creation of a cottage garden - part 3 - construction

The story of the design and creation of our cottage, suburban garden continues.

Once the design and budget has been agreed and signed off we set a start date.  Then we get the big guns in...





First we needed to mark out the site.  This is basically a transfer of what is on paper onto the ground.  All measurements are checked at this point. The inner white line marks out the new shape of the lawn.





There is usually some collateral damage.  We try to work with what is in the garden as much as possible but sometimes we just can't incorporate existing trees or shrubs - in this case an overgrown Elder - into the new scheme.





Similarly, that silver birch in the background has to go as it is planted too near the house. It also casts long shadows over the patio and will eventually get so big it will block views of the garden.  Much as we hate to see a beautiful tree go, it is sometimes the lesser of two evils. We console ourselves with the fact that we are planting appropriate sized trees instead.





Now the site is fully cleared and the eventual shape of the garden, particularly the eliptical lawn, becomes clear.  Next we need to construct paths, pergolas, and the gravel planting area off the existing brick patio.





A couple of days later the pergolas have been constructed.  They look a little strange standing out there on their own but just wait until they are covered in scented flowering jasmine!





Work then begins on the planted gravel area.  First hardcore is put in to provide a solid base for the paving stones and gravel.  You can also see the black aluminum edge has been attached to the side of the lawn.  This will hold in the gravel path and keep a sharp edge and defined shape to the lawn.





The paving has been laid in the gravel bed.  Stepping stones through the lawn continue the path out towards the pergola on the right while not breaking up the lawn into two separate areas.





Finally all the construction work is finished and the garden awaits the magical addition of trees, shrubs and plants. I will expand on this in the next post.

In case you are wondering why we didn't put in the gravel at this stage  it's beacuse the planting phase can be a bit messy.  In order to avoid soil and muck spillages we don't spread gravel until all planting and construction is complete.