Building A Garden Room with David Domoney

19 July 2022

 

The beauty of different garden shapes and styles is that every garden is unique. This of course comes down to personal preference with design and the furniture and planting schemes you want to incorporate. To achieve a cosy but practical space, tick off these elements to achieve your dream garden.

 

 

Take a Seat

Step out onto the patio, to be greeted by a circular family seating and dining set, fit for al fresco dinners. With double doors leading straight out to the space, it makes it a perfectly practical place for feeding the family as it’s only a short walk from the kitchen.

 

 

Frame the doorway with containers of perfectly manicured topiary balls of Buxus sempervirens (box) which provide structure all year round with their evergreen foliage. Low maintenance and slow growing, they’ll thrive in a sunny or partially shaded spot, making them great to embellish a doorway.

 

 

Stylish Slate

The dining set sits atop the beautiful Brazilian Rio Slate which is made up of various different sizes of pavers to create a jigsaw of structure for an appealing garden foundation. However, in some gardens, a more unified appearance is wanted, which can be achieved by using one single paver size. This can create a well-defined patio space, cut to size to perfectly fit the contours of your garden.

 

 

Smooth riven surface

Although the paving is dark in colour, there is still a brightness to it, especially when the sun is shining. The smooth riven surface creates a mixture of black and grey tones, creating a base that’s well suited to many gardens’ furniture styles. Rattan has increased in popularity over the past few years, with the earthy sand or brown shades emphasising natural elements within the garden.

 

 

Come on down

Stepping down from the upper level of the patio, the Brazilian Rio Slate is used to create steps from one area of the patio to another. Their versatility makes them great to customise your garden to fit your specific needs.

 

 

A lighter shade of grey

The lower-level paving is Sawn Ash Sandstone which is lighter in colour, complementing the upper section well. Though it is sandstone rather than slate, the riven face adds texture to bring a homely but contemporary atmosphere. 

 

 

Cooking essentials

Generally, herbs need plenty of sunlight and well-drained soil. So, plant them up into containers full of peat-free all-purpose compost and ensure they’re in a good spot, easily accessible to keep them watered regularly. Sage, parsley, oregano, rosemary, and basil are all great contenders for growing in that sunny spot in an alcove of the wall cladding.

 

 

Create compartments

Utilising different pavers for separate compartments, or even the same type of stone for different uses is a great way of creating a cohesive design. For example, the pavers can be used as the surrounding coping of a raised pond.

 

 

Another way to create compartments within a garden is using balustrading. Having glass balustrades is a fantastic way of separating areas, whilst also acting as a safety measure between different levels.

 

 

Clear & safe

It also brightens up the area, and the glzzass can help give the illusion of more space. With seating handily positioned behind the glass panes, it can also act as a wind break to have a slightly sheltered spot which is good for many container plants.

 

 

Modern gravel garden

Dotting around container plants on your patio is a great way of softening the space and adding a burst of colour and fragrance. Alternatively, complement the paving with a modern spin on planting schemes in borders by planting a gravel garden, finished with white or grey stones.

 

 

Choose silvery, grey, blue foliage for a cool, contemporary planting scheme. Bring texture with ornamental grasses like Festuca glauca (blue fescue) which is a compact evergreen that grows to 30cm tall. A classic plant suited to any garden is lavender which need a sunny and well-drained spot. Complement the silvery foliage with soft texture of Stachys byzantina (lamb’s ear) which is woolly. They also grow best in a sunny, well-drained soil where they will grow up to 50cm tall. Keep the plant looking its best by removing flowers because the foliage is really the star of the show.

 

 

Here's the video of the garden featured in this blog. I think you will agree the whole project is as stunning as it practicable?
 

David Domoney, TV gardener, horticultural expert and Pavestone brand ambassador blogs monthly on the Pavestone website on all things landscaping related.

We look forward to seeing you back again next month.
 

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