Forum home Garden design
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Design advice

Hi,

I'm new to this so any advice would be of benefit...

I want to make some kind of a rockery in the front area of my garden however, it is a 3 meter by 4 meter area of paving in the form of bricks. Can i make a rockery on top of brickwork? Should i remove a few bricks for extra help with drainage first? I'm not sure where to start...

Posts

  • PassionatePassionate Posts: 225

    Hi, I'm no expert but I would say yes you can in the same way as you would make a raised bed.  I don't think I would remove any  bricks as u may make the other bricks unstable, why not decide on the area you want for your rockery, lay weed liner on the area, outline it with rocks or bricks, then add a couple of inches of grit or gravel for drainage, then add soil and more rocks adding soil Inbetween the rocks.

    Put rockery plants were you have gaps then when your happy cover the exposed soil around your plants with more grit or gravel.

    Hope this is helpful 

     

     

     

     

  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,384

    Personally I'd remove a few bricks or the rain run-off from the rockery (which could be quite muddy water, at least until it's been there a while) may run over the rest of the surface leaving muddy streaks.

    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117

    Do you have a built in drainage channel in the paving? The paviours should be laid so that there is a natural fall for rainwater to drain away.  You could site your rockery taking that into account if you don't want to lift any, although I'd agree with Bob that lifting some is the best idea especially if it's going to be quite big. 

    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Little hLittle h Posts: 7

    Im not sure on the drainage channel Fairygirl. I do think taking a number of bricks out would do the trick tho. I'm one of those unfortunate gardeners who ended up taking on a house with a paved front! Not an ounce of grass in sight, so id love nothing more to find some way of having soil and plants out there. This rockery seemed the best and least expensive way forward. Ive drawn up a few plans on the shape id like and some space to add a few pots, but another possible set back is that i live on a hill so it does in fact slope towards my neighbours garden. I dont think run off will be an issue tho if i remove a few bricks, plus there is a gravel ditch between me and my neighbours garden.

Sign In or Register to comment.