How to improve your patio
Why plant-up your patio?
- Improves the overall appearance
- Saves time watering and feeding containers
- Integrates the expanses of paving into the garden
- Eliminates weeding cracks
- Good way to grow herbs
You may not think there are planting opportunities in the patio itself, but take a closer look and you might be surprised what you find. Take the cracks between paving stones, for example. If weeds can get established here, then specialist, low-growing ornamental plants can, too. Best of all, once the cracks are planted up, you’ll never have to weed there again. Where the paving is used regularly, make sure you choose tough, ground-hugging plants that form soft mats of foliage, which won’t become hazardous. Aromatic plants are particularly welcome, since they will release their delightful aromas each time they are trodden underfoot. Towards the periphery of a patio that gets little if any traffic, you can use slightly larger plants to help soften the stark edges.
Planting between the cracks
Small cracks are easier to sow than plant. Although it could be argued the rootballs of small plants can be squeezed into the junctions between wider cracks. Use a weeding tool or old screwdriver to pick-out any loose mortar and other debris. Remove all the weeds complete with their roots to prevent them re-sprouting. Fill the cracks with a loam-based John Innes compost or a mixture of sieved garden soil and fresh potting compost. Gently push the compost into the cracks with your fingers to remove any air-pockets. Brush the excess compost away and sow the seeds thinly along the prepared cracks. Water carefully using a watering can fitted with a fine rose, as this will prevent the seeds from being washed away. Then cover with garden fleece to protect from birds. Once germinated, remove the fleece and thin overcrowded seedlings by removing the weakest. Remember to continue watering during any dry spells, until the plants are well established. As a finishing touch, carefully brush fine gravel or grit into the cracks to prevent compost being washed out, weed seeds gaining a foothold and to help retain moisture in the compost.
Planting edges
Adding planting pockets
Provided the patio has not been laid on a concrete base, you can create planting pockets in strategic places to break up a large patio and transform its overall appearance.
- Use the corner of a spade to ease up one of the paving slabs.
- Dig out as much aggregate and other material as you can, loosening it with a garden fork or metal spike if necessary.
- Remove the soil under the base of the patio to create a hole at least 30cm deep.
- Fill the hole with fresh soil from elsewhere in the garden, mixing in well-rotted organic matter to help improve moisture retention.
- Water plants thoroughly while still in their pots before planting in the normal way.
- Firm well and water thoroughly once more.
- Finish off with pebbles or gravel that complements the existing stones of the patio.
Happy gardening!