ADVICE: inc. current legislation, choosing a garden designer, investing money in exterior living, budget planning, plant care, soil management, weed control, driveways and car-parking spaces, contract law.
Future legislation for front garden paving.
As a result of the introduction of new legislation from autumn 2008, householders will be required to obtain planning permission before applying impermeable material such as asphalt or concrete to their existing gardens (permeable/porous materials such as gravel will be exempt). It is hoped that the new law will reduce flooding and its subsequent damage whilst reducing 'heat-island' effects. In addition to this, soil moisture should be improved and higher biodiversity may be encouraged. Under the new proposals, planning permission may take up to 8 weeks and the application must be accompanied by a £150 fee. The Government rational is that the measures will encourage people to consider more environmentally friendly alternatives.
The Environment Agency is currently consulting with the RHS to produce a booklet giving advice on permeable paving and more sustainable options for front gardens. For further advice visit:
www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/pdf/686153
Choosing a garden designer
With so many people offering this service it is not easy to decide which person to use. Some designers may be highly qualified but are not necessarily gardeners and spend most of their time at the drawing board; as a result some designs which look great on paper can be impractical to install. By the same token, a good landscape gardener is not necessarily a talented designer: garden design involves not only drawing skills, and an understanding of horticulture and plant knowledge but also first hand experience in the practice of installing hard landscaping features such as paving, walls, fences and decking. Even with this, a garden design will be worthless unless it is inspired with original ideas. An understanding of horticulture may be gained with the RHS General Certificate but flair, ability and talent are also required, otherwise designs will lack the necessary dynamic.
Choosing a garden designer may not therefore be an easy task and although all may be committed to their work, a lack of experience often limits those new to the industry. I advise potential customers to check for recognised qualifications, experience gained over years of practice, a good portfolio and the willingness to provide references.
The best advice to anyone seeking a newly designed garden is to not to get carried away and become over enthused whilst specifying features. The overall budget can sometimes be exceeded by up to as much as 50% if individual prices are not kept in perspective. This is a common danger from which even people related in some way to design and property development are not immune.
If timing is a major issue and a garden needs to be installed for a particular time of the year, I would advise getting the project underway at least six months before completion is required; a realistic timescale is necessary – especially during the spring and summer months – to avoid disappointment. If, once work commences, it is important for it to be completed in the least amount of time, it would be better to instruct a larger company with more employees at their disposal. This however has the attendant problem that larger companies dealing with large, time consuming projects may have increased waiting times until the project can commence.
It is worth bearing in mind that an experienced and qualified garden designer will have important practical knowledge and training in costing work and dealing with budgets of all sizes. I will happy to give you as much advice about budget planning and time frames as you require.
The investment
The Royal Institute of Surveyors has stated that "an attractive garden will add at least 5% to the value of a house". And this is just an attractive garden, never mind a designed garden! In addition, all the evidence from estate agents suggests that tasteful improvement of the exterior of a property will increase the overall value and make it much more saleable. Besides showing a return financially it is worth bearing in mind that a garden will last longer than a lifetime and not depreciate like other desirables such as cars. The value of a newly installed garden can only increase as plants, trees, and shrubs increase in size.
The decision to invest money in your exterior living space is always a good one unless installation is derived from a poor design or the landscaping is substandard. Always look for references and remember that if the price seems too good to be true, it most probably is: often price reflects quality.
A good tradesman will be a busy one, so - for whatever you want - it's always worth planning ahead by at least a few months.
The budget
Without experience it is often difficult for potential customers to estimate a realistic price for the work they wish to have undertaken. The variety of property re-development programmes on the television have shown this quite markedly with the participants regularly under-estimating the cost of a project by up to 50%. This is certainly true of landscape construction where the work, materials and time needed are repeatedly under-estimated.
Garden makeover television shows in contrast to the property development programs are not good reference points. The work is typically quick-fix where corners are cut and viewers may be made aware of some of the costs of materials but never machinery, skips, labour, and contractors overheads and their incumbent costs.
It is therefore necessary when budgeting to factor in all these variables and allow for the fact that there are always unseen costs which are particular to all businesses.
The plants
For many people it is most important that colour is apparent in the garden throughout the year and by choosing appropriate plants, any garden can achieve this affect - including those shady places where nothing was expected grow.
Container gardening, hanging and wall baskets are my speciality. Even if it doesn't appear that you have a great deal of space for a garden, natural colour and beauty are possible in the most unlikely and dull spots - from early spring, through summer and right into Autumn and Winter.
Planting advice: Although plants may be installed at any time during the year when the ground is not frozen, the best time to organise a quote or design is well before the spring or summer. By then most landscapers and garden designers will be working at full capacity and this may result in a considerable wait until they can fit you in. If a contractor is available immediately it is worth considering the reasons why this may be so.
If you do choose to have a garden installed during spring or summer I often recommend a basic irrigation system. This is vital as the new plants have no established root system and cannot locate their own water; if left to fend for themselves during their first year, they may all die.
If you choose to plant out your own garden, careful consideration will pay dividends. Buying plants on the spur of the moment can result in a badly installed garden without meaning and which looks hastily prepared. One should always plant in drifts of at least 3 herbaceous perennials so that the positioning appears intended; if a few odd varieties are dotted about there is a danger that they will seem lost or accidental.
An example of a planting plan
The planting plan implemented
A word to the wise: do be prepared to lose some plants during the first year and budget for a 5% loss. It's unlikely you will loose this amount, but be prepared.
Border maintenace: To get the best out of your border it is essential to condition the soil once a year by mulching - that is to say, spreading compost, chicken pellets or horse manure over the beds. The latter does not necessarily need to be well rotted but should be free from straw as much of the soil's essential nitrogen is used up in the process of breaking the straw down. Stable manure with wood chips instead of straw is always superior as fungicides are added to straw to stop it decomposing.
The next important step is to fertilise the soil - this is especially important around roses, Clematis and Wisteria as these are vigorous feeders which are helped by improved soil in the fight against disease and insect attacks. Overall, feeding and mulching puts life back into an otherwise moribund border and retards weed growth.
The weeds: By definition a weed is a plant which grows profusely where it is not wanted; more specifically: A plant of no utility growing wild among garden plants and competing with them for light, nutrients, etc. These obviously undesirable properties, coupled with the fact that weeds tend to look very unsightly, mean that it is often tempting to simply remove them. However, this has the effect of exposing soil so that any weed seeds buried under the surface will be unearthed and able to grow. Not only which, additional weed seeds will settle and as a result the border will very quickly be more abundant with weeds than if it had been left untouched. To avoid simply treating the symptom, which is effectively what weeding to expose soil achieves, I can design a more effective strategy of weed control incorporated into a wider planting and design plan for your garden.
Overall, the most important principle when striving towards a flourishing garden is ensuring that the necessary routine of seasonal work is regularly carried out. "An efficiently maintained garden with a well defined layout will look surprisingly different from a garden of similar design that has been poorly or erratically maintained" (RHS). If this is observed, you may expect an attractive garden bursting with life all year round.
Driveways and parking spaces
The current trend is to transform a garden into a car parking space by having the garden either block paved or laying Tarmac. A good idea if there's nowhere to park your car however statistics reveal that this can devalue a property by at least £10,000. If one considers this loss and the cost of the block paving, what it amounts to is quite a substantial amount of money. It can never be seen as an investment.
Photo below: Although a neat exterior, what remains is a vacant space without a focal point. Furthermore, the the garden has no mystery or sense of journey and lacks unity in that the house is made from bricks which do not go with the block paving.
In addition to costing a lot of money, substituting a garden for a car parking space also contributes to global warming as it absorbs heat. This contributes to flooding as water runs off the flat surface flowing into drains which cannot cope. An alternative would be to use a combination of quality block paving/slabs which complement the house. This combined with a little green in the form of low maintenance shrubs would soften the effect whilst providing a boundary.
Below: The owners of this property have successfully devalued their property and created a void outside their house with a dustbin and drainage grate as focal points.
Below: An example out of date block paving where where too much has been used. The house now stands ominously alone in a void
Below: An excellent example of a little thought which has created a low maintenance garden with a sense of journey. This garden has year round interest and complements the house.
Gravel or shingle tends to be a popular alternative to other hard landscaping products as it's relatively inexpensive compared to paving, sets, or slabs. However, it does deteriorate quickly and over-enthusiastic use tends to create an arid and unwelcoming look unless the scene is softened with turf, shrubs and plants to provide 'kerb appeal'. The asking price of the above property will drastically be affected if it is left as it is. Alternatively: A garden could be created using gravel whilst incorporating drought resistant plants such as Fox Tail Lilys, Achillea, and Alchemilla Mollis - all in keeping with the feel gravel provides.
Above: When gravel starts to deteriorate it provides an excellent growing medium for weeds.
When instructing a tradesman to undertake driveway work always check for references and make sure all areas to be paved are dug out to a depth of at least the depth of a spade (a spit). The base must be back-filled with Type 1 hardcore as sinkage will occur if this base is not deep enough.
Contract law: Where you stand
Whenever you enter into an arrangement to obtain goods or services you are entering into a contract. No writing may exist, indeed words may not even be exchanged, as when you buy a bus, train or plane ticket. But it is a legally binding contract which you have entered into nevertheless.
Once you have commissioned a garden designer or landscape gardener (orally or in writing) to complete works, you are under obligation to abide by their terms and conditions (regardless of whether or not you have received a copy or taken the trouble to read it)
If there is a Reservation Title in the terms and conditions it may mean that the seller of the goods and services (i.e. the contractor) is entitled - at any given time - to be granted free and total access to your property to repossess any goods which have been installed where monies remain outstanding.
If there is a 'Minimum Works Clause' this may mean that the contractor is entitled to charge the full price for a completed job even if the client has helped out in some way e.g. by doing some clearance work themselves in the hope that it may reduce the size of the final invoice where in fact the work may have been undertaken in vain.
Licenses and certificates
Check out what you are responsible for; does the contractor have public liability insurance and if so how much is it for? If in doubt ask to see certificates and licenses.
If you choose a contractor to remove your rubbish - whether it is green waste or rubble - from a garden or building site, its final destination is your responsibility. That is to say if you do not employ a contractor with a Waste Carrier's License issued by the Environment Agency you will be heavily fined too if the contractor is found fly tipping. Therefore, it may be wise to get a copy of the Waste Transfer Note which the contractor will receive after tipping your waste.
And finally: If all goes pear shaped you will be able to take the offending builder/landscapers to the Small Claims Court and put the matter to a District Judge. However, this (albeit a low cost option) is time consuming and stressful. It may also take you up to a year to get a hearing and even if you win this does not mean you'll ever see any money back.