Who says landscape architects never get their hands dirty? That they sit at their computers from the rising of the sun to its sinking in the West dreaming of landscapes, creating plans and never having, say, a pair of pants ruined by getting splashed with uncured concrete. Well, our showcase garden isn’t going to build itself, and it’s easier doing something artistic than telling someone else how you want it done. This is just part of a series where we follow, haphazardly and chaotically, the process of transforming our garden into a sustainable showcase/test garden/art space/fun space/cooking space/edible landscape space/we’ll see what else we can think of space.
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When we tore out the old, rotting deck, we found some really annoying concrete underneath. One slab had settled and lifted, so that it stopped water from running off the original slab, creating a shallow pond that also seemed to attract all kinds of dirt.
A quick trip to the rental store for a jackhammer and the concrete was broken up into handy sized bits, perfect for recycling as stepping stones. Someone coined the term “urbanite” to describe broken up concrete, adding useless jargon to the English language (or the American language, at least). “Urbanite” sounds like something you would need to order from a specialty purveyor, using some arcane and complicated process to ensure that it arrived at your doorstep, when it’s best when reused on site since the carbon footprint is minimized. A piece of concrete manipulated with muscle, sweat and blood is much more sustainable than a piece trucked across several counties and hauled around in a Bobcat. And you’ll be stronger for having made the effort, not to mention that you can test your body’s capacity for healing.
Reusing broken up concrete on site keeps it out of landfills (although it would probably have been crushed for use as road base). It also transforms an impervious patio into pervious gravel and concrete “flagstones”. The stuff can be tinted with Earth-friendly, soy based pigments to make it more interesting.