Perfect pathways june 2017

© 2017 Project SOUND
Out of the Wilds and Into Your
Garden
Gardening with California Native Plants in Western L.A. County
Project SOUND – 2017 (our 13th year)
1

Kelley Dawdy
CSUDH/Gardena Willows Wetland Preserve
June, 2017
© 2017 Project SOUND 2

Hard vs Softscape
Hardscape
• Inorganic things
• Walls
• Benches
• Sidewalks/paths
• Patio
• Driveway
Softscape
• Organic stuff
• Plants
• Trees
• Groundcovers
• Vines

Hardscape

Hardscape Surfaces
Permeable aka porous or pervious
• Planting Beds (softscape)
• Mulched Beds (softscape)
• Turf
• Gravel
• Permeable Pavers
• Stepping Stones
• Concreted brick or stone
• Concrete pavers
Impermeable
• Asphalt
• Concrete
• Concreted brick or stone
• Concrete pavers

Hardscape Surfaces
Permeable aka porous or pervious
• Definition: surface that
allows water to infiltrate
underlying soil
• “Waters” your garden
• Filters pollutants
• Recharges water table
Impermeable
• Definition: surface that
facilitates 100% runoff
• Cheaper
• Less maintenance (?)

Types of Permeable Surfaces
• Gravel

• River Rock or Mexican Beach Pebbles

• Stepping Stones
or flagstone

• Concrete steppers

• Loose lay brick

Curved bricks and steppers
Steppers

• Loose lay stone

• Mixed Materials

Decomposed Granite
• Aka DG
• Locally sourced (Santa Monica Mountains)

Design
• Eclectic is very hard to do well.
• What style is your house?
• Does your neighborhood have a style?
• What color is your house?
• What style are you drawn to:
– English garden
– French country
– Formal
– Modern

Design = Less is More
How does this make you feel?

English Cottage Garden

French Country

Formal

Modern

Asian Gardens

Pinterest.com

Building the Path

Sub-base?
• In my opinion, a sub-base is unnecessary,
unless you have expansive soil
– Palos Verdes & the “soils area” in Torrance
– Or you are installing a
driveway
– Follow the directions
for specific products
– Ask the seller of the
product

Levelling/Subbase materials
Levelling:
• DG (decomposed granite). Bulk only. Compacts
better than sand.
• Sand, plaster. Comes in bags or bulk.
Subbase:
• “Pre-mix” is a mixture of sand and gravel. Bulk, only.
Use as the subbase for expansive soil. Can be rolled
or vibrated.
• ¾” crushed gravel. Bags & bulk. Needed for
driveways. Excellent drainage. Needs to be vibrated.

Rolling/compacting/vibrating/jumping
• Roller, sod. Rent $10/day
• Compacter/tamper. Rent,
buy or make. Rent $7/day.
• Vibratory plate compactor.
Rent. $72/day.
• Jumping Jack. Rent $90/day.
Only use to compact very
deep, loose soil.
Very dangerous.

Installation
• Weed mat? No, thanks.

Prepping the area
• At what height do you want the walkway or
patio?
• An inch or 2 above the planter beds?
• A “step” down from the door?
Use <1” or 4 - 7½” (code). 1-4” is a tripping hazard.
• Make sure that you are
not covering a drip edge.
As per code, grade must
be at least 4” below.

CA drainage code
Project SOUND 2016 © 38

Drainage
• Make sure that you have “positive drainage”
away from your foundation.
• Code: 1” of fall (rise) over 4’ around the
foundation. That’s 2% (1:48)≈(1:50)=(2:100).
48” Masonry level ≈ $50-75

Drainage
• Finished concrete 1 – 2% (½ - 1:48)
• Permeable surfaces 3 – 4% (2:48)
• ADA ramp 8% (1:12 or 4:48)
• Don’t forget
the side to
side drainage

Tools of the trade
• 48” Masonry level
• Masonry line
• Stakes
• Mallet (deadblow or rubber)
• Trowel, brick
• Sod roller
• Tamper

Excavating tools
• Mattock/pick
• Shovel
• Wheelbarrow
• Grading rake
• Push broom
• Hose with nozzle

Prepping the area for gravel
• Gravel and Mexican Beach pebbles are easy
– You’ll want 3-4” in depth
– Do you need to dig out (lower) the native soil?
– Does it need to be compacted? (Probably not.)
– Is there sufficient drainage/fall
of the native soil?
– Buy gravel or beach pebbles.
– Dump them. Rake. Done!
Size of Beach
Pebbles
Coverage
(square feet/
75 lbs. bag)
½” – 1” 12
1” – 2” 7
2” – 3” 4
3” – 5” 3

The problem
• After several years:
• Easy solution: buy more and “top dress”
• Hard solution: remove all the rock, clean &
put them back.

Installing steppers
• Rectangular steppers

Installing steppers
• Concrete or cut stone
– Remove enough soil to finish at the desired height
– Rake out 2” of DG (decomposed granite). Roll or vibrate.
– If using rectangular pieces, in a line,
set-up masonry line (not string).

Installing steppers
• Rectangular steppers

Building the Path

Check square
Check the diagonals and/or check 3-4-5

Installing steppers, continued
– Calculate your spacing. Walk it to make sure it
“feels right”. Approx. 30 – 36”
– Start laying out the steppers.
– Confirm that the edge is barely touching the line.
– Check side to side level (1 – 2% fall).
– Not “level”, tip it up, use a trough to add more DG.
– A tiny bit too high? Whack it with a rubber mallet
or dead blow hammer.

Working with natural stone?
• Brick hammer/chisel
• 4½” angle grinder with a diamond blade
• 2x4” piece of lumber
• Sledgehammer
– For very large pieces of rock that you want to break in
half, lay it over the 2x4”, approx. where you want it to
break, lightly hammer it above the 2x4” until it breaks.

Back to the flagstone path
• Everything is the same, but
• Put the masonry string down the middle or off
center, or
• Use a long, straight 2x4” to confirm that the
tops of the flagstones are all in the same plain.
• Use your 4’ level to double check stone to
stone “levelness.”

Common problems (downfalls)
• Use DG, not sand
• Check level
• No more than
2 (or 3) materials
• Use flagstone that
is at least 2” thick &
2 square feet each
• “Work the puzzle”

Use flagstones of comparable sizes

They didn’t “work the puzzle”

Flagstone patios
Break-up the
“grout” lines.
Make “T”s.

Brick/paver walkways and patios
• Decide on a pattern
• Decide the type of brick

Bricks need borders
• Plastic Bend-a-Board
• Plastic or metal brick edging
• Mortared brick border

Brick/paver walkway and patio
• Prepare the native soil to the right height
• Confirm positive drainage
• Set the borders first
• 2” DG
• Roll the DG
• Start setting bricks/pavers
• Check “level” often
• If there are gaps, fill with DG, silica sand or
polymeric sand (not permeable).

Types of pavers

Grasscrete-type products
BodPave
TERRUM TruckPave Grasscrete Porous Pave

Final steps
Tried and True Steps – done by every professional
• Bricks and brick-sized pavers can be vibrated.
• Water, water, water.
• Sit back and admire your work.
• Next day: check for “dancing flagstone.”
Tilt up and add more DG.
• More water.
• Ice tea or beer.
• Sit back and admire your work some more.

Care and Maintenance
For loose lay:
• Settling may occur
– Tilt the rock/paver, add a little bit more DG
• “Grout” may settle or wash away
– Add more DG
• Border may move (shrink, lift, sink)
– Reset or add more DG

If it looks too dirty:
• Power washing will remove any dirt
• Bleach (1:1 with water in a spray bottle) will remove any algae

Weeds
• Mechanical
– Hand pull
– Weed knife
• Chemical
– Boiling water
– Baking soda 2-4 times a year
– Round-up (Glyphosate is relatively benign)
– Vinegar + soap + salt in spray bottle
• One gallon of vinegar
• Add 1 Tablespoon of dish soap
• Add 1 Tablespoon of salt

South Bay Suppliers
• Thompson Building Materials.
www.thompsonbldg.com
2400 Pacific Coast Hwy, Lomita, CA. (310) 326-5160
– Bulk: sand, DG, gravel, pre-mix, tools (all). Bagged
concrete.
– Pavers, brick, grasscrete-type pavers, concrete steppers,
used brick
• Thompson Building Materials – Rock Yard
1350 W Pacific Coast Hwy, Wilmington, CA. (310) 830-5584
– Bulk: Sand, DG. Bagged concrete.
– LARGE flagstone, decorative gravel, & Mex beach pebble
selection

South Bay Suppliers
• Westwood Building Materials
www.westwoodbm.com
15708 Inglewood Ave, Lawndale, CA 90260 (310) 643-9158
– Bulk: sand, pre-mix, ¾” crushed gravel. Bagged concrete.
Tools.
– Will deliver. ½ cubic yard minimum.
• Sepulveda Building Materials
www.sepulveda.com
359 E Gardena Blvd, Gardena, CA 90248 (310) 436-1400
– Bulk: sand, gravel. Tools. Bagged concrete.
– Nice selection of flagstone and boulders.
– Will deliver.

South Bay Suppliers
• West Los Angeles Building Materials
www.flagstonespecialist.com
2431 S Sepulveda Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90064 (310) 478-7276
– Bulk: sand, pre-mix, gravel. Tools. Bagged concrete.
– Decorative gravel, flagstone, boulders, cobbles,
pebbles, used brick, used concrete
• Bourget Brothers
www.bourgetbros.com
Building materials: 1636 11th St., Santa Monica, CA (310) 450-6556.
– DG, decorative gravel, glass, tools
Rock yard: 1810 Colorado Ave, Santa Monica, CA (310) 829-4010
– Beautiful flagstone. Huge supply. Expensive!

South Bay Suppliers
• B.D. White
www.bdwhitetopsoil.net
19205 Prairie Ave, Torrance, CA 90503 (310) 370-5511
– Bulk: topsoil, sand, DG, pea gravel, ¾” natural gravel.
– Landscape timbers & RR ties
– Will deliver. Minimum = 1 cubic yard.
• Ewing Irrigation
www.ewing1.com
20526 Gramercy Pl, Torrance, CA 90501 (310) 782-7821
– Bend-a-Board™, brick Snap Edge Pavers™
– Pavers

South Bay Suppliers
• Anthony’s Ready Mix & Building Supplies
www.anthonysreadymix.com
4500 Manhattan Beach Bl., Lawndale, CA 90260 (310) 542-8585
– Brick, flagstone, bagged concrete
– Concrete and mortar colors
– Concrete stains
• Home Depot
– Bagged gravel and sand.
– Tools.
– Pavers & brick
– Concrete pavers.
– Pre-mixed concrete – 60 & 94 lbs bags.

South Bay Suppliers
• Artesia Building Materials
www.artesiabuildingmaterials.com
16632 S. Pioneer Blvd, Artesia, CA 90701 (562) 926-2371

Questions?

Perfect pathways june 2017

Recommandé

Recommandé

Contenu connexe

Similaire à Perfect pathways june 2017

Similaire à Perfect pathways june 2017 (20)

Plus de cvadheim

Plus de cvadheim (20)

Dernier

Dernier (20)

Perfect pathways june 2017