Earthy greys, deep honey browns and rustic dull reds suit both period and new houses. While performance, durability and ease of maintenance are key with all materials used in a garden setting, you should choose natural-looking surfaces that complement your home and design style. Identifying and exploring potential materials is one of the more enjoyable parts of landscaping a garden.
See our complete guide on how to level a garden or lawn.Use the teeth to break up large chunks of soil, while the back can also be used to smooth the surface by running it in a forward and backwards motion to evenly distribute the soil. If you have a small garden space then you may be able to a level the ground yourself using a rake. This is a vital task as without a level ground, any landscaping materials such as patio and decking can't go down. Find the best weed killer you can in our guide.Big chunks of rubble make it harder for plants to establish and can potentially block drainage access also.ĭetermine whether this will be a light job and easy to do yourself, or if you need to hire a skip. This can be a tough job but it is completely necessary, especially if you're planning for lots of planting and vegetable growing. Visible rubbish is easy to remove, but using a pick (if the soil is compacted), or a garden rake (if you're lucky!) and disturbing the soil can help release any rubble to be removed below. This means tending to weeds (everyone's favourite job), overgrowth and getting rid of any garden waste.
Contractors that are affiliated to either the British Association of Landscape Industries (BALI) or the Association of Professional Landscapers (APL) should be your first choice, Checktrade is also a good place to find reputed garden landscapers that are UK-based. Planting, installing off-the-peg water features, adding a new gravel path or lawn, laying decking and garden fencing are within the scope of the keen amateur however, walling, laying expensive stone pavers, concrete rendering and electrical work should be carried out by professionals for a quality, safe finish, even if you do have a small plot. The key here is to know your limits and your budget. Decide whether to DIY or hire a garden landscaper Find all our garden ideas in one place for inspiration on the final look you want.Ģ.Top soil: the current state of any existing and will any be required.