Winter is just around the corner and while people in Europe generally lock themselves indoors for the winter, the beauty of Melbourne (or Australian weather in general) is that we don’t have to! Implementing good landscape design practices is a fantastic way to ensure your yard is not only utilised during the colder [...]
YES - Questions about what you want to achieve with your garden YES - Questions that will give your designer a better understanding of your taste and style YES - Some suggestions based on your answers YES - A fee proposal for producing a landscape design NO - A complete comprehensive solution to your garden [...]
Designing your outdoor space from scratch or renovating an existing space is exciting, but can often be overwhelming. It is a process that takes time, perception, vision and experience to execute correctly. An experienced landscape designer should bring these attributes to your project, helping you create your perfect garden. Choosing the right landscape designer [...]
What is curling bluestone and why does it affect specifically bluestone paving? I have personally had an area of bluestone paving curl after I had laid it. Up until that point I had never encountered this before. I’m hoping this article, will give you some insight into what the term 'bluestone' means, why some [...]
Now that we have prepared a good solid base for our pavers, that is we have excavated to the appropriate levels and we have 75mm of compacted crushed rock/road base in place at approx. 60mm below our finished height of paving, we can commence laying the pavers. Setting up a String Line Firstly, we [...]
I have seen many people attempt to design and install their own landscapes over the years. Some are successful in their attempts; however, others lack the understanding of what it takes to design and construct a practical, well thought out connected garden. Expertise in many areas of construction and horticulture is essential to the [...]
The cost of a landscape design is influenced by many factors. The three main factors that effect the cost of a design include, the overall size of your property, how detailed you require the design, and the features you want to include in the landscape. These three factors have will effect the amount of [...]
Some people I meet, when I’m out and about, seem to get gardeners and landscapers mixed up. Or to be more precise they can’t determine the difference between the two. I often get phone calls from people wanting me to maintain and weed there gardens on a regular basis. When I politely tell them [...]
Water is very important to humans and all life on earth. It covers approximately three quarters of the earth and is responsible for shaping the landscape – cliffs, riverbeds and caves. It is also one of the most useful tools for creating atmosphere in the garden.Water features can be installed just about anywhere, from a [...]
Setting Out Your PavingNow that the physically hard stuff has been done, its time to prepare the area for laying. The area has been excavated to 175mm below the finished height of the paving. Its time to get our crushed rock/roadbase into place.What is Crushed Rock/Roadbase?Melbournians calls it crushed rock, Sydney siders call it roadbase. [...]
The Back Breaking Work.We have now measured our area, and have the total number of square metres of paving we need to lay.The next step in the process is to ‘dig the area down to the right level’. A few things need to be considered at this point:1. Pavers can take between 3- 7 days [...]
Paving an outdoor entertaining area, patio or driveway is simple if you know how. This series of articles will attempt to take you through the process step by step. Each step is easy, there are just a few of them.Preparation is the key to paving an area that will stand the test of time. If [...]