How to Plant a Decorative Spanish Roof-Tile Garden Anywhere With no Digging

Red clay Spanish tiles make garden spaces pop with color.

Spanish roof tiles are as beautiful as they are durable. They can withstand hot as well as cold temperatures -- qualities that make them a good choice year-round. The classic terra-cotta coloring will provide a striking border treatment to define beds for flowers and foliage. You can choose from ceramic, concrete and even tiles fabricated from metal to design your garden space. The tiles can be used to border garden beds in your front yard, backyard, in front of fencing and to add a decorative touch along the side areas of your home.

Things You'll Need

• Landscape spray paint
• Tape measure
• Grass and weed killer (spray or granular)
• Calculator
• Gravel, crushed stone or river rock
• Plants and flowers
• Terra-cotta or enamel containers for plants and flowers
• Paint or polyurethane (optional)

Instructions

1. Examine your property to choose a location for the "no-dig" garden. Choose a location that gets the greatest amount of sunlight, which will accentuate your plantings and make the color of the tiles stand out.

2. Mark off the border for the garden space with landscaper's spray paint. Instead of having a common rectangular border with tiles lined up in straight lines, add interest to the shape by using curves and angles when you create the border.

3. Use the spray-paint outline as your guide to eliminate grass and weeds from the garden area. Apply a grass and weed killer inside the area behind the spray-paint line. Select a spray or granular product, and use it according to the manufacturer's instructions.

4. Add a 4-inch layer of gravel, crushed stones or river rock on top of the former grassy area once the grass and weed killer application process is complete. Use an online calculator to determine how much gravel your project will require. The use of gravel is a very important step in creating a no-dig garden. Gravel provides an additional preventative measure to keep grass and weeds from growing. Stone and gravel are also "aesthetically correct" materials because they are commonly used in gardens in Spain. Select white, gray or black stones to add contrast against the terra-cotta color of the roof tiles.

5. Measure the borderline at the edge of the gravel. Multiply the total inches by 3.25 on your calculator. When you make your tile choice, measure the width of the tile. Divide your total calculation (width multiplied by 3.25) by the width of the tile. Use this calculation to determine how many tiles you will need to purchase.

6. Lay the first row of the roof tiles by starting along the borderline. Place the tiles for the first row so that 6 to 8 inches lays on top of the gravel. This will provide a third layer of defense against grass and weeds. Repeat this process to lay tiles for a second and third row. Overlap tiles for each row by placing the tiles 2 to 3 inches over the edge of the tile above it -- similar to the overlapping technique you see on roofs.

7. Select plantings that will coordinate with your Spanish-tile design. Go for a Spanish garden theme and choose plants native to Spain, such as Spanish bluebells, gladiolus and prickly pear. If you choose to plant your selections in containers, use terra-cotta pots to blend in with the roof tiles, or enamel pots in blues and greens to enhance the Mediterranean garden style.

Tips & Warnings

• Paint the rims of containers or the borders of tiles with shades of azure blue or moss green for a color pop.

• Apply a coating of polyurethane to the tiles to protect them from water damage and to create a shiny, lacquered look.

References

• Roof 101: Spanish Roof Tiles
• Hacienda Home Style: Spanish Garden Design
• San Antonio Botanical Garden: Spanish Courtyard
• Casa Del Herrero: The Gardens
• The Cultural Landscape Foundation: Spanish Colonial Revival (Hispano-Moorish)
• Web Releaf: Indigenous Flowers of Spain

Resources

• Atak Trucking: Gravel Calculator