The order of the day this weekend was the pre-winter path pressure washing.  Despite the dry summer, the algae had really taken hold on my paths, particularly on the York stone.  The man-made surfaces by the pond and the back door weren’t quite as bad but still needed doing.  Thankfully, the slate patio area can survive a little longer before it needs doing.  Finding a dry weekend when I have nothing else major planned is never easy, but this weekend was absolutely perfect.  For once, the weather forecasters were spot on – lovely warm sunny days, just perfect for the job.

 

Pergola before pressure wash

 

The stone may not look too bad in a photo before the cleaning operation, but I know that as the winter draws it, it will only get worse and venturing out into the garden would not be something for the faint hearted to  attempt.   There is little doubt that the York stone is the most susceptible surface in my garden for algae infestation.  That said, I have never regretted choosing it for my garden.  When clean, it is the most beautiful warm coloured stone and it looks wonderful beside the plants.

 

Pergola after pressure wash

 

One of the lovely things about having clean paths is that the lichen reappear from under the algae covering.  It is interesting to see that they see to prefer the more shaded areas of the garden, and that even then, some pieces of stone are more favoured than others.  There are virtually no lichen on the man made surfaces, but plenty on the York stone.

 

Lichen on the York stone path

 

One of the things that I love about the Lichen is that they give the stone character.  It has been laid for over ten years now and now is finally becoming home to a fairly reasonable colony.