We recently finished a sandstone patio in Chistlehurst and we thought it would be great to show it to you.
The patio was done using sandstone paving with granite edging. See how well these two types of stone work together.
Sandstone with its beautiful varied colouring is a great choice for a patio. We laid it using paving stones of different sizes to create the mosaic effect you can see on the photos. The interesting and naturally varied look of the sandstone is balanced with simple and elegant granite edging.
The step was formed out of a dissected sandstone circle.
Have a look at more photos of the new sandstone patio in our portfolio gallery.
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Right now we are working on a driveway project in Bromley.
We are using black lime stone for this driveway, you can see us laying it on the photo. We are laying it using different size paving blocks, which we cut to create a curved line on the edge.
Then we are finishing it off with granite imitation edging. Being a similar colour to the limestone it gives an elegant finish to the driveway.
Along with a driveway, we are making a contemporary style fence and a wall along the front of the property.
We are also working on a granite patio and a waterfall in a different location. Watch this space for more news and updates.
Want to see what the limestone driveway looks like all finished? Scroll down and sign up to our newsletter to make sure you don’t miss our future updates.
The post Current works update: lime stone driveway and a contemporary fence first appeared on Concept Design - Professional Landscape Gardening.]]>Have a look at our quick guide to differences between concrete, brick and natural stone paving. The post Choosing between concrete, brick and natural stone paving. first appeared on Concept Design - Professional Landscape Gardening.]]>
For each paving project you can use concrete, brick or natural stone pavers.
Concrete paving is, generally speaking, the most affordable option. It is fairly durable and low maintenance. Concrete pavers come in a range of colours and finishes so you can really get exactly the colours and shapes that you fancy. The downside is that since the colouring is not natural, the colour of concrete paving may fade over time.
Brick paving tends to be slightly more expensive than concrete pavers. The good news is that since the colours are natural, they will not fade over time, you can be sure that the colours will stay the same throughout the years. Clay comes in a range of shades and colours, so you can choose which one you like best.
Natural stone paving is relatively the most expensive option, but if you are going for a unique and beautiful patio or a driveway, natural stone paving is what you are looking for. Once laid, it will last for a very long time without the design or colours wearing away. There is a variety of natural stones to choose from, so you can get your patio or driveway in exactly the right colour and style for your property.
They all can be laid in a variety of patterns so you can achieve the best results. You can also mix and match different kinds of pavers to result in your perfect patio. Whatever your dream paving, we can make it happen.
Have a look at our previous block paving projects for inspiration.
The post Choosing between concrete, brick and natural stone paving. first appeared on Concept Design - Professional Landscape Gardening.]]>When to lay a lawn
Creating a new lawn from scratch is easy if you pick the right time of year and prepare the site thoroughly.
Turf will quickly establish on soil that is warm and moist – autumn is perfect as new turf will also be regularly watered by winter rain. Turf can also be laid in spring, but avoid this time of year if you live in an area hit by a hosepipe ban as new turf needs frequent watering to prevent grasses from being put under stress.
Laying turf
- Prepare the soil by skimming off any old grass, removing large stones and weeds, and then roughly levelling by flattening humps and filling hollows. Fork over the site and rake level to leave a fine finish. Firm the soil by walking over, placing weight on your heels and rake again. Sprinkle a granular fertiliser over the soil and lightly rake into the soil and water well.
- Lay your first row along a straight edge, slowly unrolling turf to avoid damaging. Butt each piece up closely to the last and ensure good contact with the soil by tamping down firmly with the back of the rake.
- Lay the next row, making sure the pieces of turf are pushed right up to the first row. Stagger this and subsequent rows in a brickwork pattern until the area has been covered.
- Lay turf so it runs beyond the area of your new lawn and trim edges with a straight edged board and a half-moon cutting tool. After cutting, scoop up handfuls of soil and put under the edges of the turf to prevent it drying out. If possible set up a sprinkler to water or soak thoroughly with several doses from a watering can.
Aftercare
- Try not to walk on newly laid turf until it has rooted into the soil, which could take several weeks.
- If the weather is mild over winter the grass will begin to grow. Trim it lightly, keeping the mower blades set high.
On the strength of this, Concept was asked to return in June to build a drive at the front of the house. We did not feel the need to get a quotation from other companies.
The work was completed with the same efficiency, attention to detail and enthusiasm as on the previous occasion. Scott Burton takes a great pride in the work that the company carries out. He is very professional, approachable and honest. He insists on a high standard of workmanship, which is adhered to by the rest of the team. They are all extremely polite and trustworthy, and we have no hesitation in recommending their first class service.
Many thanks.
Richard & Chris Hughes
Beckenham
Then select one of four distinct deck types:
- Wraparound
- Builder’s deck
- Small-space sanctuary
- Rooftop retreat
Each will give you ideas for your own brand-new deck or get you thinking about how to revamp your existing deck space. You might not think there’s potential for change in your existing garden or deck area, but our before-and-after deck makeovers will convince you otherwise. If you’re not sure what makes one deck style different from the next, contact us for a free consultation.
The post Garden Decking Ideas first appeared on Concept Design - Professional Landscape Gardening.]]>Because whatever this weather’s good for, it’s not the urban lawn. When David Nalbandian kicked that advertising hoarding and, by unhappy extension, the line judge at Queen’s Club, frustration was given as the reason – but at what? I’m betting it was grass envy; having served, lobbed and volleyed all afternoon on top-quality turf, he was probably thinking how much time, money and effort he’s applied to his own lawn over the years, to no avail.
I know this, because my husband’s reaction, once Wimbledon starts, will not be dissimilar (lawns, for some unrecorded reason being Man’s Business, whereas herbaceous borders are a cissy, female domain). For eight years, my spouse devoted himself to persuading grass to grow in possibly the shadiest, driest, least accommodating corner of the UK. When it rained, the back garden was a no-go quagmire. When it shone, the thin straggle of grass down the middle looked disturbingly Brazilian. And I don’t mean the rainforest. Moreover, during the recent hosepipe ban, the ground was so cracked the children skinned their knees if they fell on it, making it a no-go tundra.
It all looked so dreary that one day last month, I finally persuaded my husband we should fake it. So we did – despite a new survey by trade recommendation service RatedPeople.com that revealed that neighbours who Astroturf the garden are a source of annoyance to the average homeowner.
But my lovely new lawn is a far, far cry from Astroturf. In fact, the only reason it might possibly annoy anyone is because the grass really is greener on the other side of the fence. My fence. And here, lounging around on my synthetic sward, I have finally fallen head over heels for my garden. I love it. My children love it. My husband loves it. The dog may or may not love it, but she’s still happy to wee on it. When everyone’s tucked up in bed at night, I creep down, turn on the kitchen light and admire it. In the mornings, waiting for the kettle to boil, I smile at it. Sometimes I even Hoover it.
Our use of the garden has increased tenfold in the three weeks since our lovely artificial grass was installed, ably assisted, of course by gaps in the weather. At my lawn-warming party, everyone took their shoes off without even being asked and gasped in amazement at the luxuriant softness; it wasn’t bristly, it wasn’t even plastic-y, in fact it felt deceptively like real grass. The only real giveaway was that it wasn’t cool to the touch, but had the warmth of man-made fibres. But that’s not to say I didn’t wrestle with my conscience before I took the plunge.
I was racked with guilt about the ecosystem and angstily consulted the green-fingered woman next door before taking any action, assuring her I would scatter my flower beds with bee-friendly plants by way of atonement. Their response was surprising; yes, of course I should go ahead. Lawn grass isn’t nearly as biodiverse as hedgerow grass and, having commiserated with the fact I have a 40ft London plane tree casting long shadows over the garden, they were actually quite surprised I hadn’t laid down paving slabs by now.
Mathew Frith, deputy chief executive of London Wildlife Trust, was rather less sympathetic to my lawn adventures. “We are losing about 3,000 hectares of vegetation in our gardens every year in London,” he said, more in sorrow than in anger. “You are contributing to that. I understand why people want to put down a low-maintenance lawn, and they are free to do what they want, but there are wider consequences in terms of wildlife.”
I recognise that grass is important in the food chain, although I’m not quite sure what lifeforms could have survived the annual onslaught of industrial chemicals I applied in a bid to keep what previously passed for a lawn alive. Was there, I pleaded, a way of salving my conscience? “You could put bird feeders up on your fence and grow variegated ivy, which provides cover for birds like the wren. In brighter parts of your borders, you could grow ox-eye daisies and meadow flowers.”
But it’s hard to please everyone: academics have been warning that, in future, as droughts in the South East become the norm, real lawns, which require a huge amount of water for upkeep, will be regarded as a sign of moral decadence. In short, you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t.
My research revealed that you can buy lay-your-own artificial lawns from Homebase and B&Q for as little as £10 a square metre, but as with most things, you get what you pay for and the cheapest grass looks more like a short pile carpet. The choice of “grass” from specialist online distributors, on the other hand, is extensive and bewildering. You can buy play grass and fine grass and New Hampshire grass and Meadow grass, urban grass and landscape grass. There’s certainly a demand for it; one company, Lazy Lawn, has seen its profits double this year as customers try to circumvent the changeable weather.
Not having any idea what to choose, I decided to consult Easigrass, which installs hundreds of artificial lawns a week and which has won (yet another) gold medal at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show. Having had the choice between Knightsbridge, Belgravia and Mayfair, I opted for top-of-the-range Mayfair at £29.99 per square metre.
But I still had a final attack of nerves. Was I doing the right thing? “My view is that if you dig up a meadow and put artificial grass down, you should be shot,” was the verdict of garden designer and artist Tony Smith, who created the Easigrass garden at Chelsea. “But there are certain situations where artificial grass is a sensible and practical solution. I’ve been converting tarmac in school playgrounds for artificial grass because it’s much nicer for children to play on. And in areas where grass won’t grow, it’s preferable to flagstones as it allows water to drain into the earth.”
And so, three weeks ago, three burly chaps arrived in a splendid truck that was covered from chassis to bonnet to wheel arches in fake grass. They began by digging up my stricken wasteland. Then they levelled it off, before putting down a porous, environmentally friendly layer of what looked like recycled flip flops in order to achieve a “shock pad” cushion effect.
Finally, they crowned it with a carpet of artificial grass which was glued in place, fixed at the perimeter using wooden lawn edging and weighted down with sand, which was brushed deep into the pile mechanically, using a specialised machine. Because it is porous, rain (and dog wee) will pass through it. Any dog poo can be picked up in a bag and any residue rinsed out. A mild detergent or bespoke deodoriser prevents odours. With an eight-year guarantee, it requires little maintenance and, being free of mud, the children can use it all year.
The difference to the garden is immeasurable. The bright colour lifts the mood and I’ve dutifully introduced bird feeders and planted my herbaceous borders with cornflowers and lavender for bees, phlox and buddleia for butterflies and poppies for other beneficial insects. Would I prefer a real lawn? Yes, of course I would, but chopping down a centuries-old tree would be the only (unthinkable) way to achieve it. And so, here in my garden the green green grass of home may be 100 per cent fake, but let me assure you, the pleasure is absolutely genuine.
Source: By Judith Woods, The Telegraph
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