I bought a house with 53 brick and stone raised flowerbeds and nowhere to sit and enjoy them -- just extremely narrow concrete and tile pathways between them. So I'd like to turn one of the large flowerbeds in the sunny center of the yard into a small patio area where I can put a picnic table. The problem is that all of the flowerbeds in the center of the yard are completely overrun with bindweed, so I'm not sure if landscape fabric + crushed gravel + sand will do the trick, or if the bindweed will push its way up along all the edges.

The attached photo is what the back "driveway" looks like, and I'd like to do something similar to keep the original look of the garden, which is important to me. The house came with giant piles of colorful tile that the previous owner, deceased, had collected from around the world. Is there any way to incorporate the tiles in a small (6' x 6') patio without pouring concrete (which I can't imagine being able to do myself, and I'm not sure how difficult it would be for my boyfriend). Any suggestions appreciated!!

link in case embedded image doesn't work
Follow-Up Postings:

RE: To pour or NOT to pour concrete??

• Posted by: Yardvaark none (My Page) on Sat, Jun 22, 13 at 1:23

Your photo does not show up. Please use the "choose file" option to select the photo.

RE: To pour or NOT to pour concrete??

• Posted by: marti8a DFW (My Page) on Sat, Jun 22, 13 at 19:54

Is this your photo?

{{gwi:35905}}

RE: To pour or NOT to pour concrete??

• Posted by: Yardvaark none (My Page) on Sat, Jun 22, 13 at 21:46

To be sure, landscape fabric + crushed gravel + sand is no cure or prevention for any weeds.

Interesting tile concept. Looks a bit like stained glass window. They are probably set in mortar, not concrete. (Concrete has rocks integrated into it that would get in the way of setting the tiles.) Concrete and mortar seem daunting at first, but studying the process a little can make a big difference. My first attempts were a disaster, but after learning a few tips, it became rather easy to create some amazing things. Now, there are videos on youtube to make it even easier to learn.

RE: To pour or NOT to pour concrete??

• Posted by: TOTALN00B none (My Page) on Fri, Jun 28, 13 at 16:06

marti8a, thanks for embedding the photo, that's the one! And Yardvaark, did you lay tiles in mortar? Is the process to first lay crushed gravel, then concrete, then mortar and tiles on top of the concrete?

Also, is there any step I can skip, living in Zone 10a and not being super concerned about frost?

RE: To pour or NOT to pour concrete??

• Posted by: Violet.West none (My Page) on Fri, Jun 28, 13 at 17:59

that's really pretty -- not sure I understand why you can't put a patio set out there -- looks flat

RE: To pour or NOT to pour concrete??

• Posted by: Yardvaark none (My Page) on Fri, Jun 28, 13 at 21:58

I was speaking about the difficulty of a greenhorn working with mortar in general, not specifically with embedding "tiles." In my case it was bricks.

I am in zone 9 and since our soil is primarily sand, it is common here to place concrete on solid soil (as opposed to humus-rich spongy soil,) without using a gravel bed below. In the case of the photo above, it looks like some of the small tiles were prefabricated into larger pavers and that these were embedded in mortar, along with individual small tiles. Investigate the process of setting thin pavers in mortar over a concrete slab.

Post a Follow-Up
Your Name:

Your Email Address:

Zone (optional):

Subject of Posting:

Message:

Optional Link URL:

Name of the Link:

A copy of your follow-up will automatically be emailed to the original poster.
Return to the Landscape Design Forum