We've only been in this house for a year, we renovated an 100+ yo colonial. The yard was paved with rough stones which gave me very little room for plants and wasn't easy to clean after our 3 dogs. So, they just completed building planter beds with the stones and using concrete for the paths. I'm going to start with a blank slate this week as far as plants. Well, I do have a small area of heliconia that seems to have survived all the dust and debris. They are even blooming!