Garden expert Dale Rohman--"America's Flower Man"--explains how to create a garden path or update an existing one. - Break concrete patio blocks by placing each one on a 1" by 1" board.
Cover the block with a folded towel or thick cloth so that you don't shatter the concrete when you strike it. With a hammer, give the covered block a smart blow. It should break into several uneven pieces. - Create a path from the broken pieces.
- Now you can begin choosing plants. Dale selected Mexican heather (Cuphea hyssopifolia ), a compact tender shrub that prefers light shade and produces tiny pink, purple or white flowers in the summer. Mexican sage is easy to grow from cuttings.
- Before planting, soak plants well so that the roots are wet.
- Bend a 6" piece of florist wire in half like a hairpin. After shaking the excess soil from the roots, place each plant in a crack between the concrete steppingstones, anchoring it with the bent wire. Reserve the excess soil.
- Place the reserved soil around the roots.
- Once the plants are where you want them, gently squeeze the concrete back together.
- Maintenance is as easy as occasionally hosing off the sidewalk.
Creeping thyme (Thymus praecox subsp. arcticus) is another good choice for this project. It will withstand some foot traffic and gives off a lovely fragrance when crushed. Creeping thyme requires full sun or partial shade and less water than Mexican heather. Once you're finished laying out the steppingstones and planting, pour potting soil over the pathway, and sweep it into the cracks. This will fill any voids and provide plenty of growing medium for your plants.
GUESTS :
Dale Rohman
7536 Forsyth Blvd.
Suite 117
St. Louis, MO 63105
Phone: 314-725-2522
Tollfree Phone: 800-776-3569
Fax: 314-725-1279
Email: info@americasflowerman.com
Website: www.americasflowerman.com
Beyond Concepts, Inc.
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