Hygiene

I like to have mounds of foliage that blend together and hide the gaps between the planters. In this tropical weather however, the mixture of leaves and dirt that accumulate on the terrace floor, probably encouraged by the time-release fertilizer leaching from the pots, becomes a greasy black algea that is difficult to wash off and in some spots looks to have permanently discolored the tile.

I have learned:
1. Keep the pots raised with at least 1/4" breathing room underneath.
2. Every few months, mix up as 1 cup bleach to a gal. of water and bathe the tile with the solution.


FYI:
All Persian gardens, from the ancient to the high classical were developed in opposition to the harsh and arid landscape of the Iranian Plateau. Unlike historical European gardens, which seemed carved or re-ordered from within their existing landscape, Persian gardens appeared as impossibilities. Their ethereal and delicate qualities emphasized their intrinsic contrast to the hostile environment.

Rather like the modern terrace garden.

 *Read me