up to the right height. Finally, top the holes up with concrete. Leave the clamps until the concrete is set.
The new panel must be clamped in the correct position until the concrete has set.
HEDGES
Hedges are a great choice for boundaries and decorative features – as long as you have space and time. For example, a boundary hedge might take 4–5 years to grow to a good height, it might need to be about 4–5 ft (1.2–1.5 m) wide at the base, and once grown it will need to be variously clipped and trimmed to keep it in good condition. All that said, a good dense hedge will create privacy, provide shelter, reduce nuisance noise and generally hold back dogs, cattle, and unwanted neighbors.
A crisp, formal hedge consisting of two different foliage colors.
Hedges can be shaped to fit in the surrounding landscape, blending with nearby structures or standing out for eye- catching interest.
GATES AND GATEWAYS
Arched gateways in hedges, ironwork with roses growing over it, iron gates, picket gates, close-boarded gates – there are hundreds of options to choose from. You need to define precisely what you want from a gate. For example, do you want something small, friendly, pretty and decorative, or something large, intimidating, strong and secure?
A picket gate can look nicely informal.
Close-boarded gates are good for hedges.
Wrought-iron gates are ideal for front gardens.
Anti-theft gates
With wrought-iron gates, either have tops welded on the hinge pegs, or turn the top peg over so that the gate is captured and cannot easily be lifted off the hinge pegs. Use bolts instead of screws for fixing hinges to wood.
PATIOS
There are hundreds of ways of making patios and many materials to choose from. You could use brick, concrete slab, reconstituted stone, crushed stone, gravel or tree bark. You could have bricks in straight lines, in zigzags, as chevrons or in soldier courses. There are countless options for each material. Look at the materials and forms in your locality – your house, and neighboring houses, walls and paths – and then do your best to follow on.
Does it have to be paving slabs?
A patio made from a mixture of materials – concrete slabs, found stone and old bricks – looks good in the right setting.
A small patio made with found brick blends in perfectly here.
This rather formal stone patio is uplifted by the planting wall.
PATIO OPTIONS
An existing patio extended with gravel, cobblestones and stepping stones.
This patio has been created using a mixture of old bricks, stone and tiles.
An unusual patio made from worn slate inside a hexagonal border.
If you want something a bit different, the strong shape of this circle looks great set within lawn and plants.
For a decorative patio, you could try mixing plain paving stones and cobblestones in a pretty pattern.
SHAPE, STYLE AND PLACEMENT
Gone are the days when the best you could hope for in patio comfort was eight gray concrete slabs and two old armchairs; now you can have a patio in just about any shape, color and style that strikes your fancy. A patio is now considered to be more an extension of the house than just a level area in the garden. Just as you want to make the best of the various rooms in your house, now you can shape and decorate the patio to suit your desires and needs.
A basic rectangular patio is a good low-cost option for a small garden.
Geometric combinations – circles and rectangles are wonderfully dynamic – can be used to create separate patio “rooms,” with some areas being set at different levels to increase the visual interest.
HOW TO BUILD A BRICK PATIO
HOW TO BUILD A PAVING-SLAB PATIO
DRAINAGE SLOPES
In the context of good drainage, a patio needs either to be exactly level, open- jointed and set on sand, or very slightly sloped. A good angle of slope is a fall of about ⅛ in (3 mm) in every 3 ½ ft (1 m).
NON-SLIP SURFACES
Old brick, stable pavers – like bricks but with a crisscross pattern – and stamped concrete make relatively good non-slip surfaces, as long as they are dry and kept free from algae.
Patio additions
Pergolas
