Hard Landscaping Features And Materials

Question 1

Definition

Answer 1

Term used to describe what you do to your garden that doesn’t involve plants and soil

Horizontal elements - paths, decking, patios and steps
Vertical elements - walls, fences, pergolas, furniture

Question 2

Timber examples and pros and cons

Answer 2

Provides environmentally friendly answer
Can be used for wide variety of elements
Durability depends on species, treatt and end use.
Softwood cheaper and easier to work with but require regular treatment.
Hardwood more expensive but more durable.
Should be seasoned
Can be painted
Sleepers - long lived
Log sections - edging and paving

Question 3

Bricks

Answer 3

Uniform in size so easier to calculate how many are needed
Particularly suitable is house is made of brick
Can be harder to work with than other materials
Lend themselves to creative design.
Some bricks not suitable for paths

Question 4

Blocks

Answer 4

Available in wide range of shapes, sizes and colours.

Can be solid or incorporate holes to aid drainage or wind turbulence.

Question 5

Stone

Answer 5

Provides character when matched with house.
Expensive
Heavy
Construction requires skill.

Question 6

Concrete

Answer 6

Presents may options
Base for a garden structure
Economical compared to other options
Bags of dry mix can be purchased or depending on access ready mixed can be delivered direct to site
Can be moulded to form paving slabs or flags in wide range of sizes, shapes, colours and finishes.

Question 7

Gravel

Answer 7

Rounded or angular pebbles usually ranging from 3mm to 18mm

Available in a range of colours and provides a cheap and easy option for surfacing an area.

Question 8

Man made products

Answer 8

Can be made from recycled materials e.g. composite decking

Question 9

materials for vertical elements

Answer 9

Rock e.g. marble, limestone, flint or slate
Bamboo, Reeds or Willow screening
Brick
Concrete
Plastic
Glass fibre
Metal

Question 10

Considerations when selecting materials

Answer 10

Colour theme
Style - formal or rustic
Existing hard landscaping materials
Proportion to the size of plot
Ground coverings that are neutral in texture have little influence over the sense of direction and speed of movement
Walls and fences can be used to create boundaries or as growing opportunities

Question 11

Timber maintenance

Answer 11

Softwoods need regular preservative treatment.

Pressure washing may be required to remove algae.

Question 12

Rock garden

Answer 12

Can be useful way of dealig with a slope .
Can be a created feature e.g. dry stone wall, raised bed,
Should be designed to have as natural an appearance as possible so use local rocks, sone and gravel.
Rocks should be sloped inwards towards garden centre to make structure more stable and encourage water into the soil pockets.
Pavement ecok garden from large flat stone
Scree and slate can also be incorporated

Question 13

Stone troughs

Answer 13

Often used to compliment rocks in a rockery

Can be made from natural or artificial stone or hyper tufa.

Question 14

Water features

Answer 14

Key element of a garden

Provide visual focus, reflection and sounds, as well as contributing to ecology.

Question 15

Raised pond

Answer 15

Constructed above ground
Good solution if animals and children
Can use timber frame and liner or pre formed plastic container
Can be constructed from bricks, blocks and stone.

Question 16

Wildlife pond

Answer 16

Usually made by digging below ground.
Shallow, gently sloping sides
Usually planted but not stocked with fish.
Often constructed with a big garden as part of the design.

Question 17

Puddled clay

Answer 17

Natural looking
Low cost of materials
Time consuming
Bigger holes needs to start with a clay needs to be thick
Needs to be kept full to prevent drying out
High transport costs if needed
Site may be unsuitable

Question 18

Flexible pond liner

Answer 18

Can be shaped to any shape and size of pond
Affordable
Dark colour gives natural look
Edges easily covered with stones, bricks, blacks, gravel or pebbles.
Don’t last forever.
Can be punctured.

Question 19

Pre-formed liners

Answer 19

Concrete and plastic
Long lived and came in wide range of shapes and sizes.
More difficult to install
Must conform to the shapes available

Question 20

Levels

Answer 20

Very important to find the perfect level. Water will always find it and if the liner is off it will never look correct.

Question 21

Rill

Answer 21

Long straight body of water with a pump at one end.
Water constantly flows from one end to the other.
Calming effect
Strong design feature.

Question 22

Fountains and pebbles ponds

Answer 22

Self contained water features
Fountains can be all shapes, sizes and materials.
Pebble pond much safer for children and animals. Flexible in size

Question 23

Drilled natural stones

Answer 23

Stone with hole drilled through the middle with water pumped through it. Has a concealed reservoir which collects water and pumps it back up.