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I recently demolished my garage in order to extend the garden and within the last few days I have broken out the garage floor slab. The idea is to create flowerbeds around the perimeter and to lay turf adjacent to that. The broken out flooring was only a couple of inches thick and once I have broken it down even more I was intending to put a topsoil/compost mix on top to create the flowerbeds. I am assuming that the broken up flooring will assist with drainage and stop the soil from simply washing away when it rains? I have several bags of Homebase topsoil and was intending to mix them in with compost of some sort. Can anyone offer advice and tell me if this is a good idea? I intend to plant climbing roses and honeysuckle at the far end of the garden because I have installed trellis at high level. Going forward I will be planting runner beans and tomatoes on the more exposed wall and pyracantha and other Sparrow friendly plants elsewhere. I will post some photos when I get home, in order to give a better idea of the layout. Hope someone can offer some advice. Thanks.
Unicum arbustum haud alit duos erithacos
(One bush does not shelter two Robins)
Zenodotus (3rd Century B.C.)
Thanks Gaynor. The fact that I have to hire items or wait for the rubble to be collected etc means that I have plenty of time to make changes to the project as it progresses. I hope the remainder of the garage floor comes up as easily as I have been told because that will determine the final look of the 'lower' garden. I originally wanted a small lawn in the middle, with flowerbeds around three sides and a rockery in the South West corner. We shall see...
Looking good MC, do like the effect of the mesh on the trellis, is it an 'arm & a leg' job? BTW, I like your babbling boulders waterfall, gentle & effective!
2013 photos & vids here
eff37 on Flickr
Thanks Wendy. The mesh sections are from Homebase and they are about £7 each. Not cheap, but they are sturdy and ideal for my purposes.
Sorry not been on but back again now!
It looks great MC and I think that you are doing it right by having your plan but also being flexible enough to make changes as it evolves!
With all the hard landscaping such as the trellis panels etc just make sure that you allow enough space for a good selection of wildlife friendly plants. It's the planting that will tie it all together and soften all the edges.
From what I can see keep going as you are as you are definitely heading in the right direction I reckon!
Best
Higgy
Not a bad price though MC, not when you consider how much the plastic mesh is & it looks to be sturdier too! I have to do cat prevention on an 8'x6' panel by the rose arch, think I will try some!
Higgy, how did I fail to spot you on here? Lovely to see you posting - I've really missed you.
Our herring gulls are red listed birds. Think about that the next time you hear some flaming idiot calling for a cull of them.
Thanks Clare, just sent you a PM...
I hired the Hilti TE-3000 to break out the rest of the garage floor over the weekend. However, it was rather too cumbersome and I found that I was getting exhausted rather too quickly (partly down to the asthma and partly down to the weight of the breaker). I knew I would either do myself lasting damage or simply fail to complete the work, so I contacted one of my workmates (the same chap who helped build the fence in July). He is somewhat 'bulkier' than I am and more suited to using the breaker. Even he found it very hard work, but with him breaking out the floor and me removing the debris the work was done in a little over 4 hours. I took the breaker back this afternoon and got a £20 refund for early return. The resulting rubble was piled in the middle to allow us to work around it and only move it once. All I have left to do is to rake over the rest of the small stones and level it out. I now have about three weeks until the skip will be hired and the 3 tonnes of topsoil delivered.
After the real hard work was complete, I returned to the Chalet area part of the project. I have made a small recess on the right where the Orange Pyracantha will be planted, giving the Spadgers another perching and preening area close to the feeders.
The garage floor, once the breaking out had been completed.
The view from the end of the 'Lower Garden' towards the house.
OO'h my back is hurting in sympathy :) That looks like the worst of it over now MC, take it easy and enjoy the company of your birds while you wait for the topsoil. I think you should have had the meeting of the forumites at your place, look at all the help you would have had.lol
Lot to learn
Wotalota rubble you got MC!! But a sizeable useful area of ground reclaimed & am sure you will be glad to get rid of stuff so you are not constantly tripping over it!
Still trying to sort mine out & you would have been proud of Byron today, not only saving all the worms from when I emptied out big flowerpots but fashioning a home for snails & big red slugs in 'his' bit of garden ... no doubt be building a bug hotel tomorrow!!