Garden Paths

The suitability of the materials is often the main consideration when deciding what materials to use. A path of mown grass is not suitable for a path which is used every day of the year. Even if the grass is able to withstand the amount of traffic, grass is slippery when wet and the wet will soak through many shoes. If the area where you live gets frost, you can damage frosty grass by stepping on it. Gravel is a better choice for a path which is often used, but you can track gravel into the house ( I know this from personal experience). Bricks or concrete pavers are ideal materials for a path which is often used. Poured concrete can be made more attractive by stamping it with a pattern so that it looks like pavers. Flagstone is expensive and can be slippery when wet, but if you live in an area with lots of rocks, a flagstone path will harmonize perfectly with the environment. A path of stepping stones can be created using stones or concrete pavers.

Grass paths are inexpensive to install, but grass will need to be mowed about every ten days during the summer and it will need to be edged in some way, either by trimming the edges or by installing some sort of edging to separate the grass from planting beds. Mowing strips are a great solution, if they are set flush with the grass, you run one wheel of the lawnmower along the strip and your edging is done.

Gravel paths require less maintenance than mown grass, but gravel paths need to be sprayed with weedkiller a few times during the growing season. This can be tricky if you have plants along the edges of your gravel paths. I allow flowers to seed themselves in my gravel paths, so they are essentially flower beds that I walk through. The effect is charming and romantic, but not low maintenance.

Another important consideration is wheelchair accessibility. Even if you don't know anyone who uses a wheelchair, you should read the article that Diana Pederson has written in Suite 101's Enabling Garden column. This article is entitled Garden Paths for the Disabled.

If there is a slight change of levels, steps add drama to paths. Don't expect visitors to be focused on the path, they will be looking at your

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