Paving slabs under planters laid directly on soil

Does anyone have any experience of how paving slabs under planters will get along when they are placed directly on the soil?

I stamped and leveled the soil as much as possible before putting the slabs down. The slabs are 45cms x 45cms. I have them in a row with long, heavy planters on them.

I've since had it said that they should've had at least sand or gravel underneath. But it's too late for that now.

I guess if they do go out of shape then I can work to address the slabs individually at that point somehow (such as fulcroming them up and shoving sand underneath).

 

If you compacted the soil well before laying the slabs, they should be fine @Cardiff Garden. The important thing (for me anyway!) is that the planters are level. If not, this becomes a visual disturbance . It may be easier to just adjust your planters with some levelling material like a small stone or a piece of garden cane if the paving slabs move.

 

I've done exactly the same. There is an area at the side of my shed where I wanted to put a few pots but I didn't want to just sit them on the grass.

So I cut a rectangular section of the turf with a spade and lifted the turf up. Then I just added a bit more soil, compacted and levelled it and added my paving on top. No sand, aggregate or cement, just compacted soil underneath.

My planters aren't that big or heavy and so the paving has remained level. And surprisingly I've had very little growth in the form of grass or weeds coming up in-between them either.

 

That's pretty much how I've done it in my front garden. Just cut away the turf and stamped on the soil and tried to level it all out and paved on top of that. We'll see how it goes over the next year or two.

I have a spare planted left over and I'm thinking of using it in my back garden, again with slabs underneath. I was thinking that maybe the slabs could go on top of the grass? Or do you have to cut the turf away? I guess cutting the turf away and compacting gives you more of a chance of a lasting even surface. Hard to see what's under grass or how level it will be as the grass underneath dies.

 

Thank you. That's my hope. That if there are problem slabs that I will be able to somehow jack them up and pop a stone underneath or something and make do over time with that method.

It could be, for example, that I (or a future owner of my home) wanted to do away with the planters and plant the hedge into the ground instead in that area. Had I used hardcore and cement under the pavers then that would have been a whole other job. I'm happy with what I've done as long as the slabs behave!

You've got me thinking now about how level my planters are : )

 

Not something I've ever done, or wanted to do, for placing a pot there - only for a path, but I would always remove the turf before putting a slab down. Apart from the appearance, it's easier to get it level. You can push a few bits of stone/wood etc to get it right if you don't want to mortar it in place.
Not having them level would drive me nuts!