Hi. First post from an amateur gardener!

I have a old brickmakers cottage on farmland and am trying to create a
higgledy-piggedy cottage style/courtyard garden of my 3m x 3m front
garden, prob with some brick/slabs and gravel on ground, maybe a
little planting and then lots of pots.

I want to either create a path or a paving area with old bricks. I was
looking to buy reclaimed bricks from ebay but keep reading on the net
about frost proof etc - am I better buying modern clay pavers? if so
any recommendations for the weathered old look? Also do I need a layer
of hardcore under it or would sand suffice?

"eden" wrote in message
...
Hi. First post from an amateur gardener!

I have a old brickmakers cottage on farmland and am trying to create a
higgledy-piggedy cottage style/courtyard garden of my 3m x 3m front
garden, prob with some brick/slabs and gravel on ground, maybe a
little planting and then lots of pots.

I want to either create a path or a paving area with old bricks. I was
looking to buy reclaimed bricks from ebay but keep reading on the net
about frost proof etc - am I better buying modern clay pavers? if so
any recommendations for the weathered old look? Also do I need a layer
of hardcore under it or would sand suffice?



If you want a weathered look you are probably best to avoid 'frost-proof'.

I made a path about 6 years ago out of bricks from an outbuilding I'd taken
down. It was just to get rid of them really. I dug out the path about 3"
deep, consolidated and
laid the bricks herringbone pattern. There is some surface damage due to
frost but that is good for giving that 'been there a hundred years' look.

You can use just sand if it is to take only pedestrian traffic. The
inclusion of a shovel full of cement per wheelbarrow load of sand would make
the sand 'stiff'. Mix and lay it dry.


mark

On 2009-07-15 09:17:31 +0100, eden said:

Hi. First post from an amateur gardener!

I have a old brickmakers cottage on farmland and am trying to create a
higgledy-piggedy cottage style/courtyard garden of my 3m x 3m front
garden, prob with some brick/slabs and gravel on ground, maybe a
little planting and then lots of pots.

I want to either create a path or a paving area with old bricks. I was
looking to buy reclaimed bricks from ebay but keep reading on the net
about frost proof etc - am I better buying modern clay pavers? if so
any recommendations for the weathered old look? Also do I need a layer
of hardcore under it or would sand suffice?

Can't help with the techie stuff but herringbone paths are a lovely way
to lay old bricks. And in genuine old cottage gardens, e.g broad beans
would be grown alongside flowers, not kept in a separate area because
every inch of space was used to best effect.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Shrubs & perennials. Tender & exotics.
South Devon

Old bricks will always look better. BUT they grow moss and will split in frost. Whatever you use will have to be bedded on a base of some kind, probably sand.

Before you start doing anything, plan out the placing and shapes of your beds. Old cottages were usually carefully planned so that the vegetables were easily reached from the paths, and with herbs close to the door. The "higgledy-piggledy" effect is largely that the plants were put in regardless of colour, height or size. Read Anne Scott-James's book on the English cottage garden for good information.