Advice on gravel needed

[JoceAndChris]

Can it go on top of concrete?

Are there some gravels which are considered nicer than others? Is there a type that's more "period property" than others? is there a way of sweeping up the leaves which fall without sweeping up the gravel?

The bit I plan to do this week is as you come in the gate - there's a hard standing area around 3 metres by 2.5 metres - you can just about make it out in this pic. The concrete's very cracked now and the weeds come up all the time.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/22204009@N02/3328967884/in/set-72157617428592911/

The previous owner concreted it as a hard standing area for the bins, but I put them out in the field on collection day as I don't like to look at them.

I think gravel might look more attractive and be better for eliminating weeds and moss? It still leaves an odd, redundant sort of patio though - but perhaps I'll think of something ornamental to fill the space. Cartwheels? Old barrows? A sphinx? (I tried container gardening there but it's shady and there's a vast border right behind it, making flowerpots somewhat surplus to requirements).

If anyone has any better ideas for the space I'd love to know.

Come to think of it it would be the perfect spot for the sale of eggs.

Can anyone think of an attractive way to display eggs?

 

[robgil]

if you pull the concrete up you can level off with sand if needs be then put down a membrane (some use old carpet) to stop the weeds coming up then gravel over it.
be careful though , you dont want to end up with brighton beach out the front of your house.

edit - clapped out rusty old land rovers make great garden ornaments.

 

[MdB]

If you do decide to go for gravel, make sure you see what you are buying before you get it. Pea shingle, used to be nice pea sized water rounded stone. Now it is sharp edged crushed granite - at least it is around here.

 

[citizensmith]

You may have a good aggregates merchant in your area. I use a very good one from Hereford. They have a "show" area and you can take sample bags home to tip on the floor and look at it in context. Also they can tell you where each is sourced and the range of clast sizes available. Personally i would only use a Herefordshire based stone for my Herefordshire drive. As a enthusiast of all things geological i cant stand seeing "alien" gravels being used all over the place. (oh and by "alien" i mean out of your local area). I wouldnt mind a true alien gravel, but asteroids can be expensive and dangerous! :mrgreen:

 

[Flyfisher]

Gravel types seems to be almost as abundant as paint colours these days. A trip to a local merchant to scrounge some sample bags is probably a good start to finding something you like.

I think gravel might look more attractive and be better for eliminating weeds and moss?

Don't expect gravel alone to eliminate weeds. As Robgil mentioned, you'll need a barrier layer to prevent weeds. Geotextile membrane is the buzzword, I believe, and it's not too expensive. If you're making a gravel path, don't use gravel that's too big or too deep otherwise it'll be like walking on Brighton beach. But some people dislike the very small gravels (almost cinder-like, but I'm not sure of the name) because it can be easily walked into the house.

But whatever you eventually choose, ground preparation is important for good results. Some interesting reading here: http://www.pavingexpert.com/gravel01.htm

 

[JoceAndChris]

Thanks so much everyone - I never regret asking my panel of experts, even though my questions sound daft to me as I'm typing them. I'm so picky, it's lovely to find like-minded pickiness, and I would also be appalled at my ignorance if I were to discover I'd laid something geologically inappropriate.

Looking at that excellent website, I think chipped limestone is going to be best - that's what's in the ground, a lovely golden colour. It leads onto a red brick path so that would work, I think. (though what doesn't go with red brick?)

Finally - am I right in thinking this would be cheaper than flagstones?

Oh - one more thing - is crazy paving an historic treatment, or just a feature of 70s bungalows?

 

[Gareth Hughes]

70s bungalows are historic too.
Though crazy paving is a (somewhat debased) Arts and Crafts speciality.

 

[JoceAndChris]

Sorry to the bungalows. Xx. I drive through the so-called Beverley Hills of Grantham every day - I find them a bit hard to take.

So no- one ever paved crazily until the 20th C? That's astonishing - what a waste! It would explain why I keep finding offcuts of my hall floor, which I'm using to make a crazily paved patio for the poots. They're overjoyed with it - they hate mud. Me too, which is partly why I'm becoming obsessed with aggregates.

 

[Gareth Hughes]

The Romans did, well before the 20th century. But probably without putting concrete birdbaths in the middle.

Garden gnomes are a mid-Nineteenth Century innovation.

 

[JoceAndChris]

Oh, how sweet. I really like the idea of garden gnomes - it would be lovely to find some very old ones. Can you have garden gnomes, sphinxes and stone Roman Emperors all at one? hmm.

Fascinating that the Romans liked crazy paving too.

 

[robgil]

wood bark mulch stuff can be a nice alternative to gravel and may be worth checking out. i always find gravel to be a bit on the crunchy side.

 

[JoceAndChris]

I think woodchip is attractive too - though a bit "adventure playground" for a formal context?

This is only a tiny tiny bit of the whole garden - so it's not as if I'll be crunching everywhere I go. In one of the wooded areas the path's made of beech nuts! That's really sweet. (and I didn't have to do anything at all - perfect)

 

[robgil]

beech nuts sound lovely , right now my garden has lovely squelchy mud for paths with some crazy paving underneath it somewhere.

 

[christianb]

Another thing to be aware of when selecting gravel is its size. What I mean is, avoid smaller stones as they'll get caught in shoe treads and you'll bugger up your floor when you walk in the house.

 

[Juju]

I was thinking about gravel or bark for a path in my garden but I think picking up leaves from gravel would be very annoying ie you can't use a rake or leaf vac. I'm sure 'crazy paving' has been used for years in humble abodes ie using bits of stone and brick from anywhere to create paths. In my previous house there was a hideous Battenburg pattern of pink and yellow paving! That soon went on the skip...

A history of gnomes: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Garden-Gnomes-History-Shire-Library/dp/0747807108/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1286873064&sr=8-7

 

[Moo]

1. The easiest way to collect leaves from gravel is with one of those garden 'hoover' things. Just make sure that your gravel isn't fine/light enough to be sucked up with the leaves.

2. On even the gentlest of slopes, gravel will tend to creep and you will end up with a deep end and a shallow end.

3. Noisy gravel is a great burglar deterrent.


I speak from experience!

 

[MdB]

3. Noisy gravel is a great burglar deterrent.

I speak from experience!

So THAT is how you fund your expensive lifestyle, you have a second life as the local picklock!

 

[Moo]

Shhhhhhhhh!!

 

[skier-hughes]

even with a barrier to stop the weeds coming up through the gravel weeds will eventually grow in the gravel. Having big enough gravel so it's weight stops it being sucked up by a garden vac makes collecting leaves easier.

 

[Juju]

Joce - I love your garden gate! I want to replace our manky wooden gate with something like that. We also have an outer wooden gate leading on to our right of way through the neighbour's garden so we need to keep that for privacy. Mr Juju's daughter is good at art so I've 'commissioned' (ie extra pocket money) her to paint a trompe l'oeil on it so we look out on something colourful!
Juju