Stone & Gravel in the Garden (2)

Garden 9 months after completion.

I recently wrote on how the use of gravel and stone in the garden is considered a water-wise thing to do. Today I continue in that theme, but will use an example of a garden that we have worked on.

Here we have a garden corner which was technically abandoned and in dire need of attention, not to mention the waste of space, and the fact that this area was eyesore - overlooked by bedrooms. The idea was to design this "garden room" in such a way that it would not only be appealing to the eye, but could be put to use as well, whilst being waterwise and easy to maintain in the long run.

Before

As the shape of the space was difficult to start with - a meandering path runs next to it (see pics), to create interest we decided to work with the curves and create a circular bed of gravel in the centre of the "workable space", with plants surounding approxiamtely two thirds, and the open aspect being in the direction of the remainder of the garden

The planting was kept simple, with a variety of white flowering plants (Star Jasmine, Iceberg Roses, White Agapanthus) and a wall of Johannesburg Gold on one wall and Viburnum sinesis on another - these will eventually form two "green barriers" which will create a feeling of depth in that space. In the centre we placed a concrete table and two benches.

After

The end result: a wasted space turned into something that not only can be used, but looks appealing from all angles. The choice of plants for the most part are waterwise i.e. not requiring copious amounts of water, and since they flower at different stages, there is interest in that area at multiple stages during the summer months.

Further reading: see my previous entry on the use of Gravel and Stone and also click on gravel, stone ,waterwise tabs for more articles.

For more on Naturally Inspired Projects go to our website: http://www.naturallyinspired.co.za/