the mortar between our patio slabs is wearing away and I'd like to grow something to fill in the gaps

[crankyagnes]

At the moment we have a less than attractive mix of moss, grass and various weeds growing here and there.

I'd like to plant something - but what to use??

It'll have to be short, because the boys use the patio all the time and anything sticking its head up is going to get stomped on so I'd like something low growing. Most of the patio is in the sun, but some of it is in the shade for a good part of the day.

Does anyone have any ideas? Has anyone done this successfully?

[redhat]

we have it and it is a nightmare to keep under control. I wouldn't recommend it. In fact we are redoing our patio this year because it ends up looking like weeds rather than deliberate.

[crankyagnes]

Oh dear, that's disappointing to hear - what plant/s do you have growing in your patio (so I can avoid it myself )?

[crankyagnes]

I've just looked up alyssum, they look lovely (and quite short which is great) but it says they are annuals so would they need re-sowing every year? Ponders whether I'm dedicated enough to do that ...

[PurpleWithRed]

Thyme (creeping variants), mind your own business (yes that's a plant), nice little daisy thingy [[http://www.crocus.co.uk/plants/_/erigeron-karvinskianus/classid.2751/]]

[cecinestpasunepipe]

Would they self seed? I have had self-seeding alyssum.

[shovetheholly]

The classic plant people use where a patio has a bit of dampness (which your moss is suggesting) is Mind-Your-Own-Business (Soleirolia soleirolii). It has a reputation because it's thuggish and tends to spread. If it gets out of control, it's a nightmare to get rid of; however, if you're diligent about controlling it, it does look lovely. Corsican mint is another option if you want something with a crushed foliage scent that can cope with a bit of shade. Thyme will thrive too, but in the sunnier end of your patio.

I would avoid some of the new suggestions, like Pratia penduculata, until they are more proven - lots of reports of this being a total, uncontrollable thug.

[crankyagnes]

The Mexican fleabane looks fab, but sadly the boys would have that squished flat by the end of the afternoon so that's out.

Mind your own business sounds good - does it need shade though? Most of our patio is in the sun. I found Corsican mint, which looks perfect, but it said that likes shade and damp, neither of which it would get much of. Has anyone had any luck with either of those in a sunnier, drier area?

Off to google creeping thyme - I love thyme, so hard to kill

[shovetheholly]

Mind-your-own business likes full sun or partial shade - sounds like you have both so it's one of the few that ticks both boxes if you want the same thing for a uniform effect.

[shovetheholly]

Sorry - I confused things by saying 'a bit of dampness'! My bad - sometimes my fingers type faster than my brain works! It's actually quite tolerant of sunlight, but it likes a bit of moisture. Often the cracks in paving are damper than you might think, though - witness the moss, which is generally one of the least dry-tolerant plants going.

[thejoysofboys]

Don't do it. The mortar (in theory) stops water getting between your slabs and washing away the sub base. With plants instead of mortar your paving will become wobbly and uneven and more slabs will crack because of the poor bedding material.

I'm in the same position as you with regards to the failing mortar but am chipping mine out bit by bit and will repoint it.

[crankyagnes]

Shove - thanks, that's interesting about the moss, because we do have some of that, so praps that mind your own business would work. Hmm. Thejoys' comment has got me a bit worried. I wonder how much of a risk it would be? Whatever we do, I'll avoid anything with the "thug" label, I don't trust my diligence to keep plants like that in check.

[shovetheholly]

It depends on the look you want. If you like very clipped hedges, very neat plants, a perfect lawn and a glowingly pristine patio, then growing plants in cracks is not for you and you should re-mortar!!

If you're more of a cottage garden kind of person, who doesn't mind the patio becoming a bit uneven with age (and growth), then go for it. Any damage from moisture and tiny plants will tend to be very slow and it'll probably be years before you really have to do anything.

If you do use mind-your-own-business, it will need to be kept firmly away from your lawn! Do be aware of that.

[crankyagnes]

If I have to keep mind your own business away from the lawn that's not going to work, we've gaps in the patio right by the lawn. Bother. Not that our lawn has more than about 60% grass in it anyway, we are much more the relaxed style gardeners that you describe shove, so I think I will experiment with some small plants to see what will grow.

Lobelia is gorgeous, lovely flowers, but again, I worry they will just get stomped on. DS2 particularly is not light of foot

At the moment I'm looking at creeping thyme and corsican mint, maybe try a bit of both of those and see which one is happiest.

Thank you for all your help! If anyone thinks of any other plants, please let me know.

[Gatekeeper]

We have creeping thymes, corsican mint sporadically- the latter tends to snuff it during winter but self seeds and reappears somewhere else

We also have a variety of ivy leaved toadflax growing in the crocks and gravelly bits also and it looks wonderful. This one has much thicker leaves that the usual one and doesn't trail but moves along in an orderly fashion

[Gatekeeper]

sedum acre 'Aureum' would also be nice esp with the purpley flowers of thyme

photo is of my toadflax

[shovetheholly]

Wow, that's gorgeous gatekeeper

Just a heads up that Corsican Mint is current in at Secret Gardeners' Club - 3 plants for a fiver I think.

[Gatekeeper]

shovetheholly it's humming with tiny little bees on a sunny day. I love siting out and watching and listening to them- very relaxing with a nice glass of something

[crankyagnes]

Gatekeeper - that sounds and looks lovely

I heard about the Secret Gardeners' Club on another thread, which I've been lurking on for ages, I really should join.

[Gatekeeper]

secret gardeners club??? is this on mumsnet?

[shovetheholly]

No, it's here: www.secretgardeningclub.co.uk/

[shovetheholly]

Ooop, posted too soon (on DH's laptop and can't use it at all). It's brilliant. I got the annual membership (£10) and it's paid for itself many times over. The thing I love about it is that plants tend to be sold there in 3s for around £5-6 delivered, so you get a nice clump's worth for CHEAP!