PROJECT CLAY

Now that we are well into Autumn in fact

on the doorstep of Winter; I thought we

could reflect on a project we took on

here at LVS a little while ago.

Other than a few weeks of on and off rain, a

few storms some flooding not to mention

some damage and cancelled school days,

amongst all, we have created some

transformations .

This particular project we call "Project Clay"

We started off with a full garden landscape,

front, sides and back.

Looking at a blank muddy clay canvas of a

recently renovated property, we walked

around with our clients and had a chat about

what they would like.

This gave us a clear indication of what our clients

were looking for covering colour, size, species of plants,

materials, lay & positioning etc.

Once the site meeting took place and we

had gathered a variety of notes, we than

built off of these notes to create a quote

and a simple design.

We start off with a basic digital 2D design.

Not all projects are the same. Some have there own challenges.

CHALLENGES

-Access

Access was difficult on Project Clay as the entire

property to be landscaped was 1m above street level.

Heavy duty ramps were used for machinery and

wheel barrow access.

-Previous turf establishment & growth failure

to rear left of property.

Our client had tried several turf species, however

they all failed. We solved this problem by

eliminating the turf in that section altogether and

installed a patch pave sitting area.

The reason why the turf did not do well on the rear left

of the garden shown in the design,was due to the amount

of shade that was consistently present in that area.

-Clay

High grade turf & plant specific fertilisers and soil conditioners

were applied prior to laying turf & planting out.This helps to

break down the clay and transform it to a more fertile state. A good

high quality under-turf soil was installed at 30-40mm thickness to provide

instant growth establishment and reduced shock.

PROJECT CLAY RESULTS

BEFORE-

Back yard pre-landscaping.

Open space to work with straight off of a newly renovated deck.

This Clay based surface was scraped with machinery.

First with a small skid steer, then a turf cutter for a cleaner finish,

then finished by hand. All excess clay & soil was removed from

site via wheel barrows. After edging was installed the levels were

fine tuned and the installation process of the patch paved sitting

area and turf began. Once again all by wheel barrow!

AFTER-

Back yard post Landscaping.

Patch paved sitting area or pot plant area installed where grass

fails to establish. Fresh A-Grade turf is installed on top off a high

grade under-turf soil and soil conditioner fertilisers.

Rolling turf after installation ensures no air is trapped underneath and

eliminates an uneven surface. A deep watering in process is a top priority.

Soaking the turf until the top 100mm of soil is moist, allows the roots to head

downwards for moisture rather than stay on the surface. This will establish

your lawn for a longer lasting period.

The Lawn area is broken up with a pave stepper path, from the deck area

to the pool entrance gate.

BEFORE- left

Hard cold shady area's pre-landscaping

AFTER-left

Warmth and softness added via colour and textured foliage. As these plants grow they will cover the wall space giving the entrance area a softer inviting aspect.

BEFORE-left

Side access with double steppers.

AFTER- left

Simplify side access by replacing double

steppers with single steppers. This creates

a longer wider looking space.

Pre Landscaped during construction.

Red clay, wash outs and waste.

Post Landscaped with edging, new soils plants and mulch. With a front turf area added.

Pre Landscaped

Post Landscaped- Kerbside garden for street appeal with eco edging, low growing shrubbery and mulch.

Materials used through out this project were long lasting materials such as

galvanised steel posts and uprights, eco decking and sleepers for edging,

sandstone like pavers to match existing onsite pavers, rolled decorative pebble,

A-Grade Sir Walter, Terra-Cottem plant and turf specific fertilisers and soil conditioners,

top grade underturf soil and healthy plant stock and garden soils, along with decades of combined horticultural knowledge!

All in all a great result and happy clients!

With some exciting new garden beds being made in the coming weeks for clients, we make sure we purchase all of the new beautiful plants well before and put them through a sun hardening process to reduce the shock of the new positions at their new home.

We try to involve our little fella as much as possible in the process of collecting all the materials required to carry out a project. Our little helper loves watering the garden, so what a perfect job for him this makes.