CRAZY PAYING.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20090, 20 November 1930, Page 4

CRAZY PAYING.

MARKED POPULARITY. HOW IT is .MA UK. It is not known who invented crwsy paving for garden paths, hut it is safe t j say that this form of path material is the most popular to-dny, » British authority status. There are several reasons for its popularity. When properly laid, flat piec&s of stone fixed fairly close together afford a clean, dry surface for paths, The cracks between the pieces of ' stone make a home I'or mosses, sedums and tiny rock plants, which give the'path a charming informality. A crazy pathway also puts Ut economical use the broken pieces of flagstone left over from building operations. There are several mistakes to be avoided in making a crazy pavement. On a sandy soil, it may be desirable to lay the pieces 01 stonn directly into the soil, buL most gardens have a wet clay soil, and the ' fairway" for crazy paving needs to be mads by using a layer of ashes or similar mnterial about three inches thick. Sand is one of the best substances for securing ail even surface. When extensive areas of crazy paving aro to be laid, it is advisable to call in nn expert Nothing is more disappointing than a badly laid crazy path. 1 saw an example the other liny, whete the paths and terrace around the house were made of crazy paving. Two kinds of stone had been used, one with n few seasons of weathering, urn} the result was that every other piece of stone had crumbled, giving a treacherous and unsightly walking surface. A normal path of a width of four feet should have, a slight caml>er in the centre of about two inches, just sufficient to prevent stagnant pools of water. It may be necessary, after the path has been laid, to adjust several pieces ol stono. Kven experts are unable to estimate local subsidence, hut too much emphasis cannot be laid upon the necessity of careful preparation for the site of the proposed path. Try, in lnyirig paths of all descriptions, to make them wide enough for : two people to walk abreast This ig I not always possible, jind where the crazy paving is used in the form of stepping stones across a grass lawn, there is no nee<! for this width. In planting a crazy pavement, it is not necessary to plant too thickly. Odd bits of thyme, rock pinks, etc., placed here and there near the edges of the path give just the right touch of plant life necessary to produce a pleasing result. Tho kind of stou >.! uoecl tor cniay waving will vary according to the district. There is a wide choice of colours. Assuming that the average thickness is two incln'S, one ton >■. 11 cover eight tn ten square yards. Ii it is a thinner stone of one inch and a half, a ton would cover ten to twelve square yards. A move formal type of paving, known ns Random wr.iare, so laid that tho- edges aro straight, is a variation of the crazy paving which is more J-'.uiti'i! tn t?ic formal