craigslist in your area lists free bricks, and if you keep an eye on it, from time to time, i bet someone will have pavers. http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/zip/ http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/zip/2418781475.html Also, agree, that you can make your own with concrete mix and have some fun with it. Is your pathway in sun or shade or both? I have used wood chips on mine, and love the look of it. I have three such pathways. Now, as for walkability, that would be a personal preference. If it gets a lot of use, pavers or concrete stones that you make are the best bet. If light traffic, thyme is a great idea, as well as several other plants. Someone has even made a business of this: http://www.stepables.com/ Have fun with this project! I bet it will look great when you are done. :-)

Hi, I think I'll jump in here again. I have extensive experience with concrete hot tub/swimming pool building, maintainance and service. Just think of them as extra large planters... Amaretto and MMW were correct in what they posted. High PH problems can be corrected by addition of acid. If you choose to test PH with widely available strips, please do some things first to get accurate results. 1) Make sure the strips are fresh. Check the expiration date. Large stores that get big quantities can and do sell outdated stuff from the previous season. 2) Get a water sample from as deep as you can in your pond or whatever. If you just dip the strip onto the surface water your results will probably be off. The surface of the water is where a lot of chemical reactions are going on with the air and sunlight. Dip a bottle in upside down and tip upright while underwater. Let fill and then bring out. You'll have more consistent results and be able to more accurately change the water chemistry. This also applies to swimming pools too. Not getting an accurate sample was the customers biggest water quality problem when using strips. 3) Know (as close as you can) how many gallons of water you're dealing with. Don't guesstimate. This will help keep your waters chemical levels in the proper range and you'll also save money on anything you need to add. 4) ALWAYS add acid to water NEVER add water to acid !! Concrete is 98% cured at 30 days and the PH will be more stable after that amount of curing. PH is important in swimming pools for the sanitizer (chlorine or bromine) to work optimally and bather comfort. Too high or low of PH causes itchy skin and other problems. This is an issue that some people say is important and others say it's not that important for fish and/or plants. I'd hate to make an investment in a bunch of expensive fish and have them go belly up though. But they also are able to live in a wide variety of conditions with little problem in nature. Go to other forums on plants and fish and ask people who are more knowledgeable about those issues.

Although I have not made plant markers I beleive they would be easy to make and look more natural than traditional markers. I would use a very fine mix, so that the detail of the letters would show up clearly. As with most hypetufa projects - some work and some don't - just try it and see if it works.

Thyme, I had to smile when I saw the word peaceful, right behind the fence in the first picture is a 4 lane highway. But you know after living here for 45 years we're used to the traffic noise. I love to go sit up by that little pool late at night with a cup of coffee, the traffic has usually died down by then and you can here the other night sounds. That little bench is situated between two small beds, there's a gravel path in front of them which runs from my pergola to the enclosed area where the first picture was taken, on the other side of this path is a longish perennial bed. This section of my garden is behind the garden shed seen in the second picture. I'm still scratching my head over what I'm going to do with this whole section, I want to keep a lot of the plants but the two smaller beds are being dug several time over the next couple of years to get rid of the cursed couch grass. The long bed isn't bad so hopefully will get that done in the fall. I wish I had a magic wand to wave but I can't seem to find one. Me thinks a lot of constructive staring will be done before the my light bulb comes on. I think climate change has a lot to do with the browning of my saucer magnolia blooms, just when they start to open we get some heavy frosts and then rain, rain, rain. Our springs have changed drastically from what they were when we first moved here. On the other hand my stellata magnolia that has grown into a small tree, blooms a little later and most years it's lovely. Annette