A Recycled Patio

Bloom designed a patio that reused some of the existing bricks, incorporated several wrought-iron treasures, and added colorful Three Rivers and Arizona flagstones and river rocks for an eclectic mix of materials, colors and textures. She curved the patio boundary to soften the landscape and grouped the wrought iron artifacts for balance and visual impact.

Bloom estimates that a professional would charge about $6,000 to design and install a recycled patio, but do-it-yourselfers can design their own patio and install it for about $700, assuming that they already have some recyclable materials on hand. The project can be completed in three weekends, with the help of friends for the concrete work. Bloom rates this project a 3 on a difficulty scale of 1 (easy) to 5 (difficult).

Step One: Preparing the Site

Because the site for this project included an existing brick patio, the crew began by removing the bricks, preserving some of them for reuse later.

Step Two: Building the Concrete Form

Take a long strip(s) of recycled bender board, and stake it in place along the curved border. Make sure it is level, and screw it to the stakes. Saw off the tops of the stakes, even with the top of the bender board.

Inside the bender board form, pour road base (an angular gravel used in building roads), and rake it to a thickness of two inches. Compact it with a hand tamper.

Step Three: Pouring the Concrete

For patios that are 200 square feet or smaller, hand-mix concrete in a wheelbarrow; for larger patios, rent a mixer. Water the patio area before pouring concrete so that it will not absorb moisture from the concrete.

Step Four: Placing the Recycled Objects

Arrange the different objects and materials on the concrete base to determine where they look best. Bloom recommends placing the featured objects first, and arrange clusters of materials in odd numbers (5, 7 and so on). When using small rocks and pebbles, place many in one area to make a statement, don't just scatter a few rocks around but try for the best visual appeal (figure D).

Make a thick mortar with Portland cement and a small amount of sand, lime, and black tint. Start next to the house and work outward. Clean off the concrete so the mortar will stick well. Spread the mortar at least 1/2 inch thick, up to three inches thick for thicker materials such as flagstone. Set each object into the mortar one at a time, and tap it into place so that all but the top 1/2 inch is set in the mortar. Check the level as you go.

Planting a Shady Garden

To lighten up the shady garden, Bloom selected an assortment of plants with light-colored foliage and brightly colored flowers. She repeated colors and textures throughout the bed for a balanced look. The shade-loving plants included:

• Pincushion flower (Scabiosa columbaria 'Butterfly Blue'), Zones 3-8
• Licorice plant (Helichrysum petiolare), Zones 10-11
• St. John's wort (Hypericum androsaemum), Zones 7-8