Materials Matter
Of course, a garden is incomplete without plants. However, the harmony between the man-made and the natural is crucial to getting something special.
Do you know what’s out there when it comes to materials for the garden?
Our work takes us to some very interesting places - especially in pursuit of the right thing for the right project. There are some incredibly exciting developments in the world of garden materials and we have been speaking to some of the leading professionals in this industry.
Here are some of the materials we are currently excited about.
Millworks Mokuzai (Charred Timber)
This is an incredible product. Unlike with traditional methods, Millworks use a flameless method to create their hardwearing and durable torched burn pattern. Mechanical heat rollers are used to finish with the look of heavily charred timber (similar to shou sugi ban). The wood is then finished with a factory coating for a consistent texture that doesn’t chip or flake.
We used this product in our recent RHS Chelsea Garden and you can see the incredible effect given when used on-mass. We found the black backdrop made our planting sing - especially the greens in the foliage. This is a sustainable product, using much less energy to produce and creates a durable product that performs for many years to come.
We have started to use this limestone in a number of projects recently. It is beautiful and comes from one of our favourite local stone suppliers in North Norfolk.
Produced and imported exclusively by Foras, they offer a stone depth of 20mm, so it is great for laying both inside and out. This makes it a good choice when you want to smoothly transition from the home into the garden. The surface finish is like no other; with fossilisation details in the stone, each piece is unique and we have found the colour to be very versatile.
We particularly like using this stone in projects with a heritage, or sense of longevity about them. The stone adds an authenticity and sensitivity to the existing ‘age’ of the garden.
This is a product we have used since day one. It’s not for everyone, and it can often be confused with the more permanent ‘resin bound gravel’ - which this is certainly not. It needs to be laid properly by someone who knows what they are doing.
The self binding gravel is usually a mix of one single type of natural stone, graded from 10mm - 0mm. The best way to describe it is like a flapjack mixture. The big parts tesselate with the small, and the dust sits around it all - interlocking to make a very strong and hard waring surface.
We use this in gardens where we want to achieve a naturalistic aesthetic, with a softness and a subtle ‘crunch’ when walking. It is a natural product, sourced from Derbyshire in the UK. We love it, and we have used it quite creatively over the years. It can also be washed and used as a planting medium in gravel gardens. Check out our Projects page to see some examples of it being used.
