Bunny Guinness 12:01AM GMT 31 Oct 2006 Bunny Guinness solves your gardening problems

What rules should one bear in mind when designing the layout of a new driveway?

Drives and entrances set the feel of a property, creating the all-important first impression.

The first priority is to make it appropriate to the type of house and surroundings.

If you have a long straight country drive with a rustic, homely dwelling at the end, forget ideas of a grand avenue. Instead maybe flank the sides with bands of wild flowers and longer grass and stud this with informal clumps of native trees positioned to emphasise the best views and hide the worst.

It is a common fault to design the hard drive area to be minimal in the misapprehension that it will be less intrusive. Minimal layouts often involve awkwardly shaped turning areas of block paviors which look very ugly.

Instead, to create a real sense of arrival in the design, make a simple shape, such as a square or well proportioned rectangle, which leaves enough room to plant specimen trees and/or a simple parterre or topiary within it, to enhance the view of the house and the garden.

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This approach is not necessarily more expensive - gravel with a simple pattern of inlaid setts can look fabulous and does not cost a fortune.

What I loathe most is seeing a house with a clutch of cars nestling alongside the front door. People seem to think it is necessary to get the car almost up to the kitchen sink nowadays. If space allows, a larger forecourt with room for cars parked to one side or out of view is ideal. That way you can see the welcoming front door with some mouth-watering planting beside it.

Loose gravel is stylish and attractive, but is it possible to make it more practical?

This is my favourite surface for a driveway, but it has inherent problems. These include slopes, wrecked high heels, chippings picked up on feet and issues with bikes and wheelchairs. But all can be fixed with good design and a new product.

Incorporate small areas of paving patterns within the gravel, and make sure that a good metre (3ft) of paving runs up to the house doors. It should incorporate a good level base, so vehicles can drive on it too.

Roger Giles, of Giles Landscapes (www.gileslandscapes.co.uk, 01354 610453), has laid new gravel driveways to withstand platoons of 4x4s.

He has used a new surfacing material called Nidaplast (www.nidagravel.co.uk), which prevents all the usual rutting and pitting associated with gravel. It allows wheelchairs, Jimmy Choos and children with bikes to travel over it without getting damaged. It also stabilises the gravel, allowing you to use it on a one in 10 slope. There are recommended suppliers all over the country.

What are suitable edgings or kerbs to be used with gravel?

Edging is crucial. It has to contain the gravel but it must work with the other building materials. The most incongruous in a domestic setting are concrete paviors or concrete kerbs. Go instead for a granite sett, Indian stone sett (available from Indistone 01778 342567, www.indistone.com), clay brick, black metal edge (www.paddockfencing.com) or timber edging.

My property has a Tarmac drive which doesn’t suit the house. How can I make it look better?

With concrete and Tarmac, you can spray a Colas emulsion (www.colas.co.uk, 01342 711000) on the surface and roll in a gravel chipping. Use several layers to get a good adhesion. Otherwise, break up the surface (with a big machine this can be much less expensive than you think), make use of the hardcore base and lay gravel, as above, instead.

What are bound gravels?

These are gravels that don’t move around. The particles are totally set in the resin, giving rise to a perfect (some say too perfect) surface. It is expensive, at £60 per square metre, including installation, and can be used on slopes.

Colas (www.colas.co.uk, 01342 711000) sells SprayGrip II varieties, while SureSet stocks resin bonded gravels (www.sureset.co.uk, 01985 841180). Enstone Breedon (01332 862254) has Breedon Golden Amber self-binding gravels, which look “natural” and are more reasonably priced (£4.85 per square metre excluding laying) but cannot be used on slopes greater than one in 15.

To read more follow the link below http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/property/3354298/Designer-driveways.html