Photo - Flagstone with Decomposed Granite

There are several different materials to use with flagstone:

ground cover such as dymondia or creeping thyme,

pebbles, grout or decoosed granite (DG).

Photo by Doug Kalal, taken at a client's garden in Normal Heights

Photo - Red Kangaroo Paw (Anigozanthos flavidus)

This variety of Kangaroo Paw is called

'Big Roo Red'.  All of the Big Roo's reach 6 feet tall.

Kangaroo Paws are terrific drought tolerant and cut flower plants.

It is important that they have full to part sun and well draining soil.

Always plant your Kangaroo Paw so that the the root crown

(where the roots meet the leaves) is at least 2 inches above the soil,

and then add mulch for those last 2 inches.  That way water can't collect

around the root crown which can lead to disease.

Photo by Doug Kalal, taken at a client's garden in Tierrasanta

Photo - Monarch Stone (Antique European Flagstone)

Monarch Stone (Antique European Flagstone) are

large pieces of concrete with an integrated color. 

They come in both square and rectangular pieces. 

 Antique European Flagstone comes in 5 different colors;

Bristol, Adagio, Yorkshire, Windsor Hills and Roma.

For more information, here are the web pages for both

KRC Rock and Monarch Stone (Coronado Stone).

http://www.coronado.com/
http://www.krcrock.com/uploads/customer_forms/Monarch_Stone_.pdf

Photos provided by Monarch Stone

Garden Elements - Antique European Flagstone (Monarch Stone)

             There are many different types of materials to use in creating a patio.  Among the materials featured in this blog are; Pavers, Concrete, Flagstone, Decomposed Granite and Brick.  Add to that list a new type of material that is part paver and part flagstone.  Antique European Flagstone is an architectural paving stone produced by Monarch Stone and sold here in San Diego by KRC Rock. 

            Antique European Flagstones are large pieces of concrete with an integrated color.  They come in both square (20” x 30”) and rectangular (20” x 30”) pieces.  Each piece is roughly 1 ½ inches thick. Antique European Flagstone comes in 5 different colors; Bristol, Adagio, Yorkshire, Windsor Hills and Roma.  One of the unique features of this material is that the flagstone has been created by making molds of centuries-old streets in London. 

Horse hooves, carriages and hundreds of years of wear have made their impressions on the original streets.  That old world feel has been brought into each Antique European Flagstone piece.

At KRC Rock you can buy Antique European Flagstone by the piece or by the pallet.  One pallet has 44 pieces and will cover 150 to 170 square feet.  Each pallet costs roughly $700.  The cost per square foot of the material is about $4 which makes it a little more expensive than some of the standard flagstones such as Arizona Buff.  However, because of the shape of Antique European Flagstone, it is a much easier material to install than regular flagstone.  Antique European Flagstone can be installed in a similar fashion to either pavers or flagstone in that sand or mortar can be used in between the pieces.  Because of this flexibility, Antique European Flagstone generally costs about $15 to $20 per square foot for a contractor to install them.  For more information, here are the web pages for both KRC Rock and Monarch Stone (Coronado Stone).

http://www.krcrock.com/uploads/customer_forms/Monarch_Stone_.pdf

http://www.coronado.com/

http://www.krcrock.com/ecom/index.phpmain_page=product_info&cPath=41_89_96_104&products_id=4422

Photos provided by Monarch Stone

Photo - Hummingbird and Chiapas Sage

Hummingbirds love all different types of Salvias. 

The long tubular flowers and bright colors are just what

these fun birds are searching for.  This plant in this photo is

Chiapas Sage (Salvia Chipensis), a native of Mexico.

This wonderful perennial blooms all year around

here on the coast of San Diego.

Photo by Doug Kalal, taken at a client's garden in Point Loma

Photo - Grandiflora Rose 'Rock N' Roll'

Photo by Doug Kalal

Photo - Grandiflora Rose 'Bronze Star'

This rose is very disease resistant and easy to grow.

Photo by Doug Kalal

Photo - Container Patio Garden

This was my garden at the 2009 San Diego County Fair.

It was a cute little container patio garden with lots of hummingbird

plants such as Hot Lips Sage, Penstemmon and Butterfly Bush.

The bistro set is sitting on top of Flagstone and Dymondia.

Photo by Doug Kalal

50,000 Pageviews

Thank you loyal readers! Today my blog passed the 50,000 page view mark in just 10 months of publication.  Keep following my blog and I will keep churning out the photos, tips and stories about gardening here in San Diego.  Feel free to send me your ideas about what you would like to see in this blog by clicking on the comment section below this post.

Photo - Stamped Concrete with Mexican Tile

Although it looks like tile, this is actually stamped concrete

with an integrated color.  The contractor then grouted the

expansion joints to further the illusion that tile was used

to create these stairs.  Real Mexican tile was added

to the face of the stairs to complete the look. 

These stairs were built by Nature Designs Landscaping

and here is their webpage;

http://naturedesigns.net/

Photo by Doug Kalal, taken at a client's house in Rancho Bernardo