Stone Un henge

Stone in the landscape is a powerful element, and one which is used to great effect in Japanese gardens which are a particular favourite of mine.

I had three small pieces of stone which I salvaged from a waste site following road construction. (Though small the two larger pieces were about as much as I could lift uncomfortably!) I used the stone to set off small plants at the front of the house where they afforded a little shade to the roots of the young plants. Now that those plants are established I thought the stone could be used to greater effect if placed to break up larger areas of the gravel garden.

Watching the shadows cast by the stone, and how the sun illuminates the various facets of the material helps to select the best orientation for the rocky formation. Once the rock is in its final position the gravel around the stones will be raked to accentuate the design.

As the garden develops we hope to use larger pieces of local stone to add height and structure to the plot.  

Project time - Pergola

This is a simple outline plan for a wooden pergola measuring 450cm x 360cm.

Tanalised (pressure treated with preservative) wood should give a life expectancy in excess of 20 years.

Posts 12cm x 12 cm x 300cm. (A)

Cross Rail 6 cm x 12 cm x 360 cm. (B)

Long Rail 7cm x 14.5 cm x 450cm. (C)

Those timber sizes are taken from locally available materials though you should be able to find equivalent lengths of timber.

Posts should be inserted into the ground around 50cm to stabilise the construction and concreted in the case of soft ground.

The long rails can be fixed to the top of the posts with bolts for additional strength.

Fixing the cross rails to the long rails could be accomplished by utilising half lap joints, joint hangers or similar devices.