'Steppable' plants work for walkways, patios and more

Plants you can walk on are attractive additions to pathways. These low-lying perennials can withstand heavy foot traffic, release pleasant odors when crushed, smother weeds, and cushion your step in the narrow spaces between bricks or flagstones.

"You can use 'steppables' for all kinds of applications," said Kathy Gurnee, owner of Green Thumb Landscaping in Clinton, Wash.

"You can use them as groundcover in lieu of bark," she said. "On patios, pathways, rock walls and crevices. I like them around the bottoms of trees. They're also good for living roofs and living walls. They deliver a beautiful resilience."

Walkables generally are defined as creeping plants that don't exceed 12 inches in height, said John Schroeder, president of Valleybrook International Ventures Inc., a family-owned horticultural operation in Abbotsford, British Columbia. The company's line of "Jeepers Creepers" includes around 100 varieties of low-to-the-ground herbs, mints, evergreens, ivy, moss and more.

"I like them for lawn repair or replacement," he said, adding that he stripped 900 square feet of turf grass from his own front yard and replaced it with creeping mazus, a dense, ground-hugging plant.

"It's just a gorgeous lawn application," Schroeder said. "I set out some 1-inch plugs at 12-inch spacings in September, and by July, they were one solid mass.

"They give me an inch-thick, lawn-like cover with purple flowers for a few weeks out of the year and no more mowing. Just some trimming and weeding around the edges."

Many walkable plants are drought-resistant, while others perform well in shade, on hard-to-maintain slopes, covering bulb gardens, spilling from containers or protecting high-use areas.

A sampling:

For areas with moderate to heavy foot traffic: Corsican sandwort has moss-like foliage with white flowers in spring. Does well in damp, dry or shaded settings. Celestial spice pratia has tiny green leaves covered by deep blue flowers all summer.

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'Steppable' plants work for walkways, patios and more