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Placing the Pavers Having finished grading the area for this pathway garden, host Mayita Dinos and crew turn their attention to the pavers. For this project, Dinos has selected concrete pavers that have the look of stone but are less expensive. - First, they place each paver on the path, making sure to leave a comfortable stepping distance in between. Next, using each paver as a pattern, they use the shovel to make indentations marking the outline of each one.
- One by one, they remove the pavers, digging out the pre-marked cavities. To allow each paver to sit about 1 1/2 to 2 inches above the grade, the cavities are only dug between an 1 and 1 1/2 inches deep. This will help offset any erosion that might occur on the slope. A minimum of six inches is left between pavers to allow for plants.
- After tamping the dirt in each cavity (figure A), the crew lines each one with a layer of sand to facilitate leveling and to provide more stability than the plain dirt. This helps ensure the pavers won't tip under footsteps.
Expert Tip: (Bill Warren, Belgard Pavers) Apply some base material and create a "laying bed" using a one-inch layer of washed concrete sand. Then simply lay the pavers in the pattern you've designed for your job. - Once each paver is laid in place (figure B), it's adjusted until it's completely level.
Note: When properly installed, concrete pavers require very little maintnenance. Beautifying the Background - Now it's time to clean up the overgrown chainlink fence (figure C). Since it's become overgrown with bamboo -- a plant notorious for its invasive tendencies -- the homeowners can expect to regularly perform this chore to keep the fence area looking neat.
- Once the fence has been cleared, the crew covers the unattractive chainlink with a length of natural outdoor screening (figure D) to create a pleasing backdrop for the stone pedestal and fruit basket that will later be placed at the end of the path.
- To add more interest and dimension to the backdrop, Dinos and the crew plant three dwarf southern magnolias (Magnolia grandiflora 'Little Gem'), at even intervals in front of the screening (figure E). Though these trees won't grow too large, they'll boast big, beautiful white flowers in early and late summer and will draw the eye to the end of the pathway.
- To further define this area of the pathway garden, a three-panel trellis is positioned just in front of the three trees (figure F). This element will not only provide an attractive framework for the stone pedestal and basket but will also visually bring down the scale of the area to make it proportionate with the size of this focal point.
Expert Tip: (Nan Sterman, garden writer) Focal points are key in garden design, since the enviroment of a garden can sometimes be visually chaotic. With so much color and texture, the eye needs a place to settle first and a focal point provides exactly that. (Once the focal point has started the visual journey, the eye can "roam around" the space freely). In larger gardens, multiple focal points often work well and can even be changed with the seasons if they're comprised of plants. In short, a focal point is an important and appropriate aesthetic component of a garden. A Perfect Perimeter - Finally, to help stabilize the side of the slope against erosion, Dinos plants crape myrtle trees (Crape Myrtle: Lagerstroemia Indica 'Near East') in a row along the edge of the garden (figure G). Not only will these plants produce beautiful pink blooms (figure H) during the summer months, but their foliage will provide color year-round as well. In the spring, the leaves have a bronze cast (figure I), which turns to vibrant green during the summer and finally, blazing orange-red in fall.
RESOURCES :
Plants from Monrovia Growers
Monrovia Growers
Website: www.monrovia.com
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