Ribbon Drive

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Thinking about what to do with the driveway entrance and patio area.  I´m really happy with the entrance as is - two tracks with greenery in the middle, called a ¨ribbon drive¨.

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This example is perhaps a little OCD - couldn´t be trimming and edging all the time.

Rustic Garage And Shed by Chicago Design-Build Firms Avondale Custom Homes - via Houzz

 

From an article on Houzz - ¨Nowadays the design is making a comeback due to its environmental benefits and nostalgic appeal. Environmentalists are drawn to the design for several reasons: It requires less impervious material, features additional greenery and means far less water runoff.¨

It doesn´t have to be grass and gravel.  There are lots of examples with cement, brick, and cobbles.

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There are also new materials which hold up to traffic, but are semipermeable.  Don´t really like the looks of it.

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But a hidden substructure would be OK.

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When we first bought the house we had some large scale (4¨ -5¨)gravel put down, knowing that there would be a lot of truck and vehicle activity.  And in the interim it has almost entirely disappeared.  Sunk?  We´re not in a position to be spending hundreds of euros on gravel every 3 years, so building up an appropriate foundation is important. I wonder if this might be the occasion for landscape cloth.  Eww.

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I had thought about using something atypical like crushed shell.  You´d think Galicia would have it´s share of mussel, clam and oyster shell to dispose of.  But haven´t had much luck finding a supplier.  So I guess it´s back to gravel. Simple, elegant, old fashioned gravel.

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