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Planting between paving slabs - suggestions please!

craegdubhcraegdubh Posts: 2
edited July 2018 in Garden design
See attached photo.

I've got a very boring communal back garden, mainly covered with grey paving slabs. It occurred to me this afternoon that when it comes to scrape the weeds out from between the slabs I could sow some seeds so that next year I get something attractive and colourful coming up.

Any suggestions? The garden is in Edinburgh and faces north and is in shade for a lot of the day. As far as I can tell the slabs are lying on top of builders sand.
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  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    Strawberries and verbena Nintendo's, Hyperion, geranium and various other self seeders grow between my slabs. It depends what the soil is like underneath them. Mine is quite fertile from when I spill compost when I'm potting things 
    If I like what's growing, I leave it and I pull out what I don't like. But I'm an awful messy gardener.
    There's a lovely low growing plant with brownish leaves and peach coloured flowers, but I've no idea what it's called.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    edited July 2018
    You got me pansy, I even looked it up!
    Hyperion is somewhat dodgy too
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • VoyagerxpVoyagerxp Posts: 651
    Creeping thyme is good and can stand some foot traffic.


  • ButtercupdaysButtercupdays Posts: 4,546
    But not barefoot in summer because of the bees!
  • ChrisWMChrisWM Posts: 214
    Aquilegia https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/100859/i-Aquilegia-vulgaris-i/Details
    If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need. Cicero
  • ButtercupdaysButtercupdays Posts: 4,546
    I like dog violets because they are easy to keep tidy, pretty in flower and don't seen to mind being walked on at other times. I get Welsh poppies and Alchemilla which are fine off actual walkways and Helleborus foetidus, which is too big really, but loves the lime in the mortar - or what's left of it.
    There are always dandelions too, but the Goldfinches love them, so I don't mind too much :)
  • ZeroZero1ZeroZero1 Posts: 577
    Forget me not,  seeds in cracks and looks fantastic in Spring. 
  • ChrisWMChrisWM Posts: 214
    ZeroZero1 said:
    Forget me not,  seeds in cracks and looks fantastic in Spring. 
    I second that. Before we converted our patio to lawn, they spread each season and spring was a sea of blue and white flowers. The insects loved them, and the early timing for pollen-loving insects was perfect. We have one area of patio left with them in, which is great, as they are proflific self-seeders. 
    If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need. Cicero
  • ZeroZero1ZeroZero1 Posts: 577
    Also common lawn daisies. I know they are a weed but they are beautiful in such crevices. 
  • craegdubhcraegdubh Posts: 2
    Thanks very much to everyone for the advice.
    In the end I've plumped for three different seeds, Isotoma axillaris, Thymus serpyllum and sagina subulata. 
    Fingers crossed for next Summer!
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