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Timber is a garden mainstay that can be turned, planed or treated to form any variation required for boundary, structure and surface use. Timber takes on any form but also has a wide variety of colours, properties, textures and finishes.
The timber deck has become the garden core in recent years and it's easy to see why. Depending on construction, decks require little or no foundations and can traverse areas of rough ground, eliminating the need for a level surface.
They can be used in tiers over steeply sloping spaces, linked together with timber steps. They can also be used to provide extended balconies that wrap around the perimeter of split-level houses. Materials used in decking don't have to be new. Old floorboards can give personality to a deck and railway sleepers create a feeling of permanency.
Wood can be used as surface material in the form of wooden setts, which are small cubes of wood that are stacked, one beside another, to form a surface 'mosaic' of timber - the parquet flooring of the outdoor world. Sawn from durable hardwoods, they give a modern twist to a traditional material use. Wooden setts are available from specialist timber merchants.
And circular slices of a tree trunk which can be used for less formal flooring, or as stepping stones through woodland areas.
Once chipped, timber becomes useful as an informal ground cover that is perfect for play areas. In woodland settings, chipped bark doubles up as mulch for planting. There is a range of products where the bark is dyed to give shades of green, orange and yellow. If you want to prolong the life of wood chippings, it's best to lay them over compacted hardcore, but as they are cheap to replenish, this is not really necessary. Chipped bark is widely available from garden centres and by mail order.
Wood is also the most popular choice for garden boundaries and gates. Panel fencing is comprised of lengths of wooden slats that are either nailed onto a panel's frame, one on top of the other; or woven to give more attractive options. Panel fencing can provide a backdrop to any garden.
Trellis panels are another fencing option where privacy is not paramount. Trellising can make immensely satisfactory internal divisions to create garden rooms, as well as being key in supporting your favourite plants. Trellis panels are available in square, rectangular and diamond forms and are often used in garden structures such as arbours. Trellis is as versatile as it is practical. Although the panels are widely available from garden centres in many different styles, you can make your own from bound lengths of bamboo to evoke an oriental feel or you could have a custom-made trellis made to your own design by specialist trellis makers.
Using the same framework as traditional fencing or trellising, new looks can be created at your boundary line with natural materials such as bamboo, fashioned in the form of traditional hurdles or in bound materials bought by the roll. Although natural materials such as this don't have a lifespan much longer than about ten years, they will wrap around a garden to provide a gentle natural backdrop.
Garden buildings are often built using timber, particularly arbours, pergolas, gazebos and summerhouses. Timber is certainly versatile! However, simple structures are usually best; a fussy building in a small space can empower and seem overly ostentatious. Enclosing and inviting, the warmth of wood can be used in various combinations, dimensions and proportions but forward planning is the key to a successful outcome when venturing into garden architecture.
Easily worked, solid timbers can be used to create the most magnificent chairs and seats and planters, window boxes and containers are widely available in just about any shape and size you might need.
If it is a piece of natural sculpture you are looking for, 'found' objects or reclaimed beams and chunks of wood previously used can be beautifully left untouched. Wood, when kept as raw and unprocessed as possible, can look extraordinary in the right setting.
