the New Limestone Patio is well advanced

Completed Patio is greeted by a shower of rain

Small Garden Design Ideas – Patios

Posted on June 5th, 2010

The design, layout and size of the Patio areas in Small Gardens is essential to get right. Too small will mean the space will not be practical,  too big it is more likely to be underutilised and impact on the design scope for the remaining space. Site elements will need to considered when determining the layout, avoid arbitrary straight division lines and instead try and develop Patio profile which provides a more integrated look.

Designs for low maintenance Townhouse Garden Patio

Posted on May 16th, 2010

Here’s a practical and attractive solution for a  good size Town House garden in which the owner expressed interest for a bright, practical but low maintenance garden design. The solution featured a combination of Indian Sandstone Paving (Mint) along with Sandstone Kerbing for the Raised edges and Ballylusk Stone chippings.  To emphasise a more informal structure a curvolinear layout was selected for the patio areas as well as Stepping Stone style pathways. 

A simple layout with designs to appeal, which is well executed and a very affordable solution for a low maintenance Townhouse Garden Patio.

Granite Garden Patios

Posted on April 29th, 2010

Work is proceeding on new garden project and as can be seen from the photos, Boundary walls are being rendered, Raised Perimeter Planting Beds almost ready for Granite Wall Capping and the Granite garden patio is becoming more evident. Despite the typical appearance of building ‘work in progress’, the signs are present of the emergence of a distinctive modern urban garden.

Garden Patios, design details in construction

Posted on October 1st, 2009

As with many aspects of life, the beauty and appeal of well designed garden Patios is not only to be found in the design detail but also within the constructional details. Natural stone paving such as Indian Sandstone can produce fantastic results. Time, care and attention are all pre-requisite, experienced and skilful cutting and installtion are essential but the results ALWAYS provide the desired results. 

The attached photos from our current project clearly illustrate many of these key points, Sandstone Paving (Ravena) in a range of sizes, several individual hand cut pieces to complete the random joint pattern, Sandstone Kerbs used as Step Risers and Sandstone Setts for Patio perimeter trims.  

Sandstone Steps

Laying Sandstone Slab on Sand & Cement Bed

Sandstone Paving featuring Random Joint Pattern

Sandstone Paving with Step Detail and Sett Trim

Sandstone Patio with consistent line profile

Sandstone Patio over split levels

Hard Garden Landscaping

Posted on September 30th, 2009

Some more photos to show progress on our Hard Landscaping works, ie, constructing Raised Sandstone Walls, Sandstone (Ravena) Garden Patios and link Sandstone Pathways. Some photos also show preliminary ground preparation including Hardcore Foundations (Sub-base)  for paved areas and also one (Vegetable garden area) of the several new  water taps installed throughout the garden.

Later this week we will commence marking out the garden for installation of lawn edging (Sandstone Sett) which will permanently define the lawn profile and separate it clearly from perimeter planted areas. As the hard landscaping works progresses, work will shortly commence on the installation of garden lighting ahead of the soft landscaping elements which include tree and shrub planting, ground grading and preparation for installation of roll turf lawn.

Landscaping with Ravena Sandstone paving

Posted on August 6th, 2009

A recent garden landscaping project completed in Blackrock, Dublin incorporated an interesting combination of features including Extended Patio areas, sweeping Sandstone Garden pathway, Sandstone Raised Bed which amongst other items included a Mill Wheel water feature, some very attractive Olive Standards, a new  fence constructed from pressure treated Timber cladding and discreet lighting using the latest high output low energy LED lighting.

The photos were taken during wet conditions which perhaps is useful to see how beautifully vivid and varied the colours of natural Sandstone can be. In this project the Sandstone paving (and wall capping) is Ravena, an increasingly popular alternative choice to the more widely used Sandstone Mint. Ravena appeals to those who prefer to have a more muted tones in dry conditions to the ubiquitous yellow tones typical of Sandstone Mint. Another feature of Ravena is the pink/wine colourways which are much more evident during wet conditions. On closer examination some hints of the yellow tones are also visible.

The Raised Planted Bed was constructed using White Sandstone and the wall capping is of course Ravena sandstone. The layout was designed to be essentially one level thus maximising the use of the various areas and also  providing some additional flexibility to the use of the recessed paved area. This approach also influenced the layout of the Raised bed which was essentially linear but incorporated a full circle to circumvent the Mill Wheel water feature which the clients were keen to incorporate in the new scheme. Looking at the photos the colour of the Mill Wheel is remarkably similar to the Ravena Sandstone.

I would also like to point out the results of the skill and workmanship in several aspects of the paved areas including the linear and curve cutting and installation. Grass margins were re-defined to conform with the new levels set by the paving hence the extended soil areas adjoining the old lawn and new paved sections.

Frequently we receive feedback on how useful and informative our SUNBLOG is to readers seeking design and layout ideas.  I also receive requests from readers to show more ‘Before’ as well as ‘After’ photos from our project portfolio. So here are a few ‘Before’ photos from this particular project.  

Bright White Background

Posted on July 10th, 2009

A very recent garden project featured an interesting combination of granite paving/patio with nice bullnose profile on steps which looked particularly well with the vivid green lawn (note the explosive growth in less than 2 weeks) and the white bright painted finish of the timber wall cladding. 

A few before photos again illustrate how design and layout can make even a modest size urban space look bigger and brighter and much more appealing.

The white background works particularly well with the Olive trees to create a Mediterranean look.  

Townhouse Garden Design with Structure & Style

Posted on July 3rd, 2009

Earlier this year, the owner of a large Townhouse who was planning a major refurbishment of the property, contacted us to seek our advice and assistance to design and re-build a new garden to replace an old garden which had become overgrown with cumbersome planting and provided little means to enjoy any outdoor living.

The sample photos provide some evidence of how  jaded the garden had become. From the outset it was clear, that several elements demanded immediate attention, including provisioning of Patio area(s), a unified boundary which would not only be more defined but also conceal some of the rather unsightly appearances of the concrete posts and plinths of the panel fences as well as the exposed blockwork on the opposite boundary wall.

The side access although generous and long resembled more an alley way and displaying all the signs of having been overlooked. To complete the visual disharmony, concrete pathways were in abundance and exceptional number of AJs were all too conspicuous given the overall scale of the property.    

To begin with all tree and shrub planting was removed including all roots. The design plan was to instal wall cladding on all three sides of the boundary walls/fencing within the main garden. Plan included two Patio areas, one main and a smaller ‘Bistro size’ Patio nearer the house. All stone work (paving, setts and step risers) would be Indian Sandstone (Mint). The side access was also to be paved to link with main garden area, also a separate seating and planting area would also create a more secluded ’shaded garden’ space within this area, and a trellis screen would be used to screen waste bins at rear entrance and well away from the main garden area. Garden lighting was positioned to provide individual lighting zones (four in total: specimen planting, main patio and perimter borders, olive tree and side area), offering flexibility to light owner depending on use.

The appeal and simple line of timber cladding is well illustrated here and to conceal the rather uneven but distinctive curve section of walling, this was clad with a double  line of timber laths (fixed vertically) to provide a subtle but otherwise a favourable and compatible finish with the otherwise horizontal lines of the timber wall cladding. All timber works were painted in a dark tone of green to provide a uniform look but also a ‘green’ backdrop and less requirement for bulk planting.  The exception being a beatiful specimen of the Olive tree in rear corner to counter balance an otherwise dominant appearance of the main circular Patio.

From start to finish, this project was completed in less time than a typical  2 week summer holiday. A great surprise for the owner upon return.

As is the case in all gardens, but especially a  townhouse garden functionality is very important, space is a premium and in such cases although planting can and is also important, use of space is probably more important than appearance. However in this project and similar, where timber cladding is featured, the results clearly demonstrate that timber fencing/cladding can make a major contribution to achieving structure but style in a garden. In this instance I believe the green tones provide a relaxed and calming backdrop to the simple geometry of the layout and results in a garden that has not only clear useable spaces, defined gentle curves and a selection of planting that provides year round interest without any significant regular maintenance requirements.

In terms of design, structure, style and functionality are all critical elements of  successful townhouse garden design and attention to detail and quality of finish are essential pre-requisites.

Garden Fencing with appealing colour and style

Posted on June 27th, 2009

Here are a few ’Before’ photographs of an average sub-urban garden containing few if any focal points, an adhoc planting scheme, a rather drab looking cobblelock Patio and a site boundary which fails to enhance or define the overall view but seems to underline the juxtapositioning of all else in the garden space?

An early but key design objective was to refine the boundary with a  solution which would feature clean lines and yet be discreet and compliment the proposed planting scheme and new site layout. The garden shed was relocated from the sunniest corner to the most shaded corner. Pressure treated timber cladding was used on both the left and right hand boundaries and pressure treated trellis panels (for additional height and screening) were used on rear wall. To achieve a more coherent background look, all timbers including Garden Shed were painted, in this instance a dark green.

The choice of the garden fencing style works well here and the colour selected for fence painting is one of the more appealing visual images from this particular project. Also to be seen is Indian Sandstone paving and setts were used here and featuring circular layouts and gentle sweeps to contrast favourably with the more dominant ‘linear’ garden layout. 

Although the Rotary Clothes line was replaced, it’s position in the new layout was unchanged.