Flagstone patio w/ lighted sitting wall in Vestavia, Alabama...just pictures

Flagstone patio, fire pit, steps and sitting wall, Emerald zoysia sod, and drainage. That's the not so condensed title of this post.

Here's a project I recently designed/installed in Vestavia Hills, AL -

 

This project objective was to create an additional outdoor space to the existing deck. The middle rail of the deck was removed to allow access to the flagstone patio area.

Elevation and drainage were given careful consideration while designing the project.

The sitting wall was installed so it could be backfilled creating a slight slope away from the patio.

This drainage basin with a heavy duty plastic grate was our fix for a substantial drainage problem. There are 2 four inch pvc pipes that handle the rain water depositing it 110 feet at the other end of the property.

The fire pit will be put to good use in the Fall and Winter months.

 

My brother, John, helped me with this project which included installing six pallets of Emerald zoysia sod.

90 percent of this patio was installed using a buff polymer sand. Method: The original dirt was hand tamped. Then #57 gravel was installed follow by a 1 to 2 inch layer of #8910 gravel. We followed the addition of the gravels by tamping with a plate compactor. Finally, a thin layer of sand was added which assisted in leveling the flagstone.The polymer sand was used as a substitute for a mortar grout. The product set up great.

Here are the before pictures!

Purple Heart/Wandering Jew/Purple Secretia... (tradescantia pallida)

I am a fan of this purple leaf, evergreen perennial plant. It is actually a species of the common native, spiderwort, of which there are several species. Secretia is certainly planted prolifically throughout the Southeastern US....at least the species pallida is, which is the purple leaf plant that looks like it might be a succulent, growing to about 2 feet tall (but can get taller). There are varieties of this plant that offer unique characteristics such as variegation, but I am of the opinion that those, in some instances, can be more difficult to grow and some are less hardy than the common Secretia that we see everywhere. Secretia is typically planted in a linear border type of arrangement. I thought I'd make this post to encourage folks to think about this plant differently; more of a plant for a mass grouping where it can be very impressive.

These two photos are from a planting I did for a customer in Hoover, AL in the Spring of 2017.


A couple of notes about Secretia:
*It can grow in full sunlight to medium shade.
*It prefers loamy, well drained soil....doesn't do so well in heavy clay.
*While it is considered an "evergreen perennial", the plant may not look all that happy during the Winter months where you can see a reduction in foliage and what leaves remain can appear to be less turgid and appear, "flat". My location is in central Alabama where Secretia is planted on every block. Our USDA zone rating is right on the fence at 7 and 8, just to give you an idea.

Flagstone Stepping Stones

A few random pieces of flagstone can make a nice stepping stone path through your lawn. Situate your flagstone to that the top is just above the soil line and lower than the level where a mower might make contact. Twist and turn the stones into a pattern that doesn't seem too regimented and make the distance between the stone comfortable for folks to walk across.
And, as so often is the case, it is what you don't see that makes what you do see look good or not so good. The base soil beneath these flagstone pieces should be excavated deeply enough  so that the soil can be tamped and  then leveled with a paver base gravel or sand that the flagstone will actually sit on. Also, be sure your flagstone pieces are not too thin. I prefer at least 1" thick flagstone and if the pieces I'm using are particularly large, I'll try to select pieces that are 1.5"+ thick. Some of the larger flagstone pieces in this photo are close to 3.5' x 2.5' (wide x long).

Photo: Step stones I installed about 1 year ago.

A friend and client I have worked with, off and on, recently had their grounds highlighted in Birmingham Magazine. I'm excited and honored that I am mentioned in the article.  Most of my participation in helping Julie was done close to 25 years ago. I am proud to see, however, several of the plants I installed still thriving after nearly a quarter century.  Make no mistake about it, though, Julie Cash is a creative and knowledgeable plant person. What she has done with her yard is wonderful. Here is some of the article that I was able to pull from the Birmingham Magazine Facebook page.

 

Gorgeous Gardens of Birmingham: Charming Cottage

This Homewood garden has been around for 26 years. Photo by Jean Allsopp.

Birmingham magazine 

on April 06, 2017 at 10:25 AM, updated April 06, 2017 at 12:21 PM

 

 

Homeowner Julie Cash has been cultivating the grounds of her Homewood home for more than 26 years. "Our gardens evolve every year," says Cash, who
enjoys both the digging and design aspect of landscape arts. With some help from Rob Huckestein of Harmony Landscaping, the Cash family has turned their little plot of land into a personal haven.
"My favorite design element is our stone wall that was built more than 10 years ago," Cash says. "The wall defines our flower beds and provides options for trailing annuals, plants of different heights, and places for us to sit and enjoy our garden and mingle with our neighbors."
Each spring and autumn, Cash selects different annuals and perennials to add to her garden. She admits her ideas are constantly changing, but she stresses the importance of having fun with the designs and trying new things. "This spring I am planting nasturtiums behind the stone wall, hoping they will drape over the wall," she says. "I planted poppy seeds last fall, too, and the babies are
growing well. By March 1, I plan to start seeds for different varieties of Black Eyed Susans, and I will plant these in a sunny spot in my backyard."
The avid gardener attributes her success to a few key practices. "Organic gardening has been a big part of the health of our garden," Cash says. She explains that she uses leaf mold and homemade compost more than any other soil amendments. Though she shops locally for most of her supplies, she acquires the majority of her seeds from Johnny's Seeds in Maine. And she also tries to stay vigilant in protecting her plantings from "the numerous wild
animals in our neighborhood who keep us entertained and frustrated."
All in all, Cash maintains that the work is well worth it. "My favorite spot is sitting on my steps, watching birds, hanging out with my dog, and drinking coffee in the morning or wine in the late summer evenings," Cash says. "But, after just a few minutes, I find a flower in need of deadheading, a weed to pull, or a flower to pick to go in one my old glass bottles."
She enjoys seeing pansies, foxgloves, and snapdragons come into bloom, but she also loves the day-to-day duties of gardening. She says, "Any day when I have dirt under my fingernails is a good day!"
--By Andrea Fanning | Photos by Jean Allsopp
This story appears in Birmingham magazine's April 2017 issue. 

A rose is a rose is not a rose.

Not this one, any how. It's Lady Banks Rose and it differs from what we normally think of when we think rose. It is thornless and that's nice. Also, it is evergreen..another plus. One negative is that it is not a repeat bloomer. Don't let that deter you from wanting one in your yard, though. The plant can be breathtaking when it does bloom in the early Spring. This is a climbing rose, although, I've heard of people using it as a free standing large shrub. Lady Banks works well trained over an entrance or up a trellis. It can easily grow 20'+ from the ground out. These pictures are from a plant I installed about 10 years ago. I've been maintaining it since the installation by pruning it back during the Summer from time to time and supporting it above the garage door.

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What's a landscaper to do during water restrictions and severe drought?

Hardscaping!

Well, the 3 month drought finally ended a few days ago while I was finishing up this job in Helena, AL. There were water restrictions in some places and the ground had become really hard, so the rain was exciting. Up until this week, no one has been interested in planting anything this fall. This job was a drought stricken-ed landscaper's dream....stone work!
Job - Steps, walls, grading work, prep for Spring sod work.