They need to be watered (unless you live in a rainy place where nature does the work for you.) They need to be mowed. Grass block pavers have grass, so they come with the same drawbacks as a turf lawn.Squares of grass beat a shroud of asphalt or concrete every time. You can congratulate yourself on being an earth-friendly person. An asphalt drive absorbs heat and gets hotter than Phoenix in July. Porous pavers keep the air around your driveway cooler, thanks to the magic of transpiration from that grass.The grass and soil in your grow-through pavers will filter out the pollutants, so the water that returns to the earth is clean. Those spots of grass allow rain to seep into the ground, putting it back into aquifers, very important in arid climates where water supply is tight. Grass block pavers recharge groundwater.And because they absorb water, grass block pavers slow down the water that races over pavement in a rainstorm, preventing erosion. Stormwater runoff is caused when rain washes over asphalt or concrete, picks up oil and other road pollutants, and washes the whole toxic soup into rivers, bays, and streams. Grass block pavers reduce stormwater runoff, one of the biggest sources of water pollution.See more of this driveway in Required Reading: Private Gardens of the Bay Area. (You’ll need to water and feed it more, because extremely short grass is fragile.) Pros and Cons Above: Grass block pavers on a Bay area ribbon driveway, succulents and herbs included. If you must have grass block pavers on your patio, choose a paver with tiny cells for the grass and cut the turf so that it’s level with the top of the paver block. Regular pavers spaced so that regular grass grows between them in thin strips are a better choice for patios. “A chair wouldn’t sit level on it,” says Richard Risner, principal at Grounded, a landscape architecture firm in Solana Beach, Calif. Tufts of grass don’t make a good surface for lounging, entertaining or loitering with a drink in your hand. Grass block pavers are better for parking vehicles than for party guests. Where should I not use grass block pavers? Above: Photograph courtesy of Kettelkamp & Kettelkamp.įor patios, a solid surface may be preferable. They’re also good for slopes, where you need to stop erosion. Photograph by Matthew Williams for Gardenista.ĭriveways, parking areas, and walkways are the best surfaces for grass block pavers. Where can I use grass block pavers? Above: Flowering thyme and rosemary grow in Grasscrete concrete pavers on a patio that architect Steven Harris and landscape architect Lucien Rees Roberts built at their precisely detailed weekend retreat on a 50-acre swath of land in upstate New York. They’re a porous, eco-friendly option for driveways and parking areas. They’re made of concrete or recycled plastic with open cells that allow grass to grow through them. Grass block pavers-also known as turf block pavers or grow-through pavers-are an alternative to asphalt, concrete, and traditional pavers. Photograph courtesy of Kettelkamp & Kettelkamp. What are grass block pavers? Above: For more on this driveway with grass block pavers, see Landscape Architect Visit: A Classic Lake Michigan Summer House by Kettelkamp & Kettelkamp. Or you can keep the pavement out of your little piece of paradise by opting for a driveway made of grass block pavers.Īre grass block pavers the right choice for your driveway? Read on for everything you need to know. You can damage it with a driveway, too, especially the typical asphalt or concrete ones. Joni Mitchell wasn’t kidding when she said you could wreck paradise with a parking lot. Icon - Check Mark A check mark for checkbox buttons. Icon - Twitter Twitters brand mark for use in social sharing icons. Icon - Pinterest Pinterests brand mark for use in social sharing icons. flipboard Icon - Instagram Instagrams brand mark for use in social sharing icons. Icon - Facebook Facebooks brand mark for use in social sharing icons. Icon - Email Used to indicate an emai action. Icon - Search Used to indicate a search action. Icon - Zoom In Used to indicate a zoom in action on a map. Icon - Zoom Out Used to indicate a zoom out action on a map. Icon - Location Pin Used to showcase a location on a map. Icon - Dropdown Arrow Used to indicate a dropdown. Icon - Close Used to indicate a close action. Icon - Down Chevron Used to indicate a dropdown. Icon - Message The icon we use to represent an email action. Icon - External Link An icon we use to indicate a button link is external. Icon - Arrow Right An icon we use to indicate a leftwards action. Grass Block Pavers: Everything You Need to Know for a Driveway Icon - Arrow Left An icon we use to indicate a rightwards action.
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