At our old house, the entire back yard was covered in old paver bricks, which in turn was covered in a thick layer of weeds growing through the cracks. The previous owners owned a construction company many years ago, and any time they had a job repaving brick streets, they'd bring bricks home to make a patio for their mother. I couldn't grow anything other than crabgrass on the patio area (ie the entire yard) so I dug most of them up. I built raised flower beds along the street side, lined the existing sidewalks with flush-laid brick, laid a path through the side yard, and gave many away. These pictures are from 10 years ago when I was just starting on it.
I could be wrong but I seem to remember some politician not too long ago advising us to bury stuff rather than take it to the tip. There were a lot of comments about future generations finding an excess of avocado bathroom suites! At least bricks might be useful.
If you want kids to get into gardening then growing things they can eat like strawberries works well. If they are like me then they might be interested in carnivorous plants as well. We had a few when I was a kid and because they ate things I was fascinated.
If you want kids to get into gardening then growing things they can eat like strawberries works well. If they are like me then they might be interested in carnivorous plants as well. We had a few when I was a kid and because they ate things I was fascinated.
My eldest was actually obsessed with Venus fly traps when he was younger actually!
If you want to plant the widest range of things, you need to dig up the bricks and import decent soil. But you certainly can make do with what you have, provided it isn't badly drained.
For example the soil in the scheme below is only 20cm deep (it's a roof garden). It's all shallow rooted, drought tolerant stuff. If you wanted to plant anything larger like a shrub or tree, perhaps you could get away with removing some of the bricks around it to allow the plant to get it's roots down to the subsoil underneath? I think you would still be wanting to plant the sort of plants that tolerate poor soil.
"What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour".
I am still tackling other parts of the garden while I think through how to go about it!
Our soil is rock solid at the moment, and am thinking it might be best tackled when we have had rain.
Lovely planting in the photo!
Overall I feel it would def be better to try to get of what’s there. There is a small paved area next to it which could accommodate a small tree - if indeed the bricks don’t run too deep and could be removed!
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For example the soil in the scheme below is only 20cm deep (it's a roof garden). It's all shallow rooted, drought tolerant stuff. If you wanted to plant anything larger like a shrub or tree, perhaps you could get away with removing some of the bricks around it to allow the plant to get it's roots down to the subsoil underneath? I think you would still be wanting to plant the sort of plants that tolerate poor soil.
I am still tackling other parts of the garden while I think through how to go about it!
Lovely planting in the photo!