Making a gravel garden is something I’ve always wanted to do and in recent months have had the opportunity of designing and installing one which has been a huge pleasure. The first time I became interested in them was as a student reading the gardening guru Beth Chatto describe how she created an expansive (and at the time experimental) gravel garden in her Essex garden on the site of an old car park. Yes, the climate and your expectations as a gardener are very different in Cumbria to those of gardening in Essex but that doesn’t mean you cannot have something as effective and striking. There are many advantages to a gravel garden, particularly the free movement of water (especially in the winter) through the soil and away from the roots and stems of the plants. You can then consider using a palette of plants that would otherwise not get through a typical Cumbrian winter if grown in a conventional garden border. For example, the hardy Salvia such as ‘Marcus’ or ‘Caradonna’ or the metallic sea thistles (Eryngium) will thank you no end for planting them in a sea of gravel. If you’re a fan of the vast array of ornamental grasses then these too will relish the prospect of a well-drained winter site. You have two options when creating your garden and that is to use a water permeable membrane that goes under the layer of gravel (or shingle) and when it comes to planting you scrape back the gravel, cut a hole in the membrane and plant into the soil beneath. The other option is to simply pour the gravel onto the soil surface having removed all the weeds and existing plants/turf beforehand. I met a gardener last autumn who did just that and her garden in Northumberland was such an inspiration, she felt the plants did much better grown this way and not using a membrane. Once the plants have become established they will need reigning in occasionally as with any garden there will be some plants that dominate more than others. Years of experimentation will ensue and you’ll soon get a feel for what works best for you and your gardens location.

Next week: spotlight on sedums