On Tue, 20 May 2003 18:43:26 +0100, Darkginger wrote:

...I'm a new gardener...

One lawn is soon to vanish - we have plans (which are probably all wrong,
please do tell me if you think so!) to cover it with that woven fabric stuff
they sell in garden centers, then to shovel a lorryload of gravel on top,
and build raised beds on top of that!

Walk before you run. Raised beds of any complexity -- and your
proposed one is on the complex side -- are what you might call
"advanced gardening". I think that in the long run you will be
happier if you spend a few years doing simpler things.

In addition, far, far too often, "landscape fabric" is used in an
attempt to create an "easy-care" garden (sc. "no-care") and the
attempt invariably fails eventually.

If you *must* have a raised bed, mow the lawn quite short, spray
with Roundup (glyphosphate), and then dump the soil directly on
top with no membrane, no drainage, no excavation, no nothing
underneath.

I'm hoping to achieve a very idiosyncratic, quirky garden that's a bit out
of the ordinary - and entirely gnome-free. Basically, what I'm looking for
are 'mad' looking plants that love boggy soil and rain.

If you follow your instincts, you will reach your goal. Pay no
attention to anyone else's opinion, esp. those found on the
internet, with special wariness shown toward those found in
newsgroups.

--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada