image description

Mount Vernon Project

  • by Gordon Neillie
  • 2
  • 5

Mount Vernon Project

With this particular project the client again gave me a quick description of what she was looking for...an outdoor designed space that was not only beautiful to look atfrom the upstairs of the house, but also pulled you out into the garden.

We were faced with a very rectangular garden, with an old grey concrete patio, a lawn with tree roots and no planted beds.So, I decided to come up with a plan to give them a garden that would be all on the one level. Within this space I would divide with raised planted areas so as to slow down how they got to a new sitting area for the evening sun. Astro-turf cut to a half moon shape would allow a new curving planted border running along one entire side of the garden. By using sleepers cut and shaped to triangulated raised beds , these would make the garden look longer and divert the eye from the straight sides that surround it.

image of grey Indian sandstone with sleepers.

With the use of grey Indian sandstone paving we get a very contemporary feel to the paths and sitting areas and with a border of blue slate between paving and sleepers have greatly enhanced the area.

The astro-turf is a 40mm grade which is not too long as to throw the positioning of your planted foot but also long enough to look real.

Planting was to be of evergreen shrub variety with four season flowering and easy maintenance. The patio areas were to be planted to give four season interest and create divisions so as to screen from neighbours and give privacy while sitting out.


Materials

  • 25 squared meters Indian Sandstone Paving (grey)
  • 15 tons top soil
  • 30 sleepers and fixings
  • 6 tons concrete sand
  • 25 bags cement
  • 8 cubed meters Compost
  • 20 squared meters (40mm) Astro-turf
  • Membrane
  • 2 tons blue slate mulch
  • Fencing
  • Plants
image of plants with sleepers.
image of plants with sleepers.

Plants

  • Phyllostachys Aurea
  • Euonymus
  • Vibumum
  • Carex
  • Stipa
  • Fatsia
  • Phormivum
  • Berberis
  • Cordyline
  • Photinia
  • Acorus
  • Ilex
  • Rhododendron
  • Azalea

Again, plans were not drawn but again I was given a free role to just make this space work.

Ann and Kevin's beautiful outdoor patio
By Pairidaeza Gardens and Landscaping