Category: Garden and Decking

Most gardens require more attention than a simple mow and tidy, especially after a long, rainy, and frosty winter. Lawns require the most attention. They often have compacted and waterlogged soil with bare patches where grass has died. These issues require more than the simple scattering of grass seed when March comes.

Decking has remained a popular choice in gardens, and when done well, adds the aesthetic value to your garden that encourages its use. However, the choice of decking has an impact. The cheapest choice is softwood, but it requires treatment every year to look good, and decays faster if the underlying drainage is poor. Hardwood and composite last longer, but are more expensive, and especially in recent years, have improved to be less plastic and look more natural.

Artificial grass is a tempting choice to avoid mud, and looks nice year-round with minimal effort, but can be scorching hot and even burn a dogs paws, and is permanent once installed. If you have dogs, poor drainage, or a poor sense of garden aesthetics, steer well clear.

When decking, paving or landscaping a larger garden project, investing in good groundwork pays off. A well prepared base means something that remains level and drains correctly, rather than something that shifts and begins to pool water in a couple of seasons.