Rip out tiles, plant in greenery: how to turn a paved front garden green

From grey to green: why tiles need to go

A completely paved front garden looks superficially tidy, but absorbs zero water, offers insects nothing, and turns your front into a summer heat island. Not to mention dull. A front garden with a mix of plants, soil and structure is greener, more fun and more practical.

Good news: removing tiles is simpler than you think, and under those tiles is usually decent garden soil. With the right approach you can have tiles out in one day and first plants in after three.

What you'll need

Tools:

• Chisels and hammer (loosen tiles)
• Spade, shovel (work soil)
• Gloves, goggles
• Optional: electric tile cutter (hire cheaper than buy)

Materials:

• New garden soil/compost (volume of tile area x 10 cm depth)
• Mulch or wood chips (optional but stops weeds)

Step 1: How much needs to go?

You don't have to remove everything. Strategic is better:

• Front entrance stay tiled? Tiles round the front door can stay for practical reasons (dry entry, wheelchair access). Make a nice green border round them.
• Half green, half tiles? Many homes look better with 40-50% tile (parking strip, solid path) and 50-60% planting.
• Striped pattern: Instead of all tiles going, make a pattern of tile paths and planting rectangles. Handy and good-looking.

Step 2: Remove the tiles

Grout (sand between tiles) loosen first with chisel. Easier than you'd think.

Tiles themselves lever up with spade or chisel. They break sometimes — accept it.

Sand layer underneath can usually stay, but remove loose gravel.

Poor tiling? (soggy underneath) loosen with spade, replace waterlogged soil.

Concrete base? This is hard. Either break it (lots of work) or plant through it by cutting holes (then water well).

Step 3: Prepare the soil

After tiles out, you'll probably find:

• Hard, compacted earth
• Silt, sand, rubble bits

Dig it over:

• Spade 25-30 cm deep (bed depth, roots need room).
• Loosen compacted layers, remove rubble.
• Work in compost (20-30% by volume).

No time for digging? Then loose compost layer (10 cm) on top and plant into it. Works too, but roots grow faster in worked soil.

Step 4: Plant combinations for paved gardens

Lots of tiles = often little water, full sun, poor soil. So: drought-tolerant plants first.

Anchor plants (shrubs, statement grasses):

• Buxus sempervirens 'Green Velvet' (box, 60-100 cm, shapeable) — classic, solid.
• Ilex aquifolium (holly, red berries, 150 cm) — hard as nails, glossy.
• Viburnum opulus 'Roseum' (snowball, white flowers May, 200 cm) — neat, no berries.

Low ground cover:

• Geranium sanguineum (bloody cranesbill, pink, May-July, 40 cm) — long bloom, juicy green.
• Bergenia crassifolia (bergenia, pink May, 50 cm) — big leaves, winter red.
• Sempervivum (houseleek, succulent, many colours, 10 cm) — zero fuss.

Low bloomers:

• Heuchera (coral bells, lilac flowers, 40-60 cm) — coloured foliage all year.
• Helleborus niger (Christmas rose, white December-March, 40 cm) — blooms when nothing else does.
• Saxifraga (saxifrage, white or pink, May, 30 cm) — delicate.

For spring sparkle:

• Tulipa (tulips, May, 40-60 cm) — plant autumn.
• Allium (ornamental onion, purple, May-June, 50-80 cm) — insects love it.

For autumn glory:

• Aster novi-belgii (New York aster, purple-pink, September-October, 60-100 cm).
• Chrysanthemum (mum, yellow-red-white, October-November, 50-80 cm).

Ornamental grasses for structure:

• Festuca glauca (blue fescue, grey-blue, 30 cm) — compact, pretty.
• Stipa tenuissima (Mexican feather grass, golden-blonde, 60 cm, sways beautifully).

Step 5: Plant and spacing

Distance:

• Small ground cover: 30 cm apart.
• Medium perennials: 50-60 cm.
• Shrubs: 75-100 cm.

Mulch: Thin layer of wood chips or leaf mould over (5 cm). Helps against weeds and water retention. Optional but highly recommended.

Water: First month after planting water regularly (every 3-4 days if no rain). Then less — these plants are drought-tough.

Practical tips

Recycle the tiles:

• Free donations to community reuse centres.
• Or: make a path through (functional + practical).

Phase it: Don't do it all at once. Week 1 left side tiles out, week 2 right side, week 3 plant. Less exhausting and you have time to plan.

Contours: Don't plant in rows. Organic groups of 3-5 plants (triangular, comma-shaped) look more natural.

Weeds: Lots of them first summer. Mulch helps hugely. Hand-weed the first year.

Why it's worth it

• Better for rainwater: soil absorbs, no puddles on street.
• Insects: bees, butterflies, beetles need you.
• Temperature: lots of green cools the front (no heat-reflecting tiles).
• Appeal: green front garden gets more compliments than tiles.

Frequently asked questions

How much does greening a front garden cost?

Tiles free to remove (donate). New soil: 200-400 euros depending on size. Plants: 100-300 euros for 15-20 plants. Total: 300-700 euros for an average front. Much cheaper than re-tiling.

Can I plant straight after removing tiles?

Yes, but ideally wait 1-2 weeks so compacted soil can breathe. Practically speaking you can do it immediately, with good watering.

What if the garden is very shady?

Plant hostas, helleborus, brunnera and hardy ferns. Less flower colour, but foliage is beautiful. Much quieter aesthetically.

Weeds under the tiles?

Usually not a problem — tiles suppressed it. Previous weeds disappear quickly with light and water.

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