Does anyone know anything about gardening?

probably curse the day you started it

You're probably right, but I can't think of a simpler idea that is going to satisfy the itch now. I was going to put the whole thing on a concrete slab, overkill do you think? I think you advised that for large sandstone slabs, but maybe the smaller setts are more forgiving of ground heave. The soil is clay 100mm or more down so probably not the most stable. I fully expect to have to chop a lot of blocks in to odd sizes.

I tend to advise concrete bases for most things, once they are down they stay there, particularly over clay. A couple of mm of movement and your pretty pattern will be less so. Don't forget to give it a degree or so of fall to clear water.

Please photograph your build stage-by-stage and append your psychiatry report.

Did a bit of internet shopping yesterday eve. Seems that there is a shortage of tree ferns "due to exceptional demand". Everything garden related is going crazy atm.

I found somewhere "Todd's Botanics" which were saying they will have stock in a few weeks; ordered a Dicksonia.

Also a couple of Agapanthus to go in pots, mainly because I like the sound of them.

And something called Polystichum which I've already forgotten what is.

Would I be bonkers

Just as some sort of mental preparation before actually laying that in stone I'd try to draw this on a sheet of paper.
Like, even with compass and set square etc. this might just drive you fucking nuts.

It's basically 2x3m circles that overlap by 1m (also the width of the path). The base geometry is fairly simple, but it's following that with the wonky natural stone that will be the tricky bit. Still substantially simpler than trying to make a non-square form with large square slabs I reckon.

Please do append the drawing along with your psychiatry report, thanks.

Yeah I think forcing rhubarb is best done when it’s just the crown but whatever, give it a go. We didn’t cover ours and ate our first batch yesterday, the green bits were sharrrrrrp.

All this cobble chat has made me revisit the idea of laying something at the end of our garden with the three tons of granite my folks have surplus after their driveway (twenty years ago). The main problem is it’s there and not here.

It would be much easier to cut slabs of sandstone, this took about 30 minutes.

@inchpincher, depends where 'there'and 'here' are, that's 3 loads in a pickup or decent sized van if you know someone with either.

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Nice work. So you just kinda freehand the curve to a drawn line? Did you cut after laying?

Yes and yes, cut roughly to size, lay, angle grinder with diamond blade.

Grass seed is finally coming in with this nicer weather. Slightly less patchy

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Is this leaf scorch on our Viburnum Plicatum just good old fashioned lack of watering? It’s in a very sunny location and was originally a root sapling from my folks (3 years ago?) so I wonder if it just doesn’t have the root system for where we’ve plonked it.

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Is that a cat trail over to the fence? They always walk the same route.

Fox. But the access into the other neighbours garden at the other end of the trail is now blocked off so that should fade in time.

To answer my own question I went to my parents and looked at their Viburnum, not as bad - they think frost.
@ColinTheBald And my dog pissed up the cobbles thus staking our claim, I think I can see a van hire coming.

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The front of our house gets sun from 1pm onwards but our small front garden has always been shaded by a fence. Can't believe it took us six years of living here to think of removing it. Built a lower boundary with the existing fence posts and some decking boards. Got some big planters and now just waiting for the echinacea and rudbeckia I'm growing to be ready to go in. Beyond our garden is a patch of wasteland, the council have just granted me funding to do a wildflower meadow on it. They've costed it at £1,800, think their seeds are made of gold!

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Nice job.

Seconded, that's a really nice looking job.

It will look even better when there's greenery spilling around it.

Awesome about the wildflower meadow, this is great! Post some pics when you get started.

Anyone got tips for looking after a tree fern (Dicksonia)? As mentioned up thread, I've ordered one.

Relocating this hortensie just now slightly dented my opinion that gardening is not for me at all.

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Top hole :-)

Bit more garden reclamation here

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Only thing I've heard is water the trunk not the ground as that's how they take in water

Thanks. I'm thinking of digging up the rather sprawling fig and putting the tree fern there. It's between a fence and shed so should be quite well protected.