We are often asked by our clients for recommendations on interesting materials to use for edging, cladding or planter construction. During one of our most recent projects, Modern Meets Traditional in Long Ashton, we introduced our client to CorTen steel, otherwise known as weathering steel. This man-made material is a high strength, low alloy, weldable structural steel that has been produced to withstand the effects of weather. It’s copper glow becomes deeper with time as the steel is weathered however, due to the duality of the material, it is able to rust without losing its durability. CorTen is a fairly expensive material so, depending on budget, you may want to use it sparingly or (as pictured below and above) use it for cladding all around the garden. These pictures from our recent project demonstrate how CorTen can be used effectively with other materials, such as sandstone and resin-bound gravel. (CorTen is supplied to Artisan by Almondsbury Forge).
