by hevjam1 »
Tue Aug 12, 2008 11:46 am
Hi, I happen to be a gardener who specialises in victorian restoration work so possibly my advice will be a bit perfectionist but I'll give it anyway. I wouldn't use concrete anywhere in a garden especially not victorian. It would always look disjointed and too modern and no amount of yoghurt or strained tea would ever age it properly.
In gardens the more perfect you are in your lines the worse a garden looks the fringes should always be soft with hard brick-lines and the like being broken up with over-hanging plants and climbers. If you can source some reclaimed brick (ask at local bulders merchant) and use a 5-1 mortar mix (you could add a buff coloured dye to the mix) then yo could build up the differential height yourself and the non professional finish of your work will add character to the garden. You could dress the finished brick-line with some planted pots or leave out some mrtar in places and fill with soil then plant Aubretia or Arabis into these gaps.
Hope this is good advice.