Sue wrote:
None of my business, but Sue did ask. Be good and sure that slate
is
what you want: it's very unsympathetic outside the areas where it
"grows", and time does little to soften it even there. It's also
unpleasant to walk on, as all the pieces are flat, and slide about
underfoot. This slippiness may also be a factor on the slope you
mention, particularly if it's going to be spread on a plastic
landscape sheet: you don't want it all to end up in a heap at the
bottom. And if you're a long way from North Wales or some other
producing area, it could be more expensive than local material:
the
price of stone is more about transport than anything else.

Mike.


And I'm grateful for the advice. I was thinking of slate (only on
the
beds) 'cos
I thought it'd stay for ever, unlike bark. Hadn't thought about the
'slippiness'
but I suppose I could level out the top beds before I lay the
sheeting.

Do you think bark, or something else, would be better? Basically
I'm
after tidying
it up, reducing the work and not keen on shingle in case I end up
with a cat toilet.
What about cockle shells?

Certainly stone is going to be permanent, unlike bark. It's just that
if the stone chippings or gravel you use are too unlike the local
stone, it'll look unnatural. For the same reason, I personally
wouldn't use seashells in an inland garden; but, yes, I've seen paths
made of cockleshells in west Wales, and thought they looked rather
nice.

And, come to that, it doesn't _have_ to look natural if you don't
want it to.

I hadn't thought of the cat problem. I suppose that's a matter of
making sure your stone is too big for them to feel comfortable
scratching it about.

Mike.