Outside this pebbledashed semi in Newport, the front garden was a flat spread of golden gravel held in by white edging boards, with a few planters dotted about. Gravel like this tends to wander onto the drive, gets kicked about and lets weeds through, so it came up to make way for paving.
We took the area back, laid a new base and slabbed it in a sandstone with a lively mix of grey, buff, rust and lilac tones. Rather than a blank rectangle, the paving has three small planting pockets set into it, each planted with a red-leaved shrub.
Details that make it a garden, not a car park
A paved front can look hard and bare, so a few touches soften it. The planting pockets were cut into the slab layout and filled with soil, which brings some colour right into the middle of the stone. Grey slate chippings run along the front of the house and down the side border, keeping the paving clear of the walls and letting rain drain at the edges.
On the drive side, the patio follows a gentle curve, finished with a rope-top edging kerb. That rounded line suits the curve of the tarmac drive next to it much better than a straight cut would.
The stages in the photos
The gallery shows the job from start to finish, and each stage matters:
- Before: loose gravel and planters over the whole front area.
- Base: the gravel cleared, the ground prepared and a bed screeded out to level, with a fall so rain runs off.
- Finished: slabs bedded in a random pattern, the joints pointed, planting pockets filled and the slate borders spread.
Front gardens on Newport semis
Plenty of interwar and post-war semis across the city have a front like this one: a drive on one side and a square of garden that is too small to bother mowing. Paving it with pockets for planting keeps it tidy without losing all the green. Our guide on makeover ideas for Newport semis has more, and patio drainage in Newport explains why the falls matter.
See our patio slabbing and paving page for the materials we lay, or landscaping in Newport for the rest of our work around the city. For a later Newport job with a grey patio and a renovated balcony, see this garden.
Questions About This Job
Can you leave spaces in a patio for plants?
Yes. We plan the pockets into the slab layout, leave them free of base and mortar, and fill them with good soil so the plants can root down properly.
What is rope-top edging?
It is a traditional edging kerb with a rounded, twisted top, a bit like a rope. It gives a soft, decorative edge and follows curves well, which is why it suits the edge of a patio beside a drive.
Is paving better than gravel for a front garden?
It depends how you use it. Gravel is fine for low-traffic areas, but paving is easier to sweep, does not scatter onto the drive and is kinder underfoot. Ask us for free advice and a free quote.
