Costa explores the business end of gardens, providing tips on how to choose your landscaping materials. Subscribe 🔔 ab.co/GA-subscribe
Landscaping is the business end of beautiful gardens. It lays the foundation for creative and practical spaces but it's not just about the functional elements like paving, retaining walls, steps or raised beds, it’s about the feel of the garden and how you enjoy the space. Costa explores the tips and materials that will get you there.
Calculating:
For small projects you might pick up a few bags of potting mix or manure but if you’re ordering from a landscape supplier, the materials are measured in bulk. If you have a large garden bed the first thing you need to do is a little bit of mathematics.
To measure the volume of your garden bed, multiply the width by the length to get the area. Then multiply that by the depth to get a volume in cubic metres. When ordering mulch, the general rule of thumb is to mulch to a depth of 50 millimeters which equates to 0.05 meters. So, to calculate the amount of mulch you need in cubic metres, multiply 0.05 depth times your length and width.
Remember that different materials have different weights. For example, a cubic metre of soil, a cubic meter of mulch, and a cubic meter of gravel will have very different weights even though they have the same volume. This will affect the overall tonnage cost when transporting materials, so speak to your landscape supplier to help you make the correct calculations.
Materials:
Timber is used in many outdoor structures including pergolas, retaining walls, garden beds and decking. The standard length of new timbers is modelled off the old original railway sleepers which is 2400 mill or 2.4 metres. If you're using timber outside, ask yourself what you’re using it for. Some timbers may be purely decorative such as an exposed beam, but if it’s going to be holding back soil or be buried in the ground, it needs to be more durable overtime.
Most softwood sleepers are from pine trees which are quick to grow and harvest making them a cheaper option. Sometimes pine is treated with a chemical compound to make it more resilient to weathering or fungal and insect attack. Be cautious about using treated timber in your veggie beds or compost bays as many treatments are toxic and can slowly leach out into the soil overtime. Many old railway sleepers were also treated, so do a little homework before buying.
Hardwoods like eucalyptus and rainforest timbers are slow growers, taking decades to build up the wood density that makes them sought after for their strength, durability and beauty. Some hardwoods are responsibly grown and harvested in a way that has a lower impact on forest ecosystems. Or even better, lookout for recycled and salvaged hardwood.
Think Local:
So much second-hand quality timber ends up in landfill. Look online for ‘buy swap and share’ pages, find specialist timber resellers that love their timber and don't want to see it go to landfill, or demolition contractors who have so much they don't know where to store it. If you're going to use second-hand and recycled materials do your homework to make sure that it's safe for the veggie patch.
Look out for locally sourced stone such as Sydney sandstone or Melbourne bluestone. Rough split sandstone flagging has a natural unlevel feel but can be shaped by breaking up the pieces on site as you build. If you want to make a staircase or flat courtyard pavement, you can get this sort of stone perfectly sawn cut, just like a brick or paver for a smooth effect.
A little bit or a lot of landscaping can make all the difference in an outdoor space. Get out and get growing your landscape ideas this weekend.
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