One of the most environmentally sustainable attributes of our SJC house are the permeable surfaces. There is a long driveway and motor court that uses these charming pavers that allow the rain to penetrate to the ground below and return to the water table as opposed to a solid surface that forces the water to drain to the street and into the storm drains, taking any environmentally unfortunate debris along with it. I also like the way the moss grows happily in the cracks creating a pleasing pattern. It took me a while to convince my gardener that this was acceptable and even encouraged because he was so accustomed to clients that wanted their "cracks" to be plant free and austere. Little by little!
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Permeable Pavers
One of the most environmentally sustainable attributes of our SJC house are the permeable surfaces. There is a long driveway and motor court that uses these charming pavers that allow the rain to penetrate to the ground below and return to the water table as opposed to a solid surface that forces the water to drain to the street and into the storm drains, taking any environmentally unfortunate debris along with it. I also like the way the moss grows happily in the cracks creating a pleasing pattern. It took me a while to convince my gardener that this was acceptable and even encouraged because he was so accustomed to clients that wanted their "cracks" to be plant free and austere. Little by little!
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11 comments:
I love these pavers. We did an entire side yard, and terraced patio with them at our last house where the soil was pure clay and didn't perk worth a hoot. By the time the paver bed was prepped, and pavers were installed, never so much as a puddle on the surface. Next time though, might hire someone else to install them...my knees have never been the same since!
Gorgeous and "green," what more can you ask for?
I love the mossy cracks between my pavers. The greener and fatter the better, and both are pretty easy to achieve in the gloomy Pacific Northwest.
P.S. I've been enjoying your blog and can't imagine how gorgeous your gardens must be.
Moss sure adds interest to the pavers.
Those pavers sound fantastic! I wish I'd heard of them when we did our sidewalk a couple of years ago. I will definitely keep them in mind should we ever have another project like that in mind;-)
I'd never heard of these pavers before reading your post. What an excellent idea! Less run-off, better for the environment, great to look at, what more could you ask?
I like the look too - very nice!
isn't moss in cracks wonderfull .. can't imagine taking it away ..
I like the look of moss running between pavers, too. It makes beautifully lush, textured patterns. It's so neat, that it is surprising anyone would want to get rid of it.
I love your pavers! I've been looking for something just like them. Any tips on where you got them? Or where to find similar pavers? Thanks for the help!
I would imagine that you could find them at any building supply company, or they could tell you where you could find them. These were already in the property when we bought it so I am not sure exactly where they came from originally.
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