Introduction
Maybe you’ve added a few pavers in the backyard. Maybe they are made from stone, concrete, or tiles. They may have different shades, different textures, patterns, and even different levels of exposure to the sun. If you want to add more pavers, you can search for “paving companies near me” and hire professionals for the job. Irrespective of that, the best way to adorn such pavers is with beautiful ground covers. Let’s check out how you can choose beautiful plants between those pavers.
The Choices
Sunlight – Inspect your pavers and check out how much sunlight they are exposed to throughout the day. This is very important when choosing new plants between the pavers. Pick any day of the week and record the levels of sunlight exposure in your selected area. You need to figure out if those pavers receive direct sun, the morning sun, partial shade, full sun, and other such conditions.
Once you have figured out the sun exposure, you can easily choose plants that fit that setting. For instance, if the pavers get full sun, you can get plants like Dymondia and Creeping Thyme. On the other hand, if there’s partial shade, you can choose plants like Chamomile, Sedums, and Cranesbill. If your pavers get full shade and the air around them remains most for the most part of the day, you’re better off planting Sweet Woodruff, Creeping Dogwood, Corsican Sandwort, and other such groundcovers.
Foot traffic – Foot traffic also influences the plants you choose. If there’s a lot of foot traffic on the pavers, you need your groundcover to be resilient enough to survive all that abuse. If there’s less foot traffic you don’t need to worry so much. The general rule while planting ground covers is to look at the leaf structure.
If the leaf structure is very delicate, it can’t tolerate heavy foot traffic. That’s why you should record foot traffic across the pavers and figure out how often your family, friends, guests, and pets use it. This will give you a general idea. Foot traffic received by the pavers may range from just once a week to several times each day.
If you get heavy foot traffic multiple times a day you can choose a plant like the Rupturewort. It is extremely tough and almost feels like a thick carpet once it’s matured. Moreover, the thick and green foliage turns a beautiful shade of bronze during the winter season and completely changes the look of your walkway. Apart from Rupturewort, Creeping Wire Vine is another resilient variety that can also be mowed down to control its growth.
Space between the pavers – When you build a walkway or just want to add some character and depth to the backyard with pavers, you carefully choose the space between your pavers. This choice also affects the plants you are able to choose later on. If there is a narrow space between pavers and you choose to plant a fast and wide-growing species, the plants would quickly cover up your pavers under the right conditions.
That’s why you need to plant appropriate groundcovers that can be controlled with trimming and mowing for narrow gaps. Dwarf Mondo is a fine example of such a plant. They spread deep and establish themselves with a strong root structure and then can be easily divided into sections using a simple utility knife. This isn’t possible with plants that have a single main stem.
Drainage – Drainage is another big factor when choosing groundcovers. Again, you need to inspect the target area carefully before you can choose the perfect plant. Check if the soil around those pavers remains dry, soggy, or damp for most of the week. This gives you clues about soil drainage around those areas and helps you make better decisions.
For instance, if you have damp or moist soil, you can plant Golden Creeping Jenny, Mazus, Jewelmint of Corsica, and other such varieties that will tolerate such soil conditions. If the soil remains dry for the most part and has good drainage, it is more suited for plants like Sedums, Creeping Thyme, and more.
Variety vs homogeneity – The way you want your walkway or backyard to look also influences your choice. If you want to have a more formal-looking walkway that’s more popular and seen frequently in pop culture, you may want to stick to homogeneity. This makes everything look polished and clean.
You can also choose the fun route and get different varieties to create a natural look. If you plan it carefully you can make the walkway appear as if those plants have grown naturally and created a groundcover around and between the pavers. Moreover, this approach also allows you to remove plants if they don’t suit the overall look. However, the best route is a subtle one when you choose something between homogeneity and variety instead of leaning heavily towards one style.
Gap filling speed – This is one of the least of your worries while choosing a groundcover for your pavers. However, you have to think about it at certain times. Let’s assume that you’ve put up your property for sale and everything looks perfect except the paver walkway. You want to add groundcovers, but there isn’t enough time to grow groundcovers and customize your walkway.
In this scenario, you want a quick-growing species that can establish and grow between the pavers rapidly, within a few weeks. You may choose a fast-growing species or pull it off with slow-growers like the Blue Star Creeper by dividing it into smaller pieces. This comes in handy when you’re short on time and want to cover up those empty spaces as fast as possible.
Conclusion
From sunlight and foot traffic to soil drainage and spread, all these things need to be factored in while choosing beautiful plants between your pavers. Before you choose groundcovers between your pavers, you can add pavers and extend your walkway. To do that, you can search for “paving companies near me” and hire professionals for the job.
