I am contemplating building a patio in my (pretty level) front yard.
This past fall planted some steeplechase arborvites to screen the road. They will form the backdrop to subsequent landscaping. In the sunny and dry NE corner of the yard I want to landscape with xeric plants. I have attempted smaller patios in my yard before and I know how critical the stages of the process are to avoid uneveness and I also know how costly a project can end up. I think it is wise to minimize the number of impermeable surfaces on my 0.4 acre lot (water conservation).
So, would a "patio" of compacted finely crushed stone work? I assume process would be:
1 - dig
2 - fill with stone
3 - compact
How are edges treated to contain stone? How deep to dig? Anyone else done this?
Thanks! Linda
Planning a patio
I have not done one with crushed stone but did a brick one. Most people recommend weed fabric underlay to help any weeds from sprouting. Bender board makes a good edge particularly on curved shapes. if you want a smoother surface concrete squares with pea stones in between like a grid is nice or flag stones. I have a question for you, how far apart did you plant the Steeplechase A. and are they doing as you had hoped? Good luck with your project and I hope more ideas follow. :)
It definitively would work, cg. I installed one at a client's house because they wanted to stick to a cottage garden theme in the perennials.
Make sure you compact the soil first. You can install weed barrier over top the soil next (if you want, but not a need). Next compact at least 6" of crushed stone compacting the first 3" and then the last 3". Lastly, install your screenings (finely crushed stone) and tamp that as well.
You can use 6 x 6 lumber, brick, or Belgium block as a border. An even cooler border is 6" thick hardwood logs. Cut groves in the logs or find ones with lots of branches and stuff them with perennials or moss. ngam's flagstone idea is quite popular and does look pretty cool.
How does crushed stone hold up to freeze / thaw cycles? Won't weed seeds still take root?
Yep, both things can be an issue.
Weeds will even get between brick cracks, but as long as you have a good compacted stone base (which varies according to frost depth in the ground) then so don't have to worry about the freezing and thawing.
Since the project is in CT you might even want to go at least 12" of crushed stone and 3-4" of screenings.
The feeze/thaw cycle is why I would think digging down 1st to be important. Just ordered 2 "Li'l Big" apple trees from Geurnys...not my usual company to order from but these little trees only get 6 feet. I can envision my little trees near the crushed stone patio...enough daydreaming.
So what type of stone? Limestone? I don't want white. Want tan. Don't want bluestone as it can look dismal on dismal days. Anyone familiar with the paths at Harkness house gardens? They are I think the color I am thinking of.
As for the arborvites, planted them on 10 foot centers....or was it 6 foot? I just eyballed it. They are only about 3 feet tall but they seem to be making it through the winter OK.
Linda
Yep, limestone is what we used.
If you want a different color you could do a base of 2B limestone and use a finely crushed aggregate (chips) of the rock that is local to your area. Pea gravel can be used, but not recommended if the patio is to be used on a regular basis. The round shape of the pea gravel does not allow for good compaction and always shifts under your feet. You basically spend time raking the stone back in place.
I also forgot to mention...definitely dig down into the earth.
Excellent advice, shrubbs!
Pea gravel is the mistake I made. Not only does it shift (I ended up putting large patio stones to walk more easily but the gravel was always kicked onto them), but it gets very weedy, regardless of whether or not you used fabric. I am building a deck over it.
Very tiny weeds grow between our bricks on the terrace. The weed torch has been a blessing.
Wow - 12 inches of crushed stone plus 3-4 inches of screenings on top! With my uneven, rock filled soil, that would be major labor.
All of the patios that we construct are that thick in base. It's best to go 8-10" of limestone, 1-2" of screenings, and the brick (2.5" thick). It is more expensive, but our company has never had any frost heaving in our patios. Wall footers are even thicker.
Excellent. Limestone sounds best. I should talk to my neighbor about renting a small digging thing...bulldozer? He has done his driveway in limestone with belgian block from the road to about 10 feet in. Or I could totally freak out my husband and shovel. A different neighbor spent much of the Fall shoveling out his walkway and driveway. He dug down maybe 8 inches...and there it stands. I have not seen him yet to ask what he is doing. I would love to have the money to pay someone to rip out our 2 (yes 2) asphalt driveways and construct them that way. Belgian block for the slight slope to the road then compacted limestone. Of course, a block paved driveway would be great but way out of our price range.
thanks for the tips
Linda