These are the stairs (perrons) that lead to my lower garden. They are ugly and they haven't been touched in 20 years. Though I have a million things to do in the gardens this Spring, I suddenly can't live with these stairs the way they are right now.
So, I have decided to transform them. They are filled with a very dense, small grain gravel. They've accumulated dirt over the years and weeds quickly took root in them and they have been a source of frustration for me every year. For some reason, this has become the season of the stairs and I am determined to clean them up. First, I started by weeding and let me tell you, what a job! It might not look like there are lots of weeds but that's because they are just coming up now. Each of these are filled with them. Notice my new tool...a tamper. This is great for packing the mulch into an even mat.
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I have small rocks all over the property so I decided to place them against the back of each step. Winnie is the overseer.
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I am going to try different materials until I decide what I like best. Since I already had mulch on hand, I thought I would try some of it. Mulch looks good for about 2 days and then looks like crap. I find this to be the downside of it. Mulch is nice to walk on and it doesn't trip you. These are big pluses. I could use gravel but it is so heavy to work with and it's hard to clean once leaves and debris collect on it. Brick looks terrific but in the winter it could become treacherous. Plus, each step would use about 45 bricks and again, that is a lot of weight to move around.
So, for now I will keep weeding and thinking. Three perrons down, 32 more to go. You know where to find me if you need me.
Comments
Cheers! Jan at Rosemary Cottage
What does your psychiatrist say about this obsession? :)