Earlier this year I had a plan, born of desperation, to expand the planting space available in the garden. In the process I hope to make the garden more attractive. The first stage was to change the line of the path, that was done a month or two back. The next stage was to create a new seating area. Actually this was a means to an end, the real next stage was to create some new borders, but I needed a credible reason to do so first. There are those in my house that don’t see “cos more plants, innit” as sufficient. Weird.
I wanted a circular patio as I thought that would look less formal. I initially planned to just buy a circular paving kit, but those are quite expensive. After a bit of research on the interweb I decided to just use regular house bricks and arrange in a suitable pattern.
I removed a circular patch of grass about 6′ across and levelled it out, which involved digging out quite a bit of sandy topsoil. As it turned out, I did not do a very good job of levelling.
I compacted the ground just using the head of the sledgehammer, then added an inch or two of concrete.
Once that was dry I experimented with a few different brick arrangements. Quickly realising that the bricks were too big to make a nice tight circle nearer the centre, I split some of the bricks into thirds. After some discussion, I settled on a design then got busy mixing up the mortar.
This is where I came a little unstuck. It became apparent that the base wasn’t as level as I thought which meant a lot of mucking about with different depths of mortar to achieve a more-or-less flat finish. A very hot afternoon later, I had finished setting the bricks in the desired pattern. It ended up pretty circular, and pretty level, a minor miracle considering I did it all by eye.
Next I made up a sandy mortar mix for the pointing which was simply brished into the gaps between the bricks.
The theory is that the moisture in the air is sufficient to set the mortar, but it has been so dry recently that I have taken to giving it an occasional spray with the hose. A couple of weeks later and it still doesn’t seem to have set completely hard – I’m beginning to wonder if I didn’t use enough cement in the mix. I’ll keep spraying and hope it’ll be ok. Worst case, I’ll have to re-do the pointing, annoying but not a big deal.
Now finally to the end-game, the digging of the new borders. I opted for a fairly organic curve, partly following the line of the new path. I removed the turf, stacking it out of the way, then mulching with good layer of home-made compost. As I was building this and tweeting nonsense about it, it became known as the Eye of Sauron. Blame a long flight and an umpteenth viewing of one of the LOTR movies.
I haven’t planted it out yet, that will come soon. To start with, it will be a motley collection of whatever plants I have left knocking about. I have several salvia, some hollyhocks, some dahlia, a few shrubs, some other bits and pieces. I can adjust as needed next spring when I enter my next growing frenzy. My intention is to surround the seating area with plants so that it feels like sitting in the border. I also need to buy a suitable bistro set, and I probably need a stepping stone from the path to the circle, a way across the border and through the planting.
So what next? I originally thought I might dig up the whole of the left side of the lawn, but that is possibly taking it too far. The next stage then will be to create some more planting space along the line of the path. I’m thinking some nice bright geraniums and possibly an arch with rose and clematis clambering up. That will have to wait till later in the year, I think.
I’ll be back in a couple of months with an update.
Interesting read, thanks ! 🙂
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Nice work. I actually find it refreshing that so many gardeners are pleased with “good enough” and do not worry about perfection. The approach actually encourages others to engage in similar projects. Soon, please feature an aerial shot so that we can see how the recent path change works with the new circle patio.
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Well, putting cement into the mix was more than some of us would have done. Decomposed granite is all that I used on some slabs of sandstone. Cement in the mix would have been better, but it is not a high traffic area.
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Very nice! You are a man of many talents.
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I admire your hard work and ingenuity ! Nicer than a ready made(expensive) stone circle, I await the planting!
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It’s looking good. I finally went round with the lawn earlier in the spring (well, roundish) as the hard landscaping (brick edged rectangular lawn and brickedged beds) we inherited started to become more amenable to a mallet and pickaxe than it had a few years ago when I gave it a try and quickly gave up.
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Looking good. Great when a plan comes together.
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Looks great. Lavender edges with a range of herbaceousness going on – love it! When the bricks age (crumble) it’ll look even better.
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Sounds lovely. Bistro set in a border is a winner.
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I love seeing how gardens evolve. It seems we gardeners are never satisfied with what we have, but I find hard landscaping the most difficult part. Should have moved here twenty years ago when I had more strength! You must plant some scented flowers around the patio – herbs, scented pelargonium that release oils as you brush past.
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Good idea!
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I do have some. Occasionally 😀
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That’s AWESOME! It’s a lot of work, but the end results look really good. Then you can look back and see what you have accomplished.
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Thanks! I need to get on with the planting. That’ll finish it off.
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That will be great!
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House bricks may start to crumble after a few years of wet winters as the alternative freezing and thawing allows water to penetrate them (I had this problem with the top layer of bricks around my pond). Pavers or engineering bricks will not have this problem as they are not porous
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Yeah I know. I’ll live with that. I might want to change it up in a few years anyway.
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Nice. But worry not. Just get a bistro set with adjustable feet.
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Genius.
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I am majorly impressed. A lot of work but it looks great.
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Thanks Mala. I have been setting out the plants this evening, ready to put in the ground tomorrow. It will look even better I hope.
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