Greening Between the Lines
These gardens use the joints between steps, pavers and fences for creative planting
Plants grown in the gaps between pavers and other hardscape elements provide gardens of all sizes with more green space, breaking up paved areas while also enhancing drainage. They also create an opportunity to introduce surprising new design elements, including flowers, bold color and even fragrance. Take a look at five inspiring gardens that use their hardscape seams to grow something special.
2. Sedum sidewalk. Staggered bluestone pavers wind from the house down to the pool area of this weekend retreat in Hudson, New York. Massed grasses frame the path, softening the hardscape and filling in the path’s irregular edges.
The gaps between pavers also leave room for walkable ‘Dragon’s Blood’ stonecrop (Sedum spurium ‘Dragon’s Blood’, zones 3 to 9), a low-growing, spreading ground cover that thrives with little maintenance in shallow, rocky soils.
See more of this minimalist retreat
The gaps between pavers also leave room for walkable ‘Dragon’s Blood’ stonecrop (Sedum spurium ‘Dragon’s Blood’, zones 3 to 9), a low-growing, spreading ground cover that thrives with little maintenance in shallow, rocky soils.
See more of this minimalist retreat
3. Minty hint. The mostly paved backyard of a fiction writer in Portland, Oregon, takes many design cues from the nearby Portland Japanese Garden, including the pattern of its concrete pavers with planted joints. “In essence we paved the whole thing but softened it with these moss elements in between,” says Michael Howells, the project’s architect.
Find a landscape architect or designer in your area
Find a landscape architect or designer in your area
Howells planted Scotch moss (Sagina subulata ‘Aurea’, zones 4 to 8) and Corsican mint (Mentha requienii, zones 6 to 9) between the concrete pavers. Both plants handle foot traffic, grow to about 1 inch tall and provide a cushy, bright green outline around the concrete pavers. The Corsican mint also emits a strong fragrance when it’s stepped on. “I have always wanted to do a project where I could introduce that idea of the sense of smell,” Howells says.
See more of this Japanese-inspired backyard
See more of this Japanese-inspired backyard
4. Planted perimeter. Landscape architect Craig Reynolds sought to balance the requests of the homeowners and the climate of Key West, while also creating privacy, softening the space and complying with local regulations for impervious surfaces. So he designed this compact backyard with lots of Ipe decking and lush tropical plants.
While this corner of the yard feels almost like an outdoor room — all that’s missing is a roof — Reynolds made sure to leave a slight gap between the deck and fence for planting. “I didn’t want it to feel like you’re in a wooden box,” he says. Plants, including the Chinese banyan (Ficus microcarpa, zones 9 to 11 ), will fill in, growing between the fence and the deck to soften the space and offer privacy.
See more of this renovated carriage house in The Keys
While this corner of the yard feels almost like an outdoor room — all that’s missing is a roof — Reynolds made sure to leave a slight gap between the deck and fence for planting. “I didn’t want it to feel like you’re in a wooden box,” he says. Plants, including the Chinese banyan (Ficus microcarpa, zones 9 to 11 ), will fill in, growing between the fence and the deck to soften the space and offer privacy.
See more of this renovated carriage house in The Keys
5. Colorful complement. A home and its garden aren’t always designed with the other in mind, but it can be fun to see when they are. For this renovation project in Manhattan Beach, California, the homeowners did just that. The couple (one is an architect and the other is an interior designer) chose soft, botanical colors for their home’s exterior and worked with landscape architect June Scott to choose plants that would echo and complement these hues. “The plants lead the eye from the home to the garden and back again,” Scott says.
Here we see how silver carpet (Dymondia margaretae, zones 9 to 11), a low-growing walkable ground cover planted between the poured concrete pavers, breaks up the paving while tying in with the home’s blue-green paint.
Also shown here: foxtail ferns (Asparagus densiflorus ‘Myers’, zones 9 to 11), blue chalk sticks (Senecio cylindricus, zones 10 to 11), tree aeonium succulents (Aeonium arboreum, zones 9 to 10) and leucadendron (Leucadendron ‘Jester’, zones 9 to 10).
Exterior paint: Green Blue, Farrow & Ball; door and window trim paint: Meadow View, Benjamin Moore
See more of this low-water beach garden
More
So Long, Lawn: 6 Walkable Ground Covers to Consider
Key Measurements for Designing Your Perfect Patio
6 Projects to Create Beautiful, Water-Saving Outdoor Spaces
Here we see how silver carpet (Dymondia margaretae, zones 9 to 11), a low-growing walkable ground cover planted between the poured concrete pavers, breaks up the paving while tying in with the home’s blue-green paint.
Also shown here: foxtail ferns (Asparagus densiflorus ‘Myers’, zones 9 to 11), blue chalk sticks (Senecio cylindricus, zones 10 to 11), tree aeonium succulents (Aeonium arboreum, zones 9 to 10) and leucadendron (Leucadendron ‘Jester’, zones 9 to 10).
Exterior paint: Green Blue, Farrow & Ball; door and window trim paint: Meadow View, Benjamin Moore
See more of this low-water beach garden
More
So Long, Lawn: 6 Walkable Ground Covers to Consider
Key Measurements for Designing Your Perfect Patio
6 Projects to Create Beautiful, Water-Saving Outdoor Spaces
1. Succulent steps. In Southern California, concrete steps lead visitors up to a secluded outdoor seating area and edible garden. An 8-foot-tall redwood and steel fence surrounds the garden, enhancing the feeling of privacy while also keeping grazing animals out.
This threshold, lush with sprawling vines, offers another planting surprise: colorful echeveria succulents growing in soil between the steps. These rosette-forming plants thrive in warm, dry and sunny locations and will appreciate the concrete’s reflected heat.
Should the succulents develop offsets or tall stalks that impede foot traffic, simply cut and reroot the offsets or rosettes. New echeveria will sprout from the stock.
See more of this inspiring edible garden