In part 1 of ‘Choosing Materials For Your Garden’, we shared our top tips on what to consider before choosing landscape materials and how to bring them together into a cohesive garden design. If you haven’t read part 1 yet, we’d recommend starting there to help you establish the key things to consider before making your final choices.
For part 2, we’re getting into the exciting bit, sharing some of our favourite hard landscaping materials and showing you how we’ve used them across our own garden design projects.
It can feel overwhelming choosing the right stone, decking or tiles for different areas of your garden, particularly when you factor in the cost and preparation involved. The good news is that there’s a huge range of materials available to suit different styles and budgets. We’ve put together a rough guide to the different price brackets you can expect when choosing your hard landscaping materials.
We have used all of these materials and more in different garden designs and here are some examples of where we have used some of our favourites:
Corten Steel
Corten steel is a weathering steel which, when exposed to the elements, develops a rich, rust-coloured patina. Its warm, earthy tones work beautifully against green planting, and its naturally weathered appearance works particularly well in coastal gardens. It’s incredibly versatile and can be used for edging, raised beds, planters, screens and water features. It can also be curved to create softer shapes, or used as decorative cut-out panels, which are perfect for creating stylish screening within the garden.
For this garden in Deal, we used the decorative corten steel panels to create a striking central feature to separate and zone areas of the garden but also to create privacy. By taking inspiration from the seaside location, the corten steel looked perfect- echoing the textures and tones of the Kent coastline..
Patterned Tiles
If you’re looking to zone an area or feel your garden needs a pop of colour, patterned tiles are a great option. There’s such an amazing range of designs available, and they can really help to define a space and create a feature within your garden. They work particularly well for seating areas, pathways or smaller seating areas where you want to introduce some personality.
In our Hythe garden design, our client wanted exactly that, a seating area that really drew the eye and one that felt inviting and playful. These tiles from Bert & May feel both modern and timeless, picking up the greens from the surrounding foliage and creating a beautiful feature framed by the pergola.
Natural and Reclaimed Timber
We use natural and reclaimed timber in many of our designs, particularly when a garden needs warmth and texture. It works beautifully alongside planting as well as harder landscaping materials, and as it weathers over time, the colour softens and changes with the garden. Reclaimed timber can bring even more character, with signs of wear and natural imperfections making it perfect for a relaxed, rustic coastal garden. It can also be a cost-effective option, particularly if you’re able to source reclaimed pieces locally or reuse materials already in the garden.
This garden design in Kent is one of our biggest and best projects to date and one where we use timber as a real feature throughout the garden. The strong oak arches that were made by hand give the garden a classic look and help define the different areas, making the journey through the garden more attractive. We designed the firepit area to sit underneath the large wooden pergola. This allows for ample shade in the summertime and creates more of a secluded, cosy area.
Anemanthele lessoniana
Another grass that we are always using in our designs. Anemanthele lessoniana transforms from fresh green into stunning shades of yellow, copper, orange and red as autumn arrives. Although it only reaches a medium height, make sure to give it plenty of room to grow outwards, as its foliage can spread to around 1m.
Dahlias
If you are a keen gardener, make sure to grow dahlias. They’re incredibly rewarding, brilliant for cut flowers and hard to beat when it comes to adding a final burst of colour before winter. With a huge range of colours and varieties to choose from, many will continue flowering right through autumn until the first frosts. Regular deadheading will keep the flowers coming, and while they love a sunny position, they’ll appreciate a more sheltered spot when planted in a coastal garden.
