Filling in lawn centre-piece
I have a circular feature in my lawn consisting a depressed ( by about 10") gravelled centre contained by stone edging with a pedestal and sundial in the centre; and surrounding this a 2' band of 'flower bed' planted with dwarf shrubs. The whole thing is about 7 or 8 feet in diameter with a single step down 'entrance' at the front. The feature worked well for several years but recent wet winters flood it for days on end and the shrubs have all begun to die. I want therefore to fill-in the feature, level it with the rest of the lawn and put the pedestal/sun dial on a central flag stone so that it will be relatively easy to mow around it. Question is how best to achieve a lasting level surface to restore the lawn. I have found in the past that filled-in flower beds always sink back somewhat after time,leaving a awkward depression to mow.
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Hi Paul, My son in law tried something similar and ended up with an oblong shape in his lawn that has never blended in with the rest, it looks like he has buried someone in the garden! He used turf and Im sure seed would have blended in better. I'm sure someone on the site will have some good advice for you.
Thanks. Not so much bothered about the 'buried bodies' effect ( should get the neighbours talking though!) as much as the settling of the fill-in. Should I use lots of rubble tamped down successively plus topsoil etc? And should I wait for months for it to settle (and do top-ups) before seeding? I suspect I should have more patience than I usually have.
Filling in any any depression in a lawn is always difficult. I find watering the newly filled hole repeatedly (four or five times over a 2 week period) settles the soil to about the level you'll require, even then be prepared for more settlement. You may have to top dress several times in order to get it right. Last winter has caused settlement problems for some of my customers. I'm afraid it will be a case of patience. If it's only a foot or so deep, I'd use just topsoil, a rubble base will cause more problems than it's worth as the soil will take ages to work its way between the rubble, and using rubble can cause compaction and drainage problems. Sorry paull2, patience will be the key.
Thanks DM. No 'quick fix' unfortunately. I think I have my work cut out for me here.