I see now what you mean about the edging @JennyJ - I couldn't really see that when I looked at the pic. It could have been used in the past for parking and the gravel's settled. I had exactly that situation, and had to make a new, and quite high lip, into my gravelled drive due to the road next to us and it's uneven nature, plus a roadside drain right in the middle. It doesn't really matter though - the ground that's gravelled won't be great - especially if it's been there a while. My back garden was just slabs and gravel when I moved in. I made a raised lawn, but decided to change it 18 months ago to make a bigger pond etc. Trying to dig holes for planting wasn't easy, especially as we're on heavy clay with high rainfall. It's perfectly possible though - but it's how you amend the soil and what you plant that matters. I'd have put a simple hedge in along that party wall. Much easier
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
One thing to be aware of near the house is making sure there are two layers of bricks exposed below the damp proof course. This is extra important if you get flooding. On your picture it looks like you have about 1 and a half layers currently. Sometimes you can see the damp proof layer (looks like black plastic), sometimes you can only tell by the bricks under it tend to look dirty/green/white/flaky while the bricks above it are cleaner and better condition.
So just make sure you don't go any higher where the slabs currently are and in an ideal world you would have them (or whatever else you put there) slightly lower so both brick layers are exposed.
Depending on where your rainwater drainage is (is there a downpipe nearby? Does your rainwater drain to the roads sewer?) you can often install drains to take the rainwater flooding away. Either french drains under gravel or channel drains which are visible (you often see these on people's driveways in front of their garage if the driveway slopes to the garage).
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My back garden was just slabs and gravel when I moved in. I made a raised lawn, but decided to change it 18 months ago to make a bigger pond etc. Trying to dig holes for planting wasn't easy, especially as we're on heavy clay with high rainfall. It's perfectly possible though - but it's how you amend the soil and what you plant that matters.
I'd have put a simple hedge in along that party wall. Much easier
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
So just make sure you don't go any higher where the slabs currently are and in an ideal world you would have them (or whatever else you put there) slightly lower so both brick layers are exposed.
Depending on where your rainwater drainage is (is there a downpipe nearby? Does your rainwater drain to the roads sewer?) you can often install drains to take the rainwater flooding away. Either french drains under gravel or channel drains which are visible (you often see these on people's driveways in front of their garage if the driveway slopes to the garage).