The message
from Sacha contains these words:

On 13/6/04 18:16, in article , "Janet
Baraclough" wrote:

You might as well weedkill the lawn and weeds btw, and save yourself
all that labour before laying the membrane.

I'm a bit concerned about what the OP wants to do in terms of the value of
the house to him. If he intends to stay there until his own personal
Domesday, fine. But if he ever intends to sell it and move on, I think he's
lowering the value of the house rather a lot. Most people who buy a house
with a garden want a garden.

It may be a regional thing, Sacha. In Glasgow's douce suburbs, the
earthfree, and even plant-free, gravelled "garden" features all too
often. Red gravel is particularly favoured :-( Such properties still
need a garden to display The Motor, and for performances of Polishing
The Motor.

In estate-agent-speak, they are referred to as "easily managed labour
saving garden", a valuable selling point to some buyers :~}

Janet