How to Lay Flagstone in Dirt With Herbs

Plant herbs between flagstones to add fragrance to your strolls.

A garden path or patio of flagstone with herbs growing between the stones is an attractive addition to your landscape. The heady scent of herbs is given off as you walk across the stones adding dimension to the experience. Suitable for both formal and informal gardens, a flagstone and herb combination is an easy feature to install.

Things You'll Need

• Tape measure
• Flagstones
• Stakes
• Rubber mallet
• String
• Shovels: round nose and flat nose
• Water supply
• Tamper
• 1-inch-by-6-inch boards for edging
• Level
• Low-growing herbs such as Roman chamomile, golden marjoram or creeping thyme

Instructions

Plan Your Project

1. 

   Test the layout with sample stones to get the look you want.

   Measure the area you want to cover with flagstones and herbs. Calculate the overall square footage and determine how far apart you want the stones. Plan to place patio flagstones no more than 6 inches apart. For walkways, plan to place stones no farther apart than a comfortable step for the average user, from center to center of each stone.

2. Check with a stone supplier or garden and landscape center to determine the amount of stone you will need based on your plan. Nurseries can help you estimate the square footage of plant coverage you will need as well.

3. Choose plants that will withstand the conditions. They should be low growing and tolerant of being walked on, at least a bit. Walkway plants must be drought tolerant since the stones may prevent a good water supply to the roots. They need to withstand both heat and cold since the stones intensify either condition.

Installation

1. 

   Level the stones by adding or removing dirt.

   Outline the installation area with stakes and level with string. Prepare the ground by digging out all turf and soil to a depth of 4 inches. Keep the dirt available for back filling later. Stake in temporary edging using the 1-inch-by-6-inch boards and make the top level with the ground or not more than 1 inch above it.

2. Dampen the soil, then level and tamp the dirt bed with the tamper. Lay a test stone and check the position by using a long board across the stone and the edging. Raise or lower the stone by adding or removing dirt under it, and tamping. Use the rubber mallet to tap stones level.

3. Continue to lay and level the flagstones, maintaining the planned distance between them. Back fill with leftover dirt brushing it into spaces with a broom and dampening it, and tamping.

4. 

   Plant herbs after the stones are firmly in place.

   Plant herbs between the stones. Water the plants well. Water as recommended by the nursery until the plants are established.

Tips & Warnings

• Get a few flagstones of the size you plan to use and lay them out at your location to decide the best spacing.

• Larger, thicker flagstones will stay in place longer than smaller, thinner pieces.

• Walk around local gardens and parks for ideas on layout and design that you can actually test with your feet.

References

• Pebble Junction: How to Build Patios and Walkways
• Uncommon Scents: Growing Herbs & Spices in Florida; Hank Bruce; 1996
• Low-Growing Plants to Plant Along or in a Walkway