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| We have clay soil and I know it compacts easily so I try to avoid walking on it whenever possible. However, I need someplace to stand between plants while I prune them. So, last year I placed some stepping stones between plants in our narrow (4-feet deep) border to provide a dedicated place to stand. These are the standard round, grey ones with smooth pebbles on top - nothing fancy, just functional.
Now, I hate the look of the grey stepping stones scattered throughout the border. They stick out like a sore thumb within the brown mulch, and I want to remove them. I'm considering making my own stones in a color to match the mulch, but I really don't have the time right now. I'd love to find some brown stones in decorative shapes (e.g. a large leaf) but that can be costly. I understand using stones on paths, but is it really necessary to place stones between all our plants along a narrow border? It seems silly and excessive. |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by tishtoshnm 6/NM (My Page) on Tue, Oct 23, 12 at 16:21
| My thought would be for a perennial bed where you are just doing occasional maintenance, stepping stones would be overkill. I think the compaction is more of an issue when there is frequent walking in an area, such as a natural path but just going in once or twice a month to prune a shrub is not going to cause significant compaction. |
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| I have clay soil also. I line the paths between beds with a thick layer (6" minimum) of wood chips and if I have to step in a bed, I use a board, or sometimes a pair of boards so I can stand on one while I move the other. |
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- Posted by toxcrusadr 5 (My Page) on Wed, Oct 24, 12 at 10:52
| Mulch will help soften the blow of occasional footsteps. Suggestion for an easy way to get brown stepping stones: stain the ones you have. Although if they have gray pebbles on top and not just concrete, a concrete stain may or may not penetrate the rocks depending on what kind of rock they are. Just a thought. |
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| Making your own steppping stones is relatively easy and they can be dyed to about any color you wish. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Making stepping stones
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| Thank you ever so much! I will remove those stones and follow one or more of your suggestions. I do want to learn how to make stepping stones, esp. decorative not just functional, so thanks for the how-to for that as well. |
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