The stone is an average of 3″ thick and each one weighed from 50 – 150 lbs. This stone is free set, meaning it is not mortared onto cement or any other substance. It is freely sitting on road base and slag sand. When building a free set base you have to be sure to pack the materials properly – using not only a machine, but water and time. This walk way has not lifted, budged or moved in 3 seasons.

Notice the interior mural we built that is perfectly centered to the middle of the two doors.The step up to the door is mortared on cement. The walk way also goes off to the right giving the client access to and from the driveway.

We did plant the ground cover and bushed but I am not responsible for whatever is going on in those annual pots on the patio. I would have gone with big green lush ferns in pots with a few purple petunias hanging out and draping down.

This garden, with extensive soil amendments for the roses, was under 1,100 not including the irrigation.

IMAGINE EDIBLE: This same layout could have been done with edible plants. For example, I would have used a Black Currant as the hedge instead of the boxwood – this would mean in the winter I would not have an evergreen presence but I can accept that with a little Xmas lighting. Instead of the roses I would go with a specialty grape and roses. Imagine one deep red knock out rose climbing amongst clusters of deep purple plump grapes winding around a cedar trellis painted the same color as the home so that it is as if invisible.  What other climbing vines are edible? Hops. Cucumber. Sugar Snap Peas – the list goes one – truly, even tomatoes would be stunning instead of the roses. Whatever can be done with ornamental plants in terms of visual pleasure can be done better by edible plants.