Raised Flower Bed Design & Reclaimed Paving

Category: Flower Bed Design

Garden Design Project: FBDLDL001

This project was a flower bed design project for an odd shaped rear garden.

The brief for this project was quite simple, rip everything out and start from scratch and keep it low maintenance.

There was also no budget to the project, but there were materials which could be recycled with in the garden which would keep costs down and required a utility area for washing, storage areas out of view, plus a socialising area.

All drawings were hand drawn and to scale (no Landscape Design Software Used).

The rear garden faces North West so only received sun in the late afternoon and as it was an odd shape, needed to be unified to certain extent. The design split the garden into 3 separate areas as requested and reduced the odd shape to more aesthetic areas in the utility and social spaces. The storage then took up all of the odd shapes and angles.

The paving in this area was again recycled from the original ordinary utility paving, cleaned up and relayed in an off set pattern to add a better finish.

The circle was a kit from B&Q - Bradstone Weatherdale Circle Paving Feature Kit Antique Effect.

Several drains had to be hidden with recessed drains in this area (previously they had been paved over!)

A French drain (perimeter drain or land drain trench covered with gravel that redirects surface and groundwater away from the area) runs around the edge of the paving and raised beds.

The garden was divided up using raised wooden beds built from new 2400mm x 200mm x 100mm thick tanilised pine sleepers.

This enabled the beds to be maintained easily and also kept each area separate. The storage areas to the rear were also screened off using trellis as well. Although the utility and social areas were divided by the raised flower bed design they were not separated by screening as this would have closed all the areas in too much.

Plants were used to soften the divide and also create the interest within the garden.

Plants included; Camellia, Cordyline, Lavender, Heathers, Grasses (Silver Grass, Bowles Golden Grass, Purple Moor-grass, Blood Grass, Blue hair Grass, Panicum Virgatum 'Cloud Nine', Milium Effusum 'Aureum', Bamboo), Clematis.

Grasses were used for their all year interest same as Bamboo and Cordyline. Clematis for its climbing properties and flower display.

The storage areas were simple, clean and used the old paving which had been lifted and cleaned off. Access to the shed can be gained from this area.

The utility area had space for a washing line when required, or provided a small space for the family pet dog and children. It is surrounded on 3 sides by raised beds and is over looked by the kitchen.

The social/seating area had a completely different finish under foot.

A stone circle was laid in the centre and was edged with plumb slate chips.

A path leads from the patio doors at the rear up to the circle or around to the utility area and again is edged with plumb slate chips.

This area has 2 raised beds and a chrome standalone self contained water feature that was added later.

The whole project took 2 weeks to complete during the winter months and came in on the predicted budget supplied and taken from the agreed design work.

The customers were extremely happy with the finished garden, especially the flower bed design, and subsequently commissioned Lonsdale Landscapes to tackle the front garden in the following year.

Submitted By: Andrew Lonsdale  Dip. GD (Inst. GD)
Website: www.lonsdalelandscapes.co.uk

Back