This is what I call my "Kitchen" garden because i see it from my Kitchen sink window-it helps ease cleaning pots. I just painted my set Pink and really like it.
My "Kitchen Patio"
Another view with the La. Iris. AH!! I so love my La. Iris. These pics are taken from my carport.
Your flowers, and patio are beautiful. I like your pink, too. : )
~Lucy
Edited cause I can't spell tonight. lol : )
This message was edited Apr 30, 2008 11:57 PM
You can see the small kitchen window to the near left. The window wall is my living room. This past year I finally got to decorate it out as my special space for reading, computer fun and meditation. Hmm! I guess I should post those pics under decorating. I layed down the Faux stone flooring last year over the gravel I had before. I finally can go barefoot out here-so not sure if want to fill the cracks up with gravel or not. What do you think?
Another beautiful picture. : ) I don't know if I would fill with gravel or not, either. Hmmm...
Was putting down the Faux stone flooring hard?
Oh, man, If I lived in Louisiana, with that patio, I would full those spaces will all those "Stepables" plants...oh, my, you could spend a fortune!!! :)) It would soften the edges, but you wouldn't really need to fill in the cracks. The thing is, I don't know if the blooms on something like orange Thyme would bring bees or not (then there would go the barefoot part you like so well.)
I still think it would be so pretty. Not sure about maintenence...I've only seen it in magazines.
Suzy
I'd do creeping thyme anyway. Mine only blooms occasionally... and I've never noticed a hazardous abundance of bees. If you were willing to take some time to grow from seed or propagate by layering, you wouldn't need a fortune, either, but the instant gratification solution would definitely be $$.
I've got creeping thyme around the edge of my patio. After a couple of years, I did have to clip it back because it had grown about 6 inches over the edge and I decided I wanted to see my border row of contrasting pavers again. I think foot traffic would help keep it in check also, and the trimming isn't something you'd be doing all the time... maybe every other year?
LOVE your sitting area! And, with that water feature, it must be heavenly.
I put dichondra between my pavers, and just love it. It is very barefoot "foot friendly":
then, again, I am also a HUGE fan of mazus reptans:
Charming pics, everyone.
Seedpicker, did you plant that at the same time you put the pavers down? My pavers are already down and just have weeds coming up. :( I'd like to put seeds in there because the space is too small to cram in plants. Any ideas? I like both yours. Have to see if they come in seeds.
Gwen
Oh, my Seedpicker, that is exactly what I was talking about -- and that's your place? Not a magazine photo? LOL! It looks even better than the magazine pics!
Gwennie, I have never seen seeds of those two, maybe Seedpicker can tell you for sure, but you could also go to places that sell cuttings like NC Farms would be the place to get things like Mazus & Dichondra. It isn't feasible for us to do it up here, well, not without "staff" because they aren't hardy and we'd have to repeat the effort every year, but i have a feeling you could lay them between those paves, throw some iracle Gorw with moisture crystals on top and water it about every other day and it would look fabby in no time. I only used orange Thyme because of all the hundreds of Steppables they sell, it is one of the few hardy ones up here, and it's one of the few I can remember the name of. :)
I definitely vote for Dichondra and Mazus, though!
Suzy
I wonder how long mazus is in bloom for.
Gwen
Gwen-
The pavers were put in first, then seeded with dichondra seeds. The other pavers with the mazus is in a different area, and they only come as plants. I started with half a flat of 4" pots of mazus. Every summer, I divide off the offsets and runners and put it other places. It increases well, so if you don't have a $1,000 budget for paver plantings(lol), then I'd suggest starting with a few, and divide each year to continue to fill it in.
Or if you don't mind something that doesn't bloom, dichondra is a much cheaper and must faster fix. I bought a five pound bag of seed, and it sprouted in warm weather at about one week! A month later, it looked like it had always been there.
The mazus blooms in the spring and fall, and sporadically throughout the summer. Blue start creeper is another one that is a pretty groundcover like the mazus, but requires a little more water.
The dichondra is the cheapest, most flexible(will grow in sun or shade) and gives the fastest results. It also requires the least amount of water. Maybe you could do dichondra, and then add some mazus here and there in the mix to add a little color without breaking the bank?(mazus can be expensive to buy).
Yep, Suzy, that is my own garden, lol...complete with a stupid garden hose I didn't even bother to get out of the way before taking the picture(we were filling the pool back up). I guess that is a dead giveaway that it isn't a catalog picture, LOL!!
Here is the link for dichondra seeds:
http://www.outsidepride.com/catalog/Dichondra-p-17000.html
You may want to check out their entire groundcover section. I just noticed they sell seeds for creeping thyme. That is unusual. I've never seen thyme for sale in large quantities of seed...
By the way...you mentioned gravel...is it just gravel, or is there any soil between the pavers? You will definitely need some soil, but don't fill it in all the way level with the pavers. Let the soil be an inch or two inches shorter, and that way when the dichondra grows up its height of 2 inches, it will all look even and the same general height all across both the pavers and the greenery...
-t
I don't think I was the one who mentioned gravel. I think there's dirt there. Sandy dirt. Mostly now there's weeds! I love blue star creeper but have only found it in clumps that were too big to stuff in the cracks. I do have some pavers in front of the greenhouse door that have much larger spaces between them and I couldput the flowering things there. Then the dicondra in the other area. I'm going to order that seed!
Thanks,
Gwen
This is what one site says about dichondra:
Areas of little traffic is the best, it has very low wear ability.
Hmmmm, what is your experience? This is an area of very high traffic. It's the entrance to our house!
Gwen
If it is set between pavers that doesn't count for foot traffic. It will never get fully compressed...
Our dichondra is around the pool entrance and it gets a LOT of traffic in the summertime. :0)
Now in the front yard it is different. You walk on it and it compresses a little. An hour later it has popped back up, again. No big deal, but does leave a little "print" when you walk on it, but doesn't hurt the plant. We don't walk on our "lawn" much, but in that paver area, we walk on it a lot. Again the pavers support your weight and keep you from compressing it. We don't ever notice that it has been walked on, in that area.
-T
HI everyone. Wow what great ideas. I never even thought of seeding in or planting anything. Thanks seedpicker for the link I'm going to try it. How is for weed suppression? we "roundup" this patio-can't see my self trying to weed all this, along with the rest of my acre that is.
I'm about to battle nettle out there tomorrow.
Seedpicker, I love the dichondra between the pavers, so much, that I didn't even notice the hose, the first time I looked at the picture! I like the one with the flowers too, they both look lovely! :)
Thank you everyone for the compliments. We've really enjoyed it.
As for weed supression it is great at it, once it gets thick. When you order seed, order on the side of too much. The more seed you put down, the faster it will thicken.(obviously).
And, one more thing,...try to time putting your seed down when there will NOT be any rain. Better to wet it each day on your own, nicely, lightly, and evenly.
A hard rain will mess your seeds up, either by making them pool up in places and leave other places bare, or worse wash them away to an entirely differnt place...
Beautiful area, love the pink!