Garden Makeover

Stage 1

Taking up the turf. What’s underneath? Aha! A couple of tonnes of sand!

Stage 2

Digging out planting pockets

Stage 3

Backfilling with chopped-up turf. Installing a concrete base for the rotary washing line. Lining up the raised bed.

Stage 4

Some time later, following the unearthing and reburying of a concrete kerbstone presumably left during the development of the land for housing, a foundation has been laid on which the raised bed will rest, covered with a moisture-proof membrane to extend the life of the wood.

Stage 5

The flat-packed raised bed drops easily into place on its level foundation. The sand is overlaid with textile membrane and this is covered with the customer’s choice of gravel. The raised bed itself is filled with a mixture of sand (reclaimed from under the lawn), turf and manure.

Stage 6

The new garden spends its first winter in a neat and tidy condition. But in all the planting areas (three corners and a raised bed) the reclaimed turf, sand and the manure are being quietly broken down underneath the membrane and gravel.

Stage 7

Planting time, the following March. Yes, that’s snow!

Stage 8

Now it’s time to open up the planting areas and work over the soil. The grasses in the turf have died but a few perennial weed roots remain and it all needs to be picked over by hand.

Stage 9

It’s a mucky job but gradually it starts to take shape.

Stage 10

Our customer is very happy with her new garden.