lol - this could prompt me to make some joke about the North but then again,
since I might probably be going there, why don't I not.

"David Hill" wrote in message
...
"....... I heard this thing about granite mining destroying tigers'
habitats....."

"...... The mind boggles. As half of the north and west is granite
territory, importing the stuff is just plain insane. Many farmers would
be
happy for people to take away granite boulders for nothing! ...."

There you are.....case proven
People have removed Granite stones from the North, and now you wont find
one
tiger anywhere in northern UK, well not in the wild.


--
David Hill
Abacus nurseries
www.abacus-nurseries.co.uk

I decided now it sounds like hypertufa is quite a cost-effective option but
I wondered if a peat-alternative would work. Does anyone know what the point
is of including the peat? Obviously it's very acid whereas you don't think
of mortar as being acid - does it create some kind of little bubbles?

"Warwick Dumas" wrote in message
...
Hi. I haven't posted here for a while I know.

Does anyone know (a site) where I can find fake rockery stones/bricks?

I'd just resigned myself to spending another 100 pounds on granite blocks
on
a garden I still might move away from this year, when I heard this thing
about granite mining destroying tigers' habitats. I always thought they
were
just blowing up bits of Wiltshire or something! Durr, like there's any
granite in Wiltshire. They sell rockery stone at B&Q but they don't seem
very reliable about it, and I'm not sure of the source there either, and
ideally at this point I need something I can work with with more easily
than
jagged rocks.

I know of the 'splitstone' bricks etc offered by Buildbase which would be
fine for my needs -- except that they expect you to build walls two bricks
thick and cope them by laying the bricks transverse - not what I had in
mind. You can't use them for coping otherwise and it's mainly coping I
need
them for. I don't want walls two bricks thick, and I want some bits to
look
natural, so I can't be doing with fake stones that only have one side. If
anyone knows where they shape concrete all round or on two sides next to
each other, I'd be glad to hear about it.


Warwick Dumas

--
"No matter how much you think you have succeeded in business, if you have
razor wire on your boundary fences, and live in fear of being mugged
because
you have failed to take everyone in society along with you, success is an
illusion. " - Digby Jones, Director of the CBI

Warwick Dumas wrote:

I decided now it sounds like hypertufa is quite a cost-effective option but
I wondered if a peat-alternative would work. Does anyone know what the point
is of including the peat? Obviously it's very acid whereas you don't think
of mortar as being acid - does it create some kind of little bubbles?


The reduced usage of peat was only just properly beginning when Geoff
started experimenting with these recipes. By all means try some of the
alternatives. I think the man'd be proud-)
//
Jim

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Warwick Dumas wrote:

I'd just resigned myself to spending another 100 pounds on granite
blocks on
a garden I still might move away from this year, when I heard this thing
about granite mining destroying tigers' habitats. I always thought they
were
just blowing up bits of Wiltshire or something! Durr, like there's any
granite in Wiltshire. They sell rockery stone at B&Q but they don't seem
very reliable about it, and I'm not sure of the source there either, and
ideally at this point I need something I can work with with more easily
than
jagged rocks.

The mind boggles. As half of the north and west is granite territory,
importing the stuff is just plain insane. Many farmers would be happy
for people to take away granite boulders for nothing!


Indeed. Though here is Devon there are no tigers either, so clearly the
quarrying here is working effectively too - it wouldn't be nice to have
tigers shitting in the garden, chasing dogs and children, etc.

I tend to just build stuff with available stone, but if your ground doesn't
have a lot, then I guess you have to buy.

A couple of thoughts regarding using concrete to make fake stone - empty
drinks cans placed in the lump to create voids would reduce the weight
("earthship" style). Also you don't need to use ordinary stone (often
flint) chippings if you're not laying a drive or path - use vermiculite,
pumice, or some other lightweight aggregate, you could even use sawdust in
place of some of the sand.

Also it's quite simple to make structures from earth if your soil has a
high clay content - many of the older houses in Devon are built from earth,
which gives a nice rounded cottage look. So a rockery could probably be
built with very little stone if you're prepared to craft something from
subsoil and then create a thin (fake?) stone shell.

Michael Saunby

"Jim W" wrote in message
news:1fxxuyf.7kj9ht1rzpgbrN%00senetnospamtodayta@m acunlimited.net...
Warwick Dumas wrote:

I decided now it sounds like hypertufa is quite a cost-effective option
but
I wondered if a peat-alternative would work. Does anyone know what the
point
is of including the peat? Obviously it's very acid whereas you don't
think
of mortar as being acid - does it create some kind of little bubbles?


The reduced usage of peat was only just properly beginning when Geoff
started experimenting with these recipes. By all means try some of the
alternatives. I think the man'd be proud-)
//
Jim

Does anyone happen to know the pH of powdered coir (the kind like you'd
probably get in a bag at a DIY centre).

Warwick Dumas wrote:

"Jim W" wrote in message
news:1fxxuyf.7kj9ht1rzpgbrN%00senetnospamtodayta@m acunlimited.net...
Warwick Dumas wrote:

I decided now it sounds like hypertufa is quite a cost-effective option
but
I wondered if a peat-alternative would work. Does anyone know what the
point
is of including the peat? Obviously it's very acid whereas you don't
think
of mortar as being acid - does it create some kind of little bubbles?


The reduced usage of peat was only just properly beginning when Geoff
started experimenting with these recipes. By all means try some of the
alternatives. I think the man'd be proud-)
//
Jim

Does anyone happen to know the pH of powdered coir (the kind like you'd
probably get in a bag at a DIY centre).

Not off hand but it'd be easy enough to find out.. A little distilled
water and some litmus paper.
//
Jim