Advice Hub

Reclaimed Yorkstone circle with Millstone

When choosing paving materials for your garden project, there will seem to be a bewildering array ​available!  If you visit your local stone or building merchant you will be dazzled by everything from natural stone to man made products. So today we are looking at one of the options available - natural Yorkstone.  

A dense sandstone quarried in Yorkshire, Yorkstone has been used for centuries in our cities and has long proved its suitability to the British climate.  Sourced new from quarries in Yorkshire, each piece is typically hand-finished by an expert stonemasons to create the precise riven or sawn (smooth) finish. 

Yorkstone is available in a range of buff or grey colours in paving and sett formats. The setts are ideal for a hard-wearing driveway or high-traffic area whereas the pavers work well for paved areas and copings. ​

When choosing paving materials for your garden project, there will seem to be a bewildering array ​available!  If you visit your local stone or building merchant you will be dazzled by everything from natural stone to man made products. So today we are looking at one of the options available - natural Sandstone. 

Sandstone Paving is a versatile natural product offered in a wide range of colours, sizes and finishes. A sedimentary rock composed of sand-size grains of mineral, rock, or organic material, It also contains a cementing material that binds the sand grains together. Sandstone pavers (paving slabs) are offered in a variety of finishes including a riven, sawn (smooth), tumbled or shot blasted finish. ​

Whether you're an experienced gardener or a keen amateur, calling in a professional Garden Designer can bring new insight to your project.  With experience of working with gardens of all shapes and sizes they will be able to draw upon their creative techniques for making the most of the space and dealing with any awkward areas, often suggesting ideas you haven't thought of.  
Most importantly, a good designer will develop a scheme that works both practically and aesthetically and is tailored to your needs and site providing, a high-quality bespoke service.  
Having worked in the industry for over 21 years in design, horticulture and garden retail, I have a wealth of knowledge which I use on each and every project to create designs which for fill the clients needs and which are buildable by professional landscapers.  

The transformation process
From wilderness to elegant garden

Back in early 2019, Bel was contacted by clients in Loughborough in the depths of a large renovation project of a 1930's property.  Keen to plan ahead they were looking to have a garden design plan ready for and waiting for when the builders left site. 
 
The clients had two key requests - a substantial kitchen garden, with space for a Greenhouse, raised beds and fruit trees and a level croquet lawn. As the clients are very busy, and keen to spend their time concentrating on growing produce, the ornamental planting was to be kept to a minimum  whilst still offering year-round colour and interest.  

Bel created a Garden Design Package to develop the site tailored to the clients needs and budget. The physical transformation began in early May 2020 in the midst of the Pandemic. Thankfully the team were able to work outside safely and rapidly cleared the site and set to the construction of the kitchen garden raised beds, paving and greenhouse base. The oak sleeper terracing then went in which enabled 2 large level 'terraces' to be created which would be used for the croquet lawn and kitchen garden areas. The level changes across the site created steps, tiered pathways and seating areas and a pathway to access the kitchen garden easily from the house. A raised pathway  also allowed for an area to view the croquet lawn during play.  A series of timber square framed arches were installed, adding height and framing the view to the kitchen garden. An orchard area for fruit trees was created adjacent  to the kitchen garden and the ground laid with wildflower meadow turf to attract wildlife.  To the rear, the mature trees were selectively pruned and rejuvenated then underplanted with woodland style planting, offering a wilder area within the garden...

I was contacted by the owners of this garden back in July 2018.  They had just bought the property and were having an extension built at the time. I visited shortly afterwards to see how we could transform the  rough messy lawn and overgrown shrubs into a low maintenance elegant space for the clients to enjoy.  They longed for a greenhouse, planting beds and seating areas for entertaining family.  There was limited space to play with and the garden was overlooked by several neighboring properties. 

Bel created 2D and 3D design plans and visuals for the garden to show the clients how the space could be transformed. These were accompanied by mood boards showing the features for the space along with dimensional plans for the landscapers to use whilst setting out the various patio, pathway and planting beds. A scope of works was also provided which detailed the work involved in landscaping the garden and which could be used by the landscaper to draw up a quote for the works. Find out more about the Garden Design Process ...

For all projects, regardless of size i like to provide my clients with as much information as possible - plenty of detail about the features, style and layout of the space plus in depth information for the landscapers to quote and build from. So what can you expect from Garden Design Package?  The following images represent the documents presented to clients on a project in Loughborough. The garden has now been landscaped and planted as shown below.

A pack of detailed documents was provided to the owners of this recently renovated property at the Concept Design Presentation. The pack included:

​Garden Design Plan - A detailed 2D colour plan, drawn to scale showing the proposed layout for the garden including paving, pathways, lawn, edgings, terracing, planting beds etc. The plan is annotated with notes relating to the features in the garden.  These plans are produced digitally so they are accurate, clear and easy to interpret. 

Mood Boards - Quality colour mood boards printed on photo paper which convey the mood of the proposed scheme, including landscaping materials, features and planting style

3D Visuals - A series of 3D Photo Realistic visuals showing various views of the garden to assist in conveying the style, layout and feel of the space. You can see examples on our 3D visuals page. These are created digitally using CAD and Rendering Software...