Quote:
Originally Posted by eden
Hi. First post from an amateur gardener!
I have a old brickmakers cottage on farmland and am trying to create a
higgledy-piggedy cottage style/courtyard garden of my 3m x 3m front
garden, prob with some brick/slabs and gravel on ground, maybe a
little planting and then lots of pots.
I want to either create a path or a paving area with old bricks. I was
looking to buy reclaimed bricks from ebay but keep reading on the net
about frost proof etc - am I better buying modern clay pavers? if so
any recommendations for the weathered old look? Also do I need a layer
of hardcore under it or would sand suffice?
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Old bricks will always look better. BUT they grow moss and will split in frost. Whatever you use will have to be bedded on a base of some kind, probably sand.
Before you start doing anything, plan out the placing and shapes of your beds. Old cottages were usually carefully planned so that the vegetables were easily reached from the paths, and with herbs close to the door. The "higgledy-piggledy" effect is largely that the plants were put in regardless of colour, height or size. Read Anne Scott-James's book on the English cottage garden for good information.