Comments on: How can I “pave” our garden using recycled things?

By: Melinda

Melinda — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 12:41:02 +0000

Some people have used broken bits of concrete from demolition/ construction projects. The flat side is a plus. I’ve also seen thyme used nicely between paving stones on a walkway. Smells great!

By: Gulia

Gulia — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 20:10:59 +0000

Old rail road wood.

By: Joe

Joe — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:25:26 +0000

Have you thought about upturned wine bottles/jars/beer bottles etc.. I did a whole patio out of them (lot of fun collecting the bottles!) Andit looks really pretty, I tried growing creeping time between them but the chickens saw the end to that! The only issueis you have to did quite deep.
JoeX

By: cataway

cataway — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 16:02:17 +0000

To get a good growth of moss between your pavers blend together a gallon of water, a litre of buttermilk and a couple good handfuls of moss (found wherever) in a blender and then pour the resulting slurry where you wish moss to grow (can be painted onto damp rocky surfaces for a green graffiti effect). Also to keep moss healthy use the water-buttermilk(no need to add moss to the mix this time) as plant food for the moss 2 to 3 times a year.

By: Emerald1

Emerald1 — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 15:45:17 +0000

We had a similar problem, how to eke out a few Yorkstone flags left in the garden. In the end we laid a thick layer of gravel (not sure about the eco-friendliness of gravel but presume it is not an endangered species) and set the flags in that. It is low-maintenance, permeable and the contrast between the gravel and the flat stone looks great. We added a couple of largeish planters (small ones look skimpy and mean and dry out too quickly) but really the hard landscaping looks lovely on its own.

By: Tamara

Tamara — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 02:56:40 +0000

we just did serious raking… our landlord hasn’t done the “grass” and we thought we’d try. we found out we have no grass, either… we live under massive trees with very low light, and the soil here is very dense–like clay. this question has been major help…

By: Tamara

Tamara — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 02:54:21 +0000

all of these ideas are wonderful. thank you, louisa, for asking, and thank you all for answering…

By: louisa

louisa — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 18:43:52 +0000

Hi Ben,

I did think of that – my friend is getting rid of her lawn and we thought about transplanting it – but I think we need something a little firmer and less like to stay damp and soggy.

I’m going to leave plenty of – mossy – cracks between the stones though so rain will be able to soak through rather than pouring off into the drainage system.

By: Ben

Ben — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 17:44:02 +0000

This blog is particularly about being environmentally friendly, but I don’t think paving is your green choice here./

Get a ground cover. It will feel much nicer under your feet. Clover or something.

By: Kim

Kim — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:38:26 +0000

Used bricks?? :) How about broken up sidewalks? Perhaps your local dump would have some you could haul away and use…that’s what I would look for first.

By: Henry

Henry — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 21:33:51 +0000

I believe in aking the experts advice in allo matters of gardening so why don’t you visit http://www.harveysgardenplants.co.uk which excel in woodland and shade plants. Then clear your site, fill with white granite chippings, then use your choice of the website plants and grown on in tubs/plant pots.

By: louisa

louisa — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 14:07:47 +0000

Based on the last few years here, we’ll get moss whatever we do – so I like the idea of cultivating it for a bit of green.

Thanks for the link :)

By: Nicole

Nicole — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 14:03:53 +0000

Moss could fill in the cracks and it doesn’t really need sunlight.

http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/gt_other/article/0,,DIY_13865_5475654,00.html