General Landscaping – Balham London SW12
Designer: Julian Sandell
Client Testimonial
J. Boatman
Balham, London, SW12
“We are really pleased with our ‘new’ garden. The workmanship was excellent, including great care taken over the selection of paving stones in order to harmonise with the rest of the garden. Full marks!”
Project Specification
- Spec: 4.5m2 of Riven, Fossil Buff Sandstone Paving & 18m2 of New Lawn.
The General Landscaping Project
Whilst this was not the biggest garden in the world, just two days work has revitalised what was a rather tired space. The old lawn was completely full of weeds and moss, as well as having a track worn around the outside as a result of the client tending her flowerbeds. The basic brief was to dig out the old lawn and replace it with a new one and also to install a pathway around the outside, which would allow access to the raised beds without damaging the new lawn, throughout the year regardless of weather conditions.
Both the garden and internal décor of this Victorian property were fairly traditional in their style so a Riven natural stone seemed like the most appropriate option for the new pathway. After looking at several options the client decided to go with fossil buff Indian sandstone. This stone as the name suggests often contains fossils of sea fans and invertebrates in the hand split faces of the stone, which provides a natural motif for the garden, whilst at the same time details the direct connection between living organisms and sedimentary rocks.
The paving was laid in a uniform size around the outside of the lawn on a compacted bed of hardcore, before being pointed with a mix of silver sand and Portland cement. The new lawn was then laid in the centre on fertilizer enriched topsoil. The inclusion of the fertilizer will reduce the time required before the turf beds in, and provide the necessary nutrients for growth until the turf has established new roots.
The result is both simple and elegant. The perimeter pathway both frames the new lawn and provides clean access to the planting beds even in the wettest conditions, whilst the clients bronze elfin sculpture looks out over the garden.
