Reasons to Use a Trellis

Trellisestypically provide graceful lines that add a new dimension to the garden. A trellis can be used to implement vertical gardening in which your plants grow upward rather than downward. This creative maneuver can help you to make your garden look bigger than it already is. The height of the trellis encourages your visitors to look upward rather than downward, providing the illusion that your garden is actually larger than it is.

The garden trellis can be used to create a sense of structure or provide a boundary in the yard. You can use a stationary garden trellis to block off a certain area, provide a boundary for a walkway, or set up a backdrop of beautiful flowers. The garden trellis can be used to hide eyesores or areas of the yard that are less than pretty. Place one of these structures in front of the air-conditioning unit, pool filter, or trashcans so that these items remain out of sight.

You can also incorporate trellises into the yard design so that they provide a sense of privacy around the hot tub or pool. If you use enough trellises and plant them properly, you can create a privacy fence or secluded area with them. Depending on the size of your yard and your sense of creativity, you might want to incorporate more than one trellis in your yard. You can purchase identical trellises or you can vary their size, color, and style.Try to select one that blends in easily with the rest of your outdoor decor.

Selecting a Location for Your Trellis

Trellises are usually placed in a permanent location and planted with perennials that come up each year. You should keep this in mind when selecting your location. Decide whether or not you want to create a permanent home for your trellis.If you aren’t sure, consider planting it with annuals for the first year until you make up your mind. This way, you will have an easy transition when you move your trellis to a new location.

It is import ant that the location you select for your trellis offers enough room for air to circulate around your plants. This promotes healthy plant growth, which leads to a nicer appearance for the trellis and its plants. Moreover, making sure that you leave enough space between the trellis arid its backdrop discourages the growth of mildew or mold that can develop in poorly circulated areas.

Selecting Plants for Your Trellis

Typically, the plants that you select for your trellis are going to need some training or coaxing to get them to follow up the trellis.

Plants that do well on trellises include climbing roses, trailing vines, and climbing flowers. Climbing flowers that do well include clematis, jasmine, climbing hydrangea, honeysuckle, and morning glory. Bougainvillea vines and black-eyed Susan vines also do well on trellises. Wisteria is a popular choice for use on trellises. However, Wisteria is quite heavy so the trellis must be strong and secure in order to hold it up. If you use ties, rope, or twine to secure your plants to the trellis, make sure that you keep an eye on them.As the plants grow, the ties or twine can become too tight and damage the vines or sterns of the plants. Loosen or replace the ties as needed.

Trellises are easy to maintain once you have them set up. Why not give your garden a delightful touch of vertical gardening with some bright, colorful flowers this summer?

Make sure that you avoid watering your grapes in the afternoons; especially when there is full sunlight on them. What happens when full sunlight makes contact with water? It starts to evaporate therefore the wet leaves can easily get burnt in no time. Wait for the time when the sun will go down and then water your grape plants; doing this earlier in the mornings would work well too.

Another huge mistake people make when growing grapes is during their yearly pruning time; why would you trim around 50 percent of your entire vine down? You have to make sure that your plant stays vigorous you have to make sure that around 80 percent or more of the vine is trimmed back. You see any shoots; trim them too since you do not want anything growing and going sideways from the grape vine. When the fruit time arrives in the first year; you should not let your grape vine produce any fruits for sure. Any budding fruits you see should be trimmed off; this will allow your grape vine to get in a stronger shape with a much better root structure during the first year.

Usually the amateur growers make these common mistakes that end up either killing their grape vine or making it grow in a really unhealthy shape. In order to get your hands on sweet and fresh grapes you need to follow the above mentioned grapes growing tips and techniques. Also, remember that there are times when some grape vines are just not meant to be productive so this is not your fault. You will see the grapes being shriveled and small; remove such grape vine and begin again.

I do not recommend deadheading of hydrangeas after flowering is finished (unless they are grown in a warm climate). The large flower heads offer some frost protection in early spring to the new buds that are high up on the stem. On top of that, in the dead of winter, their faded, papery appearance, enhanced by a light frost, can be appealing.

Pruning of mop-headed hydrangeas takes place in mid- to late spring, Cut out any thin, weak shoots as close to ground level as possible. At the same time, remove two or three of the oldest branches to encourage new basal shoots to form. Trim off the old flower heads, cutting immediately above a pair of healthy, fat buds.

There is seldom any need to prune or shape newly planted hydrangeas. Neglected plants, on the other hand, may be cut back hard, but not all in one go. Better to prune over two years or there will be no flowers during the year of cutting.

Hydrangeapankulata (4-8) flowers during late summer and autumn on shoots produced that season, for large panicles of flowers, prune in late spring, removing all the previous season’s growths to within 2 inches of the older wood.

The deciduous climbing hydrangea H. anomala subsp. petiolaris (4-9) produces its creamy-white summer flowers on the previous year’s side shoots. These require little pruning, although it is a good idea to shorten any strong, outward-growing laterals after flowering has finished.

The shaping of a young plant is governed by a little knowledge and a lot of common sense. Buds are important and each one represents a branch. Break or damage a bud and there will be one branch less. Who knows, it might have been the one suitable branch to hang a garden swing from in 20 years’ time.

The best tip you will ever use to your advantage is that a shoot and eventually a branch will grow in the direction that a growth bud is pointing. So, if your rose bush is a bit onesided, pruning shoots on the weak side to a bud pointing outward will encourage growth in that direction. Where a new shoot is heading in the wrong direction, it needs to be cut back to a suitable bud (heading in the right direction) or removed altogether. By the end of the growing season, you will have a balanced plant.

The strongest shoots are produced at the base of a plant, further up the stem they tend to be weaker and thinner, for this reason, many new plants are pruned low down after planting. Raspberry canes, for example, are cut back to within 10 inches of the base straight after planting. Climbing and rambler roses are treated in the same way. Bush roses will also throw out strong shoots if pruned to within two or three buds of the base and this will encourage them to flower that summer.

Where two shoots are vying to be the leading shoot, always remove one of them, this will prevent a narrow angle forming between the two branches. If left, the fork in between will become a weak area and eventually the branches may split. Always select the weaker shoot for removal, or the one that is slightly angled.

Making a pruning cut

Always make a downward sloping cut, starting above the bud. This will encourage water to run off the cut, away from the bud or branch. This is particularly important with large pruning cuts, which need to be encouraged to heal quickly. Small buds are also at risk, especially in cold weather, when they can become dislodged by frozen water droplets.

1. Unclip the chains and stand the basket securely on a bucket or flowerpot at a good working height.

2. If using sisal, moss, or similar, line only the bottom half of the basket; otherwise put the whole liner in place to prevent the plants falling out. If using black plastic, carefully cut holes in the sides for planting.

3. Firm in “moss,” ensuring it is evenly spread.

4. Cut a circle about 6 inches in diameter from a plastic compost or bin bag. Put it in the bottom of the basket to stop water flowing straight through.

5. Mix water-retaining gel and controlled-release fertilizer into the compost and fill the bottom half of the basket. Or use multipurpose compost with 20 percent soil-based compost added. Soil-based compost combined with the water-retaining gel ensures that the baskets don’t dry out as quickly. Don’t add extra moisture-retaining gel??it expands impressively and an overdose will push the compost and plants over the top of the hanging basket when water is added. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

6. There is a range of basket designs. With baskets with large holes, you can simply push the rootballs through the gaps into the compost. For baskets with small holes, wrap the foliage in a strip of plastic from a fertilizer sack and feed the plant gently through from the inside to avoid damaging the rootball. If using moss, finish lining the basket, gently firming it around existing plants. If using wire or plastic baskets, make sure the base is well covered by plants. It’s all about burgeoning baskets??there’s no sight more dispiriting than a hanging basket with a bare bottom!

7. Fill the basket with compost, leaving at least 1 1/2 inches between the compost and the top of the basket to allow for watering. Put the main plant in the center and firm gently with your fingertips…

8 …then fill the rest of the basket with plants.

9. Hang the basket in place and water thoroughly. Watering is critical. Check hanging baskets daily. In the height of summer, they may need watering twice a day, morning and evening. Feed regularly??there are a lot of roots packed into a very small space. Pinch out flowers until the plants are established.

Bear in mind the dimensions of the completed steps when choosing materials. Treads and risers should measure the same throughout the flight to ensure a constant, safe, walking rhythm. (If they are not constant the variations must be made visually obvious for safety reasons.) Make provision, also, for drainage of rainwater from the steps by sloping the treads slightly towards the front.

Steps should be neither too steep nor too gradual – steepness can cause strain and loss of balance while with too shallow a climb you run the danger of tripping on the steps. Steep steps, and those likely to be used by children and elderly people, require railings on one or both sides to aid balance. These can be of either tubular metal or wood and should be set at a height where your hand can rest on top comfortably – this usually works out at about 850mm (2ft 9in) high measured from the nose of the steps. Alternatively, you can build small brick, block or stone walls at each side of the flight. There should be no hand obstructions along the length of the railings or walls, or other projections on which clothing could snag. Railings should also extend beyond both ends of the flight by about 300mm (1ft); they might, in fact, continue an existing run of railings along a path.

Treads should be non-slip for safety. However, this is difficult to achieve outdoors, where they are subjected to ice, rain and formation of moss. Proprietary liquids are available for painting on treads so they won’t be slippery but a more practical solution is to use hydraulically-pressed slabs, which come with a variety of surface textures or relief designs that are both attractive and non-slip.

When you’ve decided on the basic appearance and route of the steps you must calculate the quantity of bricks, slabs or other material you’ll need. It’s best to work out your design taking into account the sizes of slabs, blocks or bricks available. Make a scale plan (bird’s eye view) and a side view on graph paper to help in planning and construction.

Instructions ¨C preparing the base

1. Fix pairs of string lines so they are level and square over the centre of the concrete strip foundations to mark the height and width of the first riser.

2. Lay mortar along the front of the foundation and scribe a line parallel to the inside string to indicate the back of the first course of blocks.

3. Lay the first course of blocks on the mortar, checking the surface is even with a spirit level. Tap the blocks in place with the handle of a club hammer.

4. Position the first course of the side walls in the same way and check that the angle at the corners is at 90??, using a builder’s square.

5. Start laying the second course of blocks at one corner, aligning them with the strings. Tap the blocks into place with the handle of your trowel.

6 When two courses of blocks are laid allow the mortar to set partially, then shovel in hardcore. Use a fence post to compact the hardcore.

Further Readings:

• How to Design a Narrow Sloping Garden

Cylinder mowers have a series of moving blades fixed around a cylinder, passing over a fixed bottom blade to create a scissor-like cut. Efficiency is determined by the number of blades on the cylinder and how fast they go round. These mowers give the cleanest cuts and are usually chosen to maintain top-quality lawns. They are not so good on long, coarse or wiry grasses. Years ago, most people with small lawns used to have a hand cylinder mower and I still think these are great. You don’t have to worry about electric cables or fuel, they Lire quiet and won’t annoy the neighbors and you can keep fit while pulling and pushing the machine over your small lawn. For larger lawns, choose gas-driven types.

Rotary mowers are the popular choice these days and are more versatile. Rotary mowers are better able to deal with longer, rougher grass areas, and are a godsend when you’ve let the lawn grow longer than it should. Hover mowers are especially good for wet grass and slopes, but are nor designed for straight-line mowing. For really large grass areas, ride-on mowers are expensive, but will save hours of time.

When to mow

Mowing usually starts in early spring and carries through to mid-autumn, hut he guided by the weather and the rate of growth rather than your calendar. Begin in spring by cutting grass that has grown to 1 1/2 inches back to 1 1/4 inches. As growth accelerates, reduce the height to 1 inch for a durable lawn, and down to 3/4 inch or even 1/2 inch for a fine lawn. When the grass is growing fast, mowing must take place at least once a week. Should mild wintry weather cause excessive growth, don’t hesitate to cut the lawn to 1 1/4 inches as long as the ground is not wet.

How to mow

Start by mowing the perimeter of the lawn, going round it twice. Mow around obstacles such as flower beds as well. Then mow in straight lines, up and down, overlapping slightly, to cut the lawn methodically. Make sure the lines are straight if you are using a mower with rollers to create stripes. It is fun and good for the lawn to change the direction of the cut from rime to time??try cutting in the opposite direction, or diagonally. When cutting larger, informal areas with a ride-on mower, work inward in ever-decreasing circles, mowing around trees and other obstacles as they arise.

Mower maintenance

Mowers need regular cleaning to prevent metal corrosion. Always disconnect the power before cleaning or attending to an electric mower and always remove the spark plug from the engines of gas-driven mowers before cleaning and maintenance. Keep a small kit handy, containing rags, an oil can, and a wire brush for cleaning down after use. Unless you are good with machinery, send the mower for a service once a year. Some companies give discounts if you book your machine in early, rather than leaving it until just before you need it in spring. There is always a spring rush and if you leave the service until the last minute, you might have an agonizing wait while the lawn grows daily out of control.

Further Readings:

• How To Perform A Spring Tune-Up On Your Lawn Mower

Top-dress around the roots annually with general-purpose fertilizer or sulfate of ammonia at 1 – 1 1/2oz. per yard from mid-to late spring, and top up the mulch as required. Alternatively, keep the surrounding area weed free; avoid hoeing too deeply as this could damage the roots. At the end of each season, remove and replace any dead plants.

Trimming

Whether you are using hand primers, hedge trimmers, or hand shears, keep your equipment well maintained and sharp; it makes the job easier. Ideally, a hedge should be no higher than 6 feet tall for ease of maintenance.

Pruning

Hedges are usually divided into three groups for pruning purposes. The frequency of trimming depends on the style of hedge and its rate of growth. Make a note of birds’ nests and “do not disturb.”

Lay burlap or plastic sheeting at the base of the hedge before starting work – it makes it easier to gather the primings. Formal hedges are those that are neatly trimmed to shape; informal hedge plants are allowed to develop their natural shape.

Safety

- Take care when handling hedge-trimming equipment, particularly power tools; they can be lethal.
- Wear goggles, gloves, ear protection, and safety boots; don’t wear loose clothing.
- Ensure stepladders are secure and on level ground. Hire a portable scaffolding tower for taller hedges; they are more stable than ladders. If you’re using a couple of planks between two ladders, don’t step back or overstretch!
- Buy electric or gas trimmers with adequate safety mechanisms. Switch off machinery and think before moving away from the working location.
- Use a ground fault interrupter with electric trimmers. This automatically cuts out if there are electrical problems or there is damage to the cable. Ensure the cable is draped over your shoulder, rather than hanging free. Ideally, there should be someone else with you at all times in case of injury.
- Only use hedge trimmers when you’re sober. The machine should be well oiled, not you!
- Do not allow small children into the working area.
- If you want to catch the attention of someone using a hedge trimmer, wait until they have stopped working and the machine is switched off. Take care??fingers cannot be replaced.
- Avoid using hand tools above your head, it gets very tiring. Hand shears made of light alloy with extendable handles make trimming easier.

Paths are made for going places and while their function might be to prevent mud being trampled into the house or to get a wheelbarrow to the garden shed without making furrows in the lawn, how they look in relation to the garden and your house is also important. A wide range of attractive paving materials is available for you to choose from.

Planning a path

Any path should have a purpose. There’s little point, for example, in laying a path that skirts the garden and then seeing it ignored as short cuts are taken across the lawn.

You should also make sure your choice of material blends with the surroundings. Concrete slabs, for instance, can look out of place if you have a lot of brick walls, whereas crazy paving might complement them. If the lawn is large and you want a path straight across it, an unbroken length of slabs might look too prominent and it might be preferable to use stepping stones with areas of grass in between (remember to relate the spacing of the stones to a normal walking pace or you will defeat the purpose of the path). If the garden is dotted with trees and shrubs it might be more eye catching to curve the path around them so that it doesn’t dominate the setting.

When you’re designing, think of the width as well as the length ?? a path that’s too narrow to walk on easily will remain a source of irritation. If you make it too wide it might give the garden an unbalanced look, though a wide path can look very good if flanked on both sides with an array of shrubs or flowers.

The best way to start planning is on paper. Use graph paper to make a scale plan of the garden, marking in any fixtures such as established trees and a shed or greenhouse and obvious targets for the path such as a gate or the washing line. Draw them in ink and use pencil to plan in path shapes ?? they can always be rubbed out if you change your mind.

The plan will give you something to work to as well as a method of calculating the number of slabs and the amount of sand and cement you’ll need. But first you’ll have to decide on the pattern you want and the type of slab (home-made or bought), whether you want grass to grow between the cracks or whether you prefer the overall look that formal pointing will give.

Paving shapes

The most common concrete paving slabs are square or rectangular in shape, though you can also buy them circular or as parts of a circle (called radius slabs). These are useful for curved or meandering paths which are difficult to make with formwork. Hexagon-shaped slabs look good, too, and these can be married up with half hexagons which give a straight edge for the path’s borders.

Concrete slabs can be bought in a variety of colors ?? anything from red, green and yellow to brown and the ordinary ‘cement’ grey. Some concrete slabs which are patterned to look like brick or natural stone are finished with a blend of two colors ?? grey over deep red and grey over buff. But the important thing to remember about any colored slabs is that the colors won’t always last. The pigments are added to the concrete during manufacture, and in time they will fade with the effect of sun and rain. In damp shady spots under trees, lichen will grow on the surface and diminish the original colors. Some slabs may also show signs of staining as a result of efflorescence ?? white powdery deposits brought to the surface as water dries out of the concrete. Brushing will remove the deposits temporarily.

Patterns of laying

You may decide on a simple chequerboard pattern using one size of slabs or a pattern with staggered joints as in stretcher bond brickwork. Alternatively you can create a more decorative path using different sized slabs. Riven surfaced slabs can be particularly effective if two sizes of slabs are used with the larger slabs set to radiate around the smaller ones, producing a square which is repeated down the length of the path.

Cutting slabs

If the pattern you’ve worked out requires cut slabs (it’s helpful and certainly more easy if they’re half sizes), the cutting is relatively easy. After you have marked the cutting line all round the slab you place it on a bed of soft sand or even on the lawn (anything to absorb the shock) and cut a groove along the cutting line, using a bolster chisel and a club hammer You can then split the slab by tapping the bolster with the hammer along the groove. Cutting sections out of paving slabs is not so easy. Chipping to shape is time consuming and cast slabs are likely to fracture anyway. It’s worth considering filling L-shaped gaps with two separately cut pieces, or leaving out the paving slab altogether and infilling with pebbles, stones or even cobbles set in mortar, or simply finishing off with bricks.

If you want a perfect finish for cut pieces and have a lot of cutting to do, it is worth hiring a masonry saw from a plant hire shop. Although it’s possible to fit masonry cutting discs to an ordinary drill, with a lot of cutting you run the risk of burning out the motor.

Buying paving slabs

Visit local garden centres and builders merchants to see what sizes, colors and textures they have in stock. It’s always worth shopping around. Your supplier should be able to give you helpful information ?? for example, some colored slabs are more color-fast than others, and he should know which ones. If local suppliers don’t have what you want, remember that the cost of transporting heavy slabs over a long distance is high, so it may be better (or at least cheaper) to choose from what is available.

Prices will obviously vary depending on the type of slab ?? for example, hydraulically pressed slabs are more expensive than cast slabs. And when ordering, allow for a few more than the exact number required for the path; you may crack one or two during laying so it’s better to have spares handy

Preparing the base

Making a flat base is the single most important step in laying the path. And to do this you will usually have to dig out a shallow trench along the line you want the path to follow.

Digging out the topsoil, roots and any organic matter needs to be done carefully and you should dig the trench to a depth just a little deeper than the slab thickness. As well as being flat, the laying surface must be firm and compacted. At this stage, an easy way of checking that the trench is flat is to use a length of straight-edged timber ?? a plank or a fence post, for instance ?? to indicate hollows or bumps which might not be obvious to the eye.

Once the trench is dug you may find that because of the type of soil, the surface is still soft. The answer is to dig out another 75mm (3in) or so and then fill the extra depth with a layer of broken brick (rubble) or broken concrete (hardcore). This layer has to be well compacted before a layer of sand or fine ash (called a ‘blinding’ layer) is spread on it to provide a smooth surface. If you don’t want anything to grow up through the path, saturate the trench with a powerful weedkiller.

Laying paving slabs

The easiest way to control the line of a path as you begin to lay the paving slabs is to set up string lines to mark out the edges. How the slabs are bedded ?? whether on sand or pads of mortar ?? depends on the weight of traffic the path will carry and whether you intend to point the gaps between the slabs with mortar.

As you lay the slabs, use a timber straightedge to check that each slab sits flush with its neighbours across and along the path. On level ground, you must lay them so that there is a slight slope across the width of the path ?? a drop of about 25mm (1 in) across 1 metre (just over 3ft) will be sufficient. Check the slope by placing a 25mm thick block of wood under one end of your spirit level or batten; the bubble should then be in the ‘dead level’ position. On sloping ground, the slabs can be laid dead level across the path width to achieve the same effect

Slabs can sometimes be butt jointed tightly together. However, because there is often some slight variation in the sizes of slabs, it makes sense to allow for a joint of about 9mm to 12mm to take up these minor inaccuracies. It’s important that the joints be kept even ?? for they act as a frame for the slab shape. Spacers cut from board will give you the desired joint thickness and will also prevent the newly laid slabs closing up as you lay adjacent ones.

Finishing off

When you have positioned all the slabs you can fill the joints. If you are not pointing them, simply brush a mixture of soil and sand into the gaps. Where you want a pointed finish there are two methods you can use ?? and both require care or mortar stains will mar the slabs.

One method is to mix the cement and sand dry ?? the sand needs to be very dry ?? and pour or brush this into the joints. You then sprinkle the joints with a watering can fitted with a fine rose, or wait until it rains.

A better method is to mix up dry crumbly mortar and press this into the joints with a pointing trowel. Any mortar crumbs falling onto the face of the slab can easily be brushed away without staining. You can also use a piece of wood or a trowel to finish the joint so it is slightly recessed.

After pointing is completed don’t walk on the path for a few days ?? if you tread on an edge of a slab you may loosen it and you will have to lift it (using a spade) and lay it again on fresh mortar.

To finish off the gaps at the edges you can point them where they adjoin masonry or a flower bed; where they run alongside a lawn, fill them with soil and let the grass grow back, or fill space with gravel which will drain away excess water

Lay the slabs on generous mortar dabs under each corner or, with smaller pieces, on an overall mortar bed.

Work your way across the dry-laid surface, bedding each stone in turn and checking the level frequently using a builder’s level ?? don’t forget to incorporate a slight drainage fall to one side of a path or to the front of a patio or step treads. Tap the paving in place using the handle of your club hammer: as you do this some mortar will be squeezed up into the joints, which can be anything up to 25mm (1 in) wide. You needn’t scrape out this mortar from the joints: it actually makes for a stronger bond.

After you’ve laid the slabs point between them with mortar. Be careful not to smear any on the faces of the slabs otherwise they will stain. Alternatively you can leave the joints mortar-free and brush in soil later in which to plant low growing plants or herbs.

If you have used crazy paving for patio or path surfaces, you may also want to give your garden a unified look by cladding steps and low walls.

On steps, start at the bottom of the flight and clad the lowest riser first. Build up the cladding norm ground level, buttering mortar onto the back of each piece of paving and pressing it firmly into place against the riser. Finish cladding the riser with pieces that fit flush with the existing step surface, and then lay paving on the surface of the tread so that those at the front overlay the riser by about 25mm (1 in). Clad all the risers and treads, then point between the pieces. Clad low walls in the same way as step risers.

Dry-laying the slabs

1. When you’ve marked out the shape of your paved area and dug out and prepared the foundations, start to dry-lay the slabs in one corner.

2. Separate the straight-edged slabs from the irregular-shaped ones and dry-lay the largest pieces at the perimeter of your marked-out area.

3. Fill in small gaps between the perimeter slabs with straight-edged fragments, but avoid a run of small pieces, as it makes a weaker edge.

4. When you??ve placed all of the perimeter slabs you’ll be able to see what the overall effect will be: swap them about for the best-looking plan.

Laving the paving

1. When you’re satisfied with the positions of the slabs you can start to bed them on a fairly stiff mortar mix; lay the large ones on five dabs of mortar.

2. You can lay smaller pieces on a continuous mortar bed. Trowel ridges in the mortar: this aids levelling and provides a stronger bond.

3. Bed each slab level with the ones next to it by tapping it gently with the handle of your club hammer. Allow mortar to squeeze out between the joints.

4. Mortar in the perimeter slabs first then start to in-fill with smaller, irregular-shaped pieces, using different colors for a more varied pattern.

5. Check at intervals across the tops of the slabs with a builder’s level to ensure they’re bedded evenly. Tap them in place with the handle of a club hammer.

6. Mortar joints can be up to 25mm (1 in) wide. Make the joint flush with the slabs but don’t spill mortar on the slab faces, or it will stain them.

7. If you want to make a feature of the joints fill them with soil rather than mortar and add some low-growing plants to give a natural, established look.

8 After you’ve pointed the joints, or filled them with soil, brush over the surface of the paved area with a stiff-bristled broom to remove any debris.