Thanks, Lynne, I'll go back and check out "steps" and "combinations"--and research more of those plants. My garden book says creeping Jenny will grow down here too. GGG, I hadn't thought of dwarf ruellia's. Those would do really well down here. Do you have pictures of your path on your website? Even if you don't I think I'm going to go look. I haven't looked at your website in a while. Part of the problem is that creeping thyme won't make it through the summers here, so I have to find subsitutes, and the substitues are either higher growing, or so aggressive that they will cover the stone if it's sunk even with the ground. So I'm experimenting with some really thick--3-4"-- stepping stones, not set too deeply. I'm hoping this bit of extra height will give more freedom with plant material. I've seen only a few pictures of anything like this, and even those focused more on the whole view of the garden than the particulars of the path. But it's the only way I can see this sort of path working in Central Florida. I am a bit worried that this sort of path is going to make routine watering and maintenance more difficult though(Will I be able to drag a hose over it? Push a wheelbarrow?) Thanks again to you all for your help. I'm still looking for more pictures, so any of you can think of where I can find some, please let me know. Bill

Gardengal, thank you for that list - I will research your suggestions! To give you a better idea of the sun situation in the area, we have a couple of euonymus shrubs next to the house (in addition to the path, there's a bed about 2.5' deep next to the house) that seem to be doing fine - they are full and not leggy, but they don't grow quickly at all - I don't think we've even trimmed them since we moved in two years ago. There were also some hostas in the bed, but they did TOO well - they were a variety that was much too large for the space so I had to rip them out. The neighbor has a row of boxwoods on their side of the chain link fence, but these are very scraggly and don't look happy at all. Weeds thrive, though! Given that info, would you consider this area bright shade? If so perhaps we'll get lucky with one of your suggestions. I've also read about Corsican mint doing well in shade, so that might be a possibility? Kitasei, luckily the path is large stepping stones with just small cracks between, so I'm not too worried about the slippery aspect. I really just want something that will not require any mowing/trimming and keep the weeds out. If there is a moss that will do that I'm all ears!

I just planted Mentha Requienii around some stepping stones - a very low growing mint that doesn't seem too invasive. Its maybe a half inch tall and has leaves even smaller than Baby's Tears. Has lavender flowers in summer. The root system is not much bigger than the plant above ground so it pulls up easily. But I like Ajuga very much - what a trouble free plant. The bronze and purple leaved varieties really set off the colors of the plants above them. Other people I know grow various thymes and they are beautiful. I also like some of the smaller sedums but they aren't going to take foot traffic.

Thanks everyone:) We're happy that it is more inviting as it's been opened up. The overgrown shrubs needed to go...will likely plant some boxwood later. rob33- yes, it's really that portion under the columns that is crumbly (and crummy) looking. Great point that we should just cover with seasonal planters until we fix/ do some landscaping in the spring. We will also be doing something with our columns to spruce them up.... Seasonal fir planters are just a few weeks away:)....