It's a sure sign of spring that the Gardenweb forums are starting to get lively again.

We have flagstone pathways throughout our garden. Because of weed problems, last fall we excavated thse pathways (comprised of large slabs with smaller chips and gravel in between) and inserted heavy duty landscape cloth underneath all of the stones, slabs and gravel. When we had initially built the pathways, we had planted lots of mother-of-thyme between the flagstones to visually break up and tone down the brightness of the stone. However, as noted above, the weeds became truly relentless, growing in the midst of the thyme and causing lots of headaches.

I love the new weed-less look of the pathway but miss how the mother-of-thyme toned down the stark whiteness of the flagstone. Now, I'm thinking about applying some sort of organic/safe tint or dye to color (either temporarily or permanently) the flagstones, chips and gravel a warmer, brownish hue. I'm willing to re-apply the dye/tint but would really prefer something permanent. With the inherent porosity of flagstone, I can't imagine that it would be difficult finding a permanent dye/tint, but I have no idea which type of product I should use.

Anyone have any recommendations about this project? I have no idea where to start.

Thanks in advance, everyone--

philosopher

Iron sulfate = reddish brown to orange
Magnesium sulfate = light brown to grey
Manganese sulfate = dark grey to chocolate

Sprite or beer poured on the rock and allowed to stand, then buttermilk over that, then a weak solution of organic fertilizer should give you a weathered if not green color in about 1 year. This is dependant on the amount of moisture available.

You may be able to grow moss in the cracks if you fill them with a small grit, then top with fine soil. Unless you transplant moss into the cracks, this takes much longer.

Good luck!

One more question about your buttermilk suggestion: These are walking paths. Will the buttermilk make the stones slippery? Do I dilute the buttermilk or apply it straight?

Thanks again for your reply.

Philosopher