Paving options

When we start an outdoor project, the planting is often the most exciting part. But before a single fern is placed, you must make a critical decision: your material palette. The choices you make for your paving, decking, walls, and screens will define the character, longevity, and maintenance requirements of your garden for decades to come.

Getting this right is crucial—and that’s where clever design comes in. Here is our guide to the essential materials we use to build beautiful, enduring gardens.

In this blog we look at the area of paving

Paving: The Great Debate—Natural Stone vs. Porcelain

The surface you walk on is the single largest hard material element in your garden. Today, the choice often boils down to two heavyweights:

Natural Stone (Sandstone, Limestone, Granite)

• Aesthetics: Offers a truly organic, timeless look. Each slab is unique, developing a beautiful character (a patina) as it ages.

• Feel: Softens the edges of modern design, working perfectly with traditional, cottage, and naturalistic styles.

• The Geko Tip: We love natural stone for its ability to blend seamlessly with planting. However, most natural stone is porous, meaning it requires annual cleaning and sealing to prevent staining and algae build-up, especially in the damp UK climate.

 Porcelain Paving

• Aesthetics: Sleek, consistent, and available in huge formats that create a sophisticated, seamless look. Modern manufacturing means it can now convincingly mimic wood, stone, and concrete.

• Performance: This is the ultimate low-maintenance material. It is non-porous, highly resistant to staining, frost-proof, and colour-fast. A simple wash is usually enough to keep it looking pristine.

• The Geko Tip: Perfect for contemporary or minimalist gardens and highly recommended for busy family spaces where maintenance must be minimal.

When designing our outdoors spaces, we always provide samples of paving directly to your home to help you choose and consider what will add the best finish in your space

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4th January 2026

A very happy new year to you all and here’s to a wonderful 2026!

As the Northeast prepares for a fresh growing season, the shift in our local landscape is palpable.

In Newcastle, 2026 isn't just about how a garden looks—it’s about how it works for both the homeowner and the local environment.

Here are the three defining trends currently shaping our North East gardens:

The "Botanical Bento" & Outdoor Living

We are moving away from the sprawling, singular lawn. Instead, we’re designing "Botanical Bento" gardens—highly intentional, modular "rooms" carved out of the landscape. In Jesmond and Gosforth, we’re seeing a surge in vertical hardscaping and sunken social pits. These aren't just patios; they are luxury outdoor living rooms featuring weather-resilient grey stone paving, integrated heating, and "all-weather" kitchens that allow for entertaining even when a North Sea chill rolls in!

Resilience Over Maintenance

Climate consciousness has hit the mainstream. With unpredictable weather patterns, we’ve pivoted toward Climate-Resilient Design. This means:

• Rain Gardens: Strategically planted dips that manage heavy downpours common to our region.

• Drought-Tolerant Elegance: Swapping thirsty bedding plants for hardy "Central Asian" rose hybrids and Mediterranean staples like Lavender and Eryngium, which can handle a dry spell without a hosepipe.

• Mini-Meadows: Replacing high-maintenance grass with low-mow wildflower patches to boost local biodiversity.

• Simple materials choices such as cobble borders and gravels to direct water flow, create shallow temporary ponds and holding points for rain rather than flooding other areas of the garden.

The "Tabletop Allotment"

The cost of living and a desire for wellness have merged into Edible Landscaping. We’re no longer hiding veg patches at the back of the garden. 2026 is the year of the "Tabletop Tomato" and dwarf aubergines. These compact, decorative edibles are being integrated directly into ornamental borders and patio containers, proving that your garden can be both a sanctuary and a pantry.

Garden trends are a great snapshot of what is becoming popular and oftens shows new ideas - we'd love to discuss how these trends will fit with your new design or, happy to include your "must haves" that you've always wanted - old or new!