Great Garden Paths

A garden path should first and foremost take you where you want to go. When paths are not placed where you want to walk they go unused and people take short cuts through the plantings in the area a path should have been placed. This is often damages the plants.

It's unnatural to walk right next to tall walls. A few feet should be placed between most paths and your house, or fence. In addition to making a path feel more comfortable to be on, this gives something to look at when walking on the path.

Beyond their functional value, paths introduce lines into the garden. Our eyes travel the lines of a path. Curves, including a pathway leading around a bend, create interest and can stir curiosity to explore the garden.

The most economical pathway is made of gravel, lined with recycled landscape edging. Decomposed Granite (DG) makes a very firm pathway that minimizes weeds. It comes in both a blue and a brown color. Both function similarly. However, the brown DG is twice the cost of the blue DG. The brown DG will bring a warmer feel to the garden. The blue will feel more formal.

Pathways can also be made of brushed or stamped concrete (most expensive), pavers, flagstone, stepping stones and wood chips (least expensive- see picture on the right).

As you can see from this picture the design of a path is far more important than the cost of the material used to install it. This graceful curving path is inviting. By contrast this concrete path, costing twice as much, is not.