The Landscape Company
Guildford · Surrey
The soil beneath your garden has a huge influence on how patios, driveways, lawns, planting and retaining walls perform over time. In and around Guildford — including Burpham, Merrow, Shalford, Bramley, Stoughton and the Surrey Hills — soils range from free-draining sands to heavier clays and old made ground.
This guide explains the main soil types we encounter in Guildford and how they affect landscaping design, groundworks and drainage decisions.
For more structural detail you may also find our Garden Drainage & Groundworks Guide and Retaining Walls & Steps Guide helpful, along with our Subsidence & Patio Longevity guide.
Soil is more than just “mud” under your patio or lawn. It affects:
Understanding your soil allows us to design patios, driveways, walls and planting schemes that are tailored to your garden rather than relying on generic details.
While every plot is different, we commonly see:
Sandy or loamy soils:
For landscaping, this usually means:
Clay soils:
For patios, driveways and walls in these conditions, we often:
For planting, clay can be very fertile once improved with organic matter and structure, but it needs thoughtful plant choice and soil preparation.
Many Guildford gardens contain areas of “made ground” where previous owners have:
This made ground may:
In these cases, we often:
In hillier parts of the Guildford area, particularly towards the Surrey Hills, soil depths can be relatively shallow over rock or compacted subsoil.
This affects:
Sometimes a combination of raised beds, low retaining walls and imported topsoil provides a better long-term solution than trying to fight the existing levels.
The stability of a patio or driveway depends heavily on how the soil behaves beneath the sub-base. Poorly understood soil can lead to:
By taking time at the start of a project to understand your specific soil profile, we can design stronger, more resilient build-ups that resist these issues.
Plant selection and soil improvement go hand-in-hand:
We can work with your designer or provide practical input on which plants are likely to succeed in different parts of your garden based on soil and exposure.
For typical Guildford gardens we often:
This practical assessment is usually enough to inform good construction decisions without the need for formal laboratory testing, although that can be arranged where necessary.
Yes. In many cases we will remove soft or unsuitable material and replace it with a well-compacted sub-base before any paving is laid. For planting areas, we can add organic matter, new topsoil or soil conditioners to improve structure and fertility.
Not at all. Clay simply requires more careful design and detailing. With increased sub-base, proper drainage and, where necessary, deeper foundations, we can build very durable patios and terraces on clay-based sites.
No. With thoughtful drainage, regrading and soil improvement, many heavy-soil lawns can be significantly improved. In some locations, we may suggest raised areas or specific grass mixes suited to the conditions.
Simple hand tests, trial pits and observing how your garden behaves after rain can reveal a lot. During a site visit, we’ll usually be able to identify the broad soil type and advise accordingly.
If you're based in Guildford, Burpham, Merrow, Shalford, Bramley, Stoughton or the surrounding Surrey Hills and are unsure how your soil might affect a planned patio, driveway or garden project, we’d be happy to advise.
Taking soil into account at the start of a project helps ensure that new landscaping feels solid, drains correctly and performs well for many years.
Explore all of our in-depth landscaping guides for Guildford, Burpham, Merrow, Shalford, Bramley, Stoughton and the surrounding Surrey Hills:
If you’re considering a new driveway, patio or full garden transformation, we’d be happy to talk through your ideas and advise on the best way forward.
Call: 01428 654812 · 07500 877949
Email: richard@tlchaslemere.co.uk
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