Granite used for landscape etched in stone

A landscape construction contractor applies his expertise to flesh out this garden design, in which beautiful grey granite is the star.

After their new home was built, Sonja and her family needed a landscape to be created around it. They engaged garden designer Mary Graham to come up with a conceptual design for the garden, and when Mary suggested Dean Speldewinde at Hardart Landscapes to manage the construction, they gladly accepted her advice.

Dean and Mary had worked together before and had made a good team. Mary's keen understanding of design and broad knowledge of plants teamed well with Dean's expertise in hard landscaping and understanding of native plants and sustainability.

Once Mary had created a broad design, she and Dean put their heads together with Sonja to nut out the details. Dean suggested they visit a granite supplier to select a stone for the driveway and backyard paving, and Sonja was drawn to a dark-coloured granite. "It was the colour and style of the stone that just jumped out at me," she says. "I knew as soon as I saw it that this granite could be used for our landscaping project."

Having chosen the type of stone from granite suppliers in the area, Dean designed a series of module shapes and sizes and a 'random' pattern for the granite driveway. He also designed and constructed a granite letterbox to complement the driveway, hand-carving the slot for the letters and sandblasting the number into the front.

Dean also used his specialist skills to design a unique water feature near the front door. A chain dangles from the front canopy, leading down into a stone bowl. Rainwater trickles down the chain into the bowl, then flows into the garden, where it is filtered by natural processes and passes back into groundwater.

The rear of the home is paved with the same grey that features in the granite driveway, with a crazy-paved path leading to it down one side of the house. Granite is also used for other features: Dean has constructed a gorgeous curving rock wall, which has become one of Sonja's favourite garden features. "The idea was to have a facade of traditional drystone packed with cement so it will last forever without maintenance," says Dean.

Sonja and her family are extremely pleased with their new garden. "We ended up with just what we wanted," she says. "We were presented with a basic design idea and then Dean was able to use his expertise to come up with a final result that we're very happy with."

Dean Speldewinde, from Hardart Landscapes

As the construction contractor, what input did you have in the design?

Mary Graham, the garden designer, came up with the overall design concept, and from there a lot of things needed to be sorted out in terms of details. That included certain design issues like the curve and look of the driveway and advice on what materials suited which applications – such as which elements would suit the use of granite.

Tell us about the granite driveway.

Mary came up with the basic driveway design with the curved edge. I decided where that curve would go and how it would blend in with the rest of the garden. I designed the shape and size of the individual granite modules for the driveway and created the pattern they were laid in.

Is the letterbox made out of stone?

Yes, I decided to use the same granite as in the driveway. We thought since the driveway and some of the backyard pavers were made from granite, it would work to construct the letterbox from the same material. We hand-carved the slots for the letters, and we sandblasted the number on the front.

Why is that chain dangling near the front door?

It's actually part of a water feature bio-filtration unit that I designed and constructed. It catches water from the overhead canopy, which runs down the chain into the bowl at the bottom. Once the bowl fills up the water flows into the little garden around it, where it's filtered and allowed to go back into groundwater.

Was the curving wall in the backyard difficult to construct?

Not particularly. Mary designed the concept and I decided to build it using Wistow walling stone at the front, backed by a sand and cement mortar base. The idea was to have a facade of traditional drystone but to be packed with cement so it will last forever without maintenance.

Sonja, the home owner

Why did you choose Dean to do the construction on this project?

We actually had a garden designer who we knew through the family and she had worked with him before. She was creating the basic design and needed someone who could do the construction, so she recommended Dean.

How did the construction proceed?

We had the basic design plan in place, but we talked with Dean about which materials we were going to use and how they'd then tie in with our house in terms of colour and overall look. Dean showed us some samples from granite suppliers, so we could make those final decisions on materials and decide what granite would be used for in the design.

How did you choose the granite?

We knew that we wanted a fairly dark-coloured material to tie in with the style of the house. Dean suggested we visit local granite suppliers, and the colour and style of the stone just jumped out at me; I knew as soon as I saw it that it would suit our place.

Do you have a favourite spot in your new garden?

The rock wall probably stands out for me. It distinguishes our garden from other gardens, and in terms of functionality, the kids like to sit up there in summer and eat their lunch on it, and walk across it. So it becomes a play area for them as well as looking good. I really like the way Dean created the layered effect - it's come up really nicely.

Would you recommend Dean and Hardart Landscapes to other people?

Yes. We're not experts in garden design but we ended up with just what we wanted, because the process worked. We were presented with a basic design idea and then Dean was able to fill in the gaps with his expertise and come up with a final result that we're very happy with.

For landscaping with elements of stone in starring roles, talk to a stone supplier in your area: