If you'd like a new patio walkway but don't want it to look new, use cracked paving blocks and add creeping plants in the gaps between the blocks. Materials:
Concrete paving blocks
Towel
Hammer
Mexican heather, creeping thyme or other creeping plants
Moss or lichen
Decorative paving stone
Potting soil
Florists' wire
- After you've cleared the area for your path, spread some potting soil over it.
- Place a paving block over a piece of broom handle or a similar raised surface. Cover the block with a piece of cloth, and strike it firmly with a hammer (figure A).
- Place the pieces of paving block on the path so that a 1" gap exists between pieces (figure B). You may want to leave some larger gaps for variety.
- Begin planting between the cracks. Use creeping plants such as Mexican heather (figure C) and moss that can withstand being stepped on. Soak the plants in water before planting, and use florists' wire bent into a hairpin shape to force the foliage down (figure D) so that it grows outward instead of up. You can also hold plants in place by wedging them tightly between stones.
- Be creative in your placement, and try using more than one type of plant (figure E). You may want to use flowering plants on the edges, where they're less likely to get stepped on. Another way of enhancing the walkway is to place decorative steppingstones among the paving blocks (figure F).
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