Create garden ‘hallways’ with bricks, blocks, stones

Have you ever meandered through a garden where paths and steppingstones enticed you to anticipate what was around the next corner, and wonder at the secrecy of those tucked away garden spots?

Ever wondered what it was that created a unifying transition from one area to another? Wondered how that same feeling could be re-created around your own home without hiring a landscape professional to put everything in place?

Here’s a secret – take your eyes off those beautiful plants and flowers long enough to see what’s underfoot. Beautiful gardens begin with a unifying foundation.

Like our homes, gardens are made up of different rooms; pathways are the hallways that lead from one room to the next.

The joy of creating meandering garden walks depends on twists, bends and turns taken by the hallway as it winds through and around each garden room. Like the solidity of our concrete home foundations, the use of bricks, paving stones and concrete retaining blocks provide long-lasting structure in a garden’s foundation.

The huge stacks of inventory outside garden centers indicate that anyone can create magic with a few bricks. And, it is true. The varied selection of size, shapes, textures, and colors ensure that projects can be accomplished no matter your level of expertise or personal stature.

Keep it simple; pick out one brick pattern or paving block that can be used to build patios and one complementing retaining wall block. Choose a color that enhances shades of your home’s exterior and keep that color consistent throughout the garden. Above all else, pick a size that isn’t too heavy to work with – there are sizes for every macho level.

Don’t panic if an overall design escapes your imagination when you are ready to begin. The design will happen, and the unifying flow will be created by the consistency of the brick you have chosen.

Raised flowerbeds made from retaining wall blocks will make gardening easier in the future. Plants and weeds are easier to reach, and the soil will not suffer from compaction. Additionally, hand tools can be used, replacing the need for large tilling machines.

Place your beds to create a wandering pathway that leads to quiet benches, tucked away water features, or other sides of your home. Enlarge patios by spacing paving blocks far enough apart to plant ground hugging covers like Irish moss or woolly thyme that will quickly fill the gaps, then guide guests away onto garden paths using the same patio blocks as stepping-stones.

Once in the garden, pathways around raised flower and vegetable beds can be dirt, gravel or mulch to cut down the expense of additional brick. Even those hard-to-compost pine needles make excellent path mulch while retarding weed growth.

The advantage of using brick in landscaping lies in the product’s vast variety, selection and availability. Its popularity ensures inventories at local gardening centers, making it possible for the do-it-yourselfer to work on small projects that will culminate in a long-lasting structure that flows through the landscape.

The only question is, “How many bricks can I afford this payday, and how many will fit in the trunk of the car?” Then just start somewhere.

Things to do in the garden this week

• Cut dead flower heads off perennials as blooms fade, especially those that reseed readily. When faded spring-blooming flower stalks are cut back, attention is drawn to the beauty of those perennials now in bloom.

• As spring blooms are cut back, what is left? Add long-blooming summer perennials to shopping lists to give the garden vibrancy during hot summer months. If planted now, water faithfully into the fall to allow roots to get established.

• Evaluate the growth of shrubs and perennials from last year. Tag plants that have outgrown their space and need divided or moved this fall.

• Harvest summer vegetables like beans, cucumbers and summer squash when young and tender for best quality and flavor. Donate surplus vegetables to local food banks and shelters.

• Keep weeding this month. Many pesky weeds are blooming and setting seed heads now. Remove them before seeds ripen and add to next year’s work.

• Water consistently to avoid drought stress. Large trees and shrubs will benefit from additional deep soaking by a trickling water hose.

• Water and fertilize container gardens regularly. The drying wind is especially hard on hanging baskets.

• Continue to mulch around perennials and shrubs to provide root protection from heat and dry winds.