Site & Topography
The first step to planning your garden should be having a clear understanding of the site and its topography.
For smaller projects with little to no falls a simple dimensioned plan of the site is sufficient to get started.
However, on larger more complex sites a full survey may be necessary.
At Chalk House we have a full survey of the property, so we have very accurate contours for the site.
Thanks to some great software I can turn the survey into a full 3D model of the site, which is an extremely useful tool for planning the garden.
A few words on sloping sites.
A severely sloping site is an expensive garden prospect.
Retaining walls are very costly and can quickly blow your budget. Steep slopes usually involve a lot of water runoff which can result in soil erosion once stabilising factors such as lawns are removed.
There are a range of erosion control plants available, but mulching can be problematic and a textile weed mat is often the only solution.
Steep sites are not really suited to formal gardens unless you want to spend big on terracing the site.
It is important to match your design ideas to your site conditions. Look for examples that reflect your situation and work up a plan form there.
Getting exact dimensions will ensure that everything fits in the garden.
The proposed garden site needs to be able to accommodate your ideas.
The Chalk House garden will be about 650 square meters which allows plenty of room for the larger shrubs and trees that I require to screen me from my neighbours.
An accurate plan will also help you calculate the quantities of materials you’ll need, what plants to use and visualise their future dimensions.
Topography is a key factor for any design.
Our garden site has a gentle slope of just over 1:5 with a very limited catchment so water runoff is not a real issue.
Earthworks will strip off the top layer and existing turf and help to remodel the landform to provide a flat pad for the desired seating area.
We will only need a low retaining wall to allow for a small seating area.
Anything under 1m does not require engineering and in this case, we will use a Corten steel large profile metal edging product to hold back the remodelled soil.
Next week I will talk about soil and aspect, other key factors to consider when planning your garden.
Visit Clark+Granger at www.cplusg.com.au or phone 0456 111 120 to find out more.
