Calculating materials

      Save time and money by calculating quantities and ordering in bulk.

       Area

      Rectangle – Multiply the length by the breadth to give you the area. A plot 100 x 50 ft = 5,000 square ft (30 x 15 m = 450 square m).

      Circle – Area of a circle is pi x radius squared, with pi being 3.14. For example, with a 10 ft (3 m) diameter circle the sum is 3.14 x 1.5 squared, meaning 3.14 x 25 = c.80 sq ft (3.14 x 2.25 = c.7 sq m).

      Irregular – Draw a square grid over the shape. Find the area of a single square. Gauge how many whole squares you have and multiply them by the area of a single square.

       Volume

      The volume is the area of the base multiplied by the height. For example, a tank measuring 3 x 3 x 3 ft has a volume of 27 cubic ft (90 x 90 x 90 cm = 729,000 cubic cm).

      Turf is sold as regular shapes – usually about 12 in (30 cm) wide by 18 in (45 cm) long

      Soil is sold in cubic meters, by the jumbo bag or truckload

      Gravel is sold in cubic meters, by the jumbo bag or truckload

      Bricks are sold individually or by the thousand

      Stone is sold by the piece or in cubic meters

      Concrete is sold ready-mixed in cubic meters or by the jumbo bag

       The best plants for the job

      With thousands of plants to choose from, the challenge is to get the right plants to suit your location. See the Deciding What to Plant section of this book on here–here for some of the best choices in each category.

      Trees: Small trees offer good year-round color and texture – foliage, blossom, fruit and bark.

      Hedges: Hedges make good boundaries, attract wildlife and add year-round color and interest.

      Herbaceous perennials: These are the plants that last a few years before being lifted and divided.

      Shrubs: Shrubs are ideal for small gardens.

      Wall shrubs: Wall shrubs are a good option for small courtyard gardens.

      Climbing plants: Climbers are essential when walls and fences ring your garden.

      Annuals, biennials and bedding plants: Summer bedding is formed mainly of these plants.

      Bamboos and grasses: Bamboos and grasses are good when you want plants in small raised borders and containers.

      Water plants: You will need plants for the margins, for the areas of bog, and for the water area.

      Other plants: These include rock, alpine and desert plants, container plants, herbs, fruit and vegetables.

       PLANNING THE WORK

      The key to good garden design is planning. If you want the project to run smoothly, you must work in a carefully thought-out, step-by-step sequence. It is no good simply rushing in and hoping for the best; you must work out the order of tasks to the very last detail. The best method is to start by establishing the boundaries, and then to work in and up, sorting out the tasks in order – ground levels, infrastructures, features, lawns and finally planting.

       Why do I need to plan?

       STEP-BY-STEP ORDER OF WORK

       EMPLOYING LANDSCAPERS VERSUS DIY

      Of course you can call in landscape contractors, but it will be expensive, and worse still you will miss out on all the fun. By far the best all-round option is to do the work yourself. If you follow the DIY route, you can control the costs, make modifications as you go along, get lots of healthy exercise, save on gym fees, take as much time as you want, ask your friends and family to join in the fun – the kids will love digging holes – and, possibly best of all, the workers can have countless barbecue parties.

       STEP 1: Boundaries

      Being mindful that most neighbor disputes are about things like tall hedges and fence posts, carefully identify your boundaries. Tidy up the hedges and/or build secondary fences in front of them. If you are rebuilding a fence or wall, be sure to talk to your neighbors along the way. Replace only short lengths at a time, so that neither you nor your neighbors lose sight of reference markers.

       STEP 2: Ground levels

      You have three choices with a sloping site: you can leave it as a feature, you can build low retaining walls and make a series of terraces, or you can build one or more retaining large walls and level the whole site. Be aware that changing levels will have an impact on your neighbors’ drainage. You must not build the earth up against house walls or fences. Dig out ponds and bury pipes and cables.

       STEP 3: Primary infrastructures

      Build up the various primary retaining walls to hold back the earth, and then follow on with walls for raised beds. Make sure that primary retaining walls are broad-based with drainage points and good foundations. Retaining walls higher than about 3 ft (90 cm) will need to be reinforced with iron bars set into the foundations. Build paths and drives, and foundations (for things like sheds, steps, edges of flower borders and lawns, and brick gate posts).

       STEP 4: Features and detailing

      Put in the main features, such as pond liners for sunken ponds. Build walls around raised ponds, lay patios, tidy up paths and erect sheds; then follow up with small details like steps, small paths and edges around ponds and trees. Build brick gateposts, hang gates, erect pergolas and trellises, and put down lawn and border edgings. If you have got to do anything else that involves digging holes or making a mess, now is the time to do it.

       COMMON PROBLEMS AND HOW TO AVOID OR SOLVE THEM

      Fence disputes

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