The picture above from a Chinese supplier gives a reasonable range of color possibilities regarding natural stone paving. Having worked with paver-sized, small Granite blocks for the construction of major driveways, I can verify not only how gorgeous they look, finished, but also what a pain to install they could be back when they were not of the more uniform sizes offered now. In this I am comparing, of course, to the ease of formed and exact shapes of prefab interlocking cement pavers.

Well – Good news! These are also now on the market. Perfectly cut and sculpted natural granite and other stone products have emerged as a somewhat major player in the paving game. The advent of technologies where plasma cutters and simply elegant and efficient diamond blade saws are so common has led to yet another gorgeous paving option for driveways, patios, streets, even and walkways. Needless to say, the virtue of stone paving is huge – just look at the endurance and longevity of Europe’s many cobbletstone streets.

This is a refreshing and hopeful development in paving beauty and practicality and one we should all follow closely. It frankly excites me to think I can replicate what the Romans did. Just better!

The picture above illustrates both side of any root barrier’s occasional necessity. Almost all trees tend to root laterally given that the water from rainfall and even the washing of surfaces tends to sit on top of the roots before percolating. Roots are like people. They take the quickest and easiest route to satisfaction, as it were. What we see in the top picture is the result. Nor is that result merely a result of it being a permeable interlocking brick paver set-up. The same events occur in other trees as well, as the picture below indicates.

‘Unintended Circumstances’ are a truism of construction in general. Planning ahead is a far more recent phenomenon, especially regarding landscaping. In the lower picture above, we see the effects of what root barriers can achieve. By orienting the roots downwards from the onset, we become far more assured of an adequate protection at the top. Better irrigation practices, such as pipes embedded to deep water the roots and adequately-timed drip irrigation can also be effective.

An expert on the root barrier issue who I often consult is Ofer El-Hashahar, late of England. His website features recycled plastic edging and barriers, complete with some interesting pictures and information. I recommend anyone to check him out, especially those in the UK, where he is based.

Root barriers are effective and actually somewhat vital if one is concerned with the long term effects of roots in a landscape or street scape. Easy enough to install, they induce easy principles and the trees and plants which grow inside them have little if any complaints. It’s win-win.

This Kerr Lighting Cambridge Paver Light offers what amounts to a sort of landscape lighting solution to driveways and walkways constructed out of brick pavers. Inserted into the overall formation of the driveway, these 7 Watt lights last a long time and give a most certain security to night driving and locating the edge of things in general. For walkways, their mild glow emits a gorgeous ambiance to the walk, lighting it up just enough to feature itself and the parameters of the walk and providing just enough ambient lighting to feature shrubbery and flowers nearby.

Durable and able to handle automobile and truck traffic, these are all run off a 12 Volt, low voltage system from a transformer which can also switch the lights on and off at the desired times. Elegant as it can be, the broad sweep of a driveway or walkway can be featured in a pleasant and altogether warm and secure manner. Below is a picture of a place we provided this feature. At night it is just stunning. 7 Watts will not overwhelm anyone – in fact, it is the perfect illumination for a soft yet definite demarcation.

(click to enlarge)

Pretty cool stuff. For more product information and for reviews, click here.