Are the gardens of houses with pebbledash on the walls identifiable as a special kind? Do owners of pebbledash houses have any garden interests in common? What are the latest trends?
What would you say "pebbledash people" have in common when it comes to garden style?
The owners of pebbledash houses form a very large group. Bracketed into the pebbledash category could come those on modest incomes and those on above average ones.
Let’s look at some of their gardens. A walk along a tree-lined suburban road should serve our purpose.
Owners of pebbledash gardens…
*spend money on the upkeep of their houses and gardens.
*buy new cars, computers, power tools, garden furniture, garden gloves, etc.
*purchase new shrubs and plants regularly.
* entertain their children’s school friends in the garden.
Gardens of pebbledash houses - past
Between 1918 and the early 1950s people working as teachers, civil servants, accountants and in professional jobs near towns, found it convenient to move to suburban three-bedroom semi or four-bedroom detached houses. The diamond-shaped lattice windows decorating the bay windows of pebbledash houses attracted buyers. And the gardens were chosen for their manageable size – neither too large to be maintained with minimal help from an odd job gardener, nor too small to allow space for hanging the washing outside.
Pebbledash houses have pebbles on the outer walls. For economy’s sake and speed of construction the walls were rendered with sand and cement – although sometimes just the front bay received this treatment. After two coats of the rendering, the surface was covered with small beach pebbles of a mixed colour aggregate in natural brownish shades.
There are rows and rows of these houses in some areas; in others they are here and there in a road. Houses of a different design now fill the gaps left by bombs during the Second World War. Many of the garden features of the past - front lawns, low wooden gates, dwarf walls, crazy paving, rustic arches and bird tables - have disappeared. These days carport space for two cars is preferred, often where there is also a garage present. In some roads, high iron railings, and gates attached to burglar alarms controlled by electronics, have taken the place of the low front walls - even in fairly small plots.
Gardens of pebbledash houses - present
The gardens of pebbledash houses contain few formal pools, but small rock gardens or rock terraces running alongside raised lawns, or sunken paths, still exist in some roads. In recent decades Japanese inspired water features have been introduced, the water spilling over large stones on to smaller pebbles. Isolated rocks form focal points. And brick-constructed raised beds have been built since people learnt about easy forms of gardening for the less mobile.
Pebbledash garden owners were slow to follow the fashion of paving front gardens as a substitute for lawns. But new owners are turning to other forms of hard surface with more enthusiasm. The contemporary craze for stone chippings and gravel gardens can be judged by sales at major garden centres. Huge plastic sacks are stacked side by side, separating the various sizes, grades and colours of the gravel - off-white, brown, grey and brick pink, in natural rock materials. And while customers are shopping for stone chippings, they buy plants.
"Pebbledash people", as the owners of pebbledash houses have been dubbed, are not inclined to buy bedding plants by the yard to furnish their gardens. The size of their plots dictates a different style of gardening. Individual species and varieties are easier to fit into smaller plots, than the blocks of colour that go into the spacious gardens of slightly more affluent neighbouring areas, where yards of frontage must be filled – often in a few weeks.
Keen gardeners
The latest inhabitants of pebbledash properties are keen gardeners. But whereas once their wives didn’t work outside the home, today both men and women are likely to go out to work. They have more money to spend on their gardens - but less time. Labour saving garden designs that demand little maintenance tend to be chosen. Black cobbles, bricks and stone continue to be used as replacements for front lawns – although the rear gardens of pebbledash houses are still places to grow plants.
Surprisingly, small gardens have become more attractive than many large gardens, due to the collections of uncommon plants they contain and the artistic way they are grouped.
Gardens for pebbledash houses - future
The latest trend is towards a better use of colour in the garden. Colour co-ordination will probably continue to be influential, although the more successful will be the gardens where there is a combination of skills in selection of suitable plant species and choice of colour for background and planting harmony.
There has been a return to favour of wooden furniture, deckchairs, garden tables and chairs. Decking too is being used in some of the gardens. Recognising the move towards wooden furniture, inspired by television gardening programmes, writers and photographers, Cuprinol has expanded its Garden Furniture Care range to include restoratives, preservers and cleaners.
Paint in the garden
People are painting the pebbledash walls of their houses – especially the front façade. Pebbledash is being painted in off-white, terracotta, and the latest sand and honey shades. It is worth remembering that the purpose of the pebbles was to give a maintenance-free finish for the lifetime of the property - without the need of further paint.
Will blue paint, currently fashionable on wooden garden furniture, also be used on pebbledash houses?
The Garden Wall Shades from Cuprinol will transform brickwork, terracotta, concrete, stone and rendering. Colours include Honey Glow, Sahara Gold, and Soapstone. More unusual are Brittany Blue, Moroccan Blue and Lavender Haze – the latter colours have, so far, only been seen on garden room walls (as opposed to the façade) in pebbledash areas.
Natural materials
Multi-surface Garden Shades, designed to complement the natural colours in the garden, can be used on metal, wood, stone, terracotta, brickwork and wicker. The trend away from artificial materials in pebbledash gardens is likely to continue in the near future.
It is possible people will prefer colours that birds find attractive. Camouflage may play a part in choice of feeding place for wildlife. Birds might not venture too near houses if they feel conspicuous against vivid colours. Sparrows fly to and from twiggy brown stems. Do they fly so frequently to bird feeders hung from sheds painted bright cream or tangerine? Colourful and scented flowers are attractive to bees and butterflies so they will probably be prominent in most types of gardens.
What kinds of gardens for pebbledash houses will be created in future? The above mentioned trends will probably remain for some time. Maybe one day it will become fashionable to restore pebbledash houses. And it is possible that pebbledash houses with gardens will be sought after - pebbles could help to sell houses in the not too distant future.
