Tuesday, April 11, 2017

GARDEN GATE ENTRANCE

Calling all blog fans...


...this is the entrance to the garden.  Since we've got the flower beds built and filled with a few flowers growing, we feel like this bare spot should have something nicer on it instead of bare ground as an entrance to the garden.  

It can't be anything too high up because I do run the wheelbarrow back and forth through it on occasion so it can't impede the tires. Of course there is also foot traffic on a regular basis.  In fact, all the back and forth with feet and tires has compacted the ground there to where grass won't even grow.  Now that's not to say it wouldn't if I planted some there on purpose, like a couple of squares of sod perhaps? (but then I'd have to use the edger to keep it "trim")

Or maybe roughing it up (to help the new growth) and planting some ground cover of some sort?  

I could do gravel but let's face it, half the gravel will be washed out into the yard in the rain where it could become potential glass breaking flying debris from the Zen Machine mower (that might not be so "Zen", ha).

Any suggestions?


30 comments:

  1. How about some flat stones, maybe something like slate, or even some pavers in a nice pattern. Anything you put there that grows will just get trampled over time, but some nice flat stone work would look nice.

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    1. Ooh, a nice big piece of slate would be good too. Thanks for that. Flat stones. Hmm, we do have a huge pile of stones we brought from the house in town before we sold it. Some are kind of flat, will have to look through those.

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    2. Hubby and I collected flat rocks on a vacation to the Upper Peninsula--they were from Lake Superior. He laid those in front of my garden gate and everytime I walk into the garden , I remember the day we spent looking for beautiful and unusual flat rocks.

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  2. We have an area like that at one of our garden gates and we just put a plastic backed edged piece of very low pile artificial turf. We had tried flat stones and no matter how hard we tried to maintain them t some edge always caught on the gate. (I swear the earth tries its best to vomit stones) We thought about having concrete poured, but that was going to require coloring it, so in the end I bought this piece that is almost rug like because it was the easiest and cheapest solution. I will do something more permanent later but it works for now.

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    1. "the Earth tries its best to vomit stones". That's such a great description. We put down some bricks once (in town) and it was about six months and they popped up, ha. I like the artificial turf idea too. Thanks!

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  3. Have you ever heard of a 'swept yard'? Very common in the old South. It would work well at your gate.

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    1. Wow Jimmy, we have never heard of that and I googled it and, well, that's just so fascinating. It's late but I'm going to do some more research on that. Heck, even if not there in that spot, I like that idea in general. Thank YOU!!!

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  4. How about creeping thyme. Every time (haha no pun intended) you walk on it or run the wheel barrow over it, it will release a scent as the leaves are crushed.

    Both of these companies specialize in walkable plants
    stepables.com
    http://www.jeeperscreepersusa.com/

    You can use plants alone on the path or plant between pavers.

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    1. Thyme smells wonderful. I didn't think about creeping thyme though. I like that idea for the scent alone. Thanks!

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  5. Maybe a mosaic of broken, colourful tiles.
    xx

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    1. Ooh, a pretty idea. Heck, I might use that in other places, how pretty would that be. Thanks!

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  6. Someone suggested creeping thyme and I'd second that but planted between pavers. The wholly kind would work well. Give you a firm foot base but then softened by the thyme.

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    1. I like the idea of it being in between too. Hard foot base of wheeling stuff through and walking on but some nice color and scent too.

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  7. I really like it the way it is, old-timey garden look. Old red bricks set in to ground level with something planted between them would be pretty. Might have to use some gravel as a base.

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    1. Well thank you for that. It does look kind of old fashioned. Hmmm, never thought about that. And we do have some red bricks out there too. I'll check that out. Thank you!

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  8. Pavers or bricks. I just did a 2x9 foot section. I used the new paver bases that are at Lowes. It made it a cinch. Just dig down low enough that the pavers will be level with the ground around them. Then plant a sturdy ground crawler (thyme is good) at the edges.

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    1. Well it sounds like maybe a trip to Lowe's is in store. Thank you. Paver bases, I will check that out. And another vote for thyme! ;-)

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  9. Google "plantable driveway" and some ideas pop up, including hollow diamond-shaped concrete pavers, that can be planted with low-growing plants, such as the Stepable brand plants, low growing, and hardy. These pavers are strong enough to support a car, so no doubt would do well for a garden cart.

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    1. Well now I'm off to google that. Thanks for the ideas. I could expand something into a longer walkway too. Thanks again!

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  10. I would suggest putting down some stone or concrete pavers, buried even with the soil level. It will define the entrance and make rolling through the gate smoother. I have some large concrete squares, about 17 inches square, with slightly raised images of rabbits and butterflies, on a garden path - it has worked well and it’s pretty.

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    1. Rolling a full cart through is important. Heck, at 17" or so a couple side by side would work (and still have room for thyme, ha!). Thanks and I bet your garden path is pretty!

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  11. Another fan of paver or bricks here. I like the idea of the creeping thyme in between too. I may have to try that one. The gate will look great when it's done.

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    1. Thank you for that. The creeping thyme is popular. Whatever I do, I think I just need to plant some and let it 'creep', ha. Thanks much!!!

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  12. Why not get you a cement form and do something like this. It shouldn't take much cement for such a small area. You may have to dig down a bit so that you would be able to open your gate. https://quikrete.com/athome/walkmaker.asp

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    1. LOL! We have one of those (the cobblestone). I thought about it but it does make for slightly bumpy uneven stones (for the cobblestone look) but maybe another one that does flat ones would be smart. Will check that out, Thanks!!!!

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  13. Or go wild and put down a Mad Mat polyurethane rug. They're so pretty. Then after you test it awhile let me know and I'll get one for my garden entrance!

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    1. Wow, that's a simple and potentially colorful, idea. Heck we could put it down with some of the landscape fabric stakes too. I'll check that out. Stay tuned!!

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  14. Hmmm, Did that post or just disappear. I have a place like that in front of the hen pen. It gets muddy, so I took a piece of granite that fit exactly and put it in front of the gate. It works. Some days, the hen scratching gets dirt on it, but it will never get lower and can be swept clean. Pavers or old bricks would be my choice right there. Will your pathmaker work for a place to step or will the crevices hold your cart from moving smoothly?

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    1. Not sure but this one is here! Yep, this gets muddy but a large piece of granite is a great idea too. Sweeping is fine too. Our path maker makes an uneven (on purpose) cobblestone type by path so yep it would be a bit uneven. I'll do some measuring this weekend and see what we could come up with. Thank you!

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    2. If you didn't want to use a cement form, make wooden frame / form and just fill in with cement for smooth surface. You may have to do some dig so it's lower than your gate so that the gate will open and close easily and same time will be smooth for your wheel barrow.

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