one stone to another
After a while you forget. The crust of hardcore that lay across the garden, hard as the memory of work itself, covered the ground in a kind of quiet expectation, though in time it simply slipped from thought. It was never cared for or admired and certainly not loved, yet it taught me what truly mattered to me in a garden - the plants.
Of course, like anything its the fine balance of the whole that awakens the romance and nuances that makes a garden special but if I were to choose, I’d always side with the planting - the living, shifting thread that moves through seasons. Adorning walls with flower and scent, planting bulbs, watching the flourish of perennials unravel provides so much more meaning. So for the last four years the terrace has sat bland underfoot, to tread in the direction of life until ready to give the terrace full attention.
March 2025
Verbascum chaixii ‘album’ September 2025
The stone was laid on sharp sand, a simplistic method - no mixing, no cement - a natural approach that allowed the uneven underbelly of each stone to sink into place with ease and adjustability, making the arrangement more freeing. Although no arrangement was pre-planned, we followed a simple principle: to anchor the space with the larger slabs, their direction delineating the route most travelled, allowing the smaller, rounded stones to weave organically between them. It wasn’t planned in any strict sense - more a matter of instinct and attention, a rightness of one stone to another that formed a language throughout the terrace. The imperfections were embraced, the irregularities celebrated, speaking to the character of the stone that surrounds the garden.
The garden’s atmosphere shifted once the final stone concealed the hardcore that had previously occupied the terrace. No longer a continuous grey expanse, the floorscape became a carefully considered tapestry of stone, where varying scales offered both depth and texture. At first, the larger stones seemed to hold the greatest presence, yet over time, it was the smaller cobbles that established a sense of continuity - an unbroken texture whose narrow, repeated pattern wove through the space with subtle rhythm. The sharp sand between them brought openness and allowed self-seeding plants to find a home; Verbascum chaixii ‘Alba’ is a perfect example, wandering the terrace with an evident appreciation for the free-draining substrate and the hot, south-facing aspect.
May 2025
There is an unpredictability that arises when you relinquish control, choosing to garden in a more relaxed manner. Of course, there is a constant balancing act of guidance, but with this comes a deeper connection to the garden - a harmony shared with the natural world, and a beauty in the unexpected. I am always looking to introduce new species to the newly laid terrace. After a visit to Hillside this year, I came away with some gifted seed from an Evening Primrose, a plant I had previously tried growing. Perhaps the larger planting beds offered a medium that was too rich, or perhaps it lacked the openness for it to settle. I sprinkled the seed within the poorer, free-draining cracks near to where the Verbascum has established, to see whether a more tailored space is the answer - or perhaps the Welsh wet will determine its future. Only time will tell.
If we had laid the slabs on a cement mix, it would have restricted the diversity of the palette. The change from a compacted surface to one that now provides a loose, free-draining medium results in varied opportunities that enrich the space. Over the year, we have begun to layer the terrace with selected sun lovers that thrive in the free-draining conditions - plants such as Iris ‘Benton Deidre’, which now nestles beside the house with a light touch, offering a moment of admiration come May. I began this writing by exploring what matters most to me within a garden. I still believe that even if the terrace had remained unpaved, I would wake each morning and feel inspired. A planted garden brings rhythm and movement, but that pulse is only enhanced by the structure and pattern of its harder counterpart - the openness that allows for a wilder hem.
May 2025
October 2025