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Landscaping project - the finer details

2 years ago

We’re having our garden landscaped in a couple of weeks (it’s currently a sea of badly laid fake turf from the previous owners) and we’re going through the final, finer details of the project with the landscaping company and there are a couple of questions I’m struggling with.

First off, here’s the planned design as it stands (there will be some pleached trees around the curved edge as the wall is low in places). It’s a slightly awkward shaped garden, hence we’ve planned it in the way we have.

As you'll be able to tell, the inspiration behind the design was this garden here:

Garden Design in Wandsworth, South West London · More Info

We wanted something with curves smooth lines to make a feature of the fact our garden is an unusual (and slightly impractical shape). Above that though, I really like the way the paved areas have been done. First off the longer flagstones, but also how neatly they have been laid. If you look at the close up here, I don't know what the technical term is but there's almost no gap or jointing between the flags.

Garden Design in Wandsworth, South West London · More Info

I asked the landscaper (who to his credit has been great) whether he could replicate this effect, and the answer was effectively a 'no'. I'm concerned we're going to end up with a patio which is less refined with large 'gaps' of jointing which isn't really what I wanted. Is there a specific technique to laying the flags like the above, and could someone please explain to me why this supposedly isn't possible?

Secondly, for the small round decked area we decided to opt for a composite decking as I hate the maintenence aspect of real wood. We'd been recommended this product by Ecoscape however apparently it now transpires that the edging has no flex and so won't accommodate a curved / circular deck.

I found an alternative product called Millboard which looks great and will flex however it's also eye-wateringly expensive. That's not necessarily a deal breaker, but I wondered if anyone had any experience of any other products that might do what we want?

The other alternative suggested was to use timber edging and then clad it with another material, such as a rusted steel, so that it looked like an intentional design decision. I'm not necessarily against this, but I can't find a similar example or picture how it would look in my head. Any thoughts or ideas would be really welcome.

Thanks, Jonny!

Comments (5)

lesleycurrant
2 years ago
Looks great! I would soften the left hand edge of the flower bed into more of a curve, what works in your inspiration garden design is that there are no straight edges at all, all the curves echo each other.
As far as the paving goes, for longevity and stability of the flagstones, you’ll need to cement them down and have grouting in between them. As long as you choose the right colour grout, they will look just as contemporary. You’ll need a minimum amount of grout between each flagstone to stand up against the weather year round, and not move or crack. That’s probably why your landscaper has said it’s not possible. We’ve got dark grey porcelain tiles on our lower patio, which caused endless pain as they’re thinner than the standard garden flagstones. We chose a slightly darker grey grout and they look fine. If there’s any gaps left, you’ll also be endlessly weeding them for moss and weeds etc ;)
Love the white walls, what makes the garden work is the height differences around the garden, which fool the eye into making it feel bigger. Look forward to seeing the finished project! :)
User
2 years ago
The gap between slabs largely depends on the material. I chose granite so I could have minimal gaps, since I don't like wide grouting joins either. This isn't my garden, but it's the same paving I have from Bradstone.
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Jonathan
2 years ago
You can replicate the wood look with a porcelain tile as an alternative.

Personally I would be worried about a metal edge being applied and worried about sharp edges (and it getting burningly hot in the summer)
Juliet Docherty
2 years ago
If you have rectified slabs, can't you just butt them together and brush sand in like paving setts?
faye_lloyd
2 years ago
Not sure where you’re based but there’s a company called iGarden Vision which create a steel frame structure off site to your measurements and then install it. They can tailor it to your requirements and porcelain tiles sit on top for a streamline finish. I think they can do whatever you want, I know a bit about it because I helped with their brochure :) not an employee

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