Practical guide
How to Measure an Irregular Garden Accurately
Split awkward lawns and beds into simple zones, subtract exclusions and avoid the common bounding-rectangle error.
Read guide →15 practical UK garden guides
Use the guide when the difficult part is choosing the input
Calculators handle the maths. These guides handle the judgement around awkward measurement, sensible depth, spacing, wastage, storage and the difference between similar-looking jobs.
Measuring
Guidance for the decisions that sit around the calculator, not a duplicate of the calculator itself.
Lawn & turf
Guidance for the decisions that sit around the calculator, not a duplicate of the calculator itself.
Practical guide
How to Prepare the Ground Before Laying Turf
A measurement-led new-lawn checklist before you order turf.
Read guide →Practical guide
New Lawn vs Overseeding
Work out which grass-seed job you are doing before applying the product rate.
Read guide →Practical guide
Lawn Topdressing Depth & Quantity
Understand shallow application depth, litres per square metre and when a levelling job is no longer routine topdressing.
Read guide →Soil, compost & mulch
Guidance for the decisions that sit around the calculator, not a duplicate of the calculator itself.
Practical guide
How Much Topsoil Do I Need?
Choose a sensible soil depth, understand litres versus weight and plan bags or bulk delivery without hidden assumptions.
Read guide →Practical guide
How Deep Should Mulch Be?
Separate the horticultural decision about mulch depth from the simple volume calculation.
Read guide →Raised beds & containers
Guidance for the decisions that sit around the calculator, not a duplicate of the calculator itself.
Practical guide
How Much Compost for Pots & Containers?
Use internal pot dimensions, taper, fill level and rootball displacement when buying compost.
Read guide →Practical guide
How to Fill a Raised Bed
Plan internal volume, finished level, drainage context and growing-medium choices before ordering fill.
Read guide →Gravel & landscaping
Guidance for the decisions that sit around the calculator, not a duplicate of the calculator itself.
Practical guide
How Deep Should Gravel Be?
Understand how a chosen gravel depth changes volume, weight and bag quantities for paths and decorative areas.
Read guide →Paving & patios
Guidance for the decisions that sit around the calculator, not a duplicate of the calculator itself.
Practical guide
Paving Wastage Guide
Choose an ordering allowance for cuts, breakage, curves and patterns instead of assuming every patio needs the same percentage.
Read guide →Planting & hedging
Guidance for the decisions that sit around the calculator, not a duplicate of the calculator itself.
Practical guide
Plant Spacing Guide
Understand centre-to-centre spacing, plants per square metre and square versus staggered layouts.
Read guide →Practical guide
Hedge Spacing Guide
Translate species- and stock-specific supplier spacing into single or staggered hedge quantities.
Read guide →Ponds & water
Guidance for the decisions that sit around the calculator, not a duplicate of the calculator itself.
Practical guide
Pond Volume & Liner Measuring Guide
Use average depth for water capacity and maximum depth for liner sizing without mixing the two jobs.
Read guide →Rainwater & watering
Guidance for the decisions that sit around the calculator, not a duplicate of the calculator itself.
Practical guide
Garden Irrigation Planning in Litres
Translate area, selected watering depth and known system flow into a transparent water-volume and runtime plan.
Read guide →Practical guide
What Size Water Butt Do I Need?
Think about roof catchment, rainfall timing, storage turnover and garden demand before choosing capacity.
Read guide →Calculator or guide?
If you already know the project inputs, go straight to the calculator. If you are still deciding what depth, spacing, allowance or measurement method is appropriate, read the companion guide first. Product instructions and supplier specifications remain the figures to follow where they are more specific than a general planning example.