A garden is not complete without paths and walkways. Paths define a garden as more than a bed of plants and flowers; they provide a sense of a destination, bringing the garden to life.
Walkways let you work in your beds without crushing plants underfoot. They define a garden as formal (straight pathways edged with hedges, trees or uniformly clipped shrubs)... or informal (curving paths meandering through a profusion of flowers).
Suitable materials for walkways are concrete pavers, bluestone, fieldstone, brick and crushed stone.
- Walkways come to life when they are designed with color, whether it is the warm red of brick, the smooth blue/grey of bluestone, or the crunchy underfoot texture of peastone and crushed stone.
- Even in winter, walkways define garden edges and boundaries.
- Crushed stone blends nicely with other stonework in the garden.
- Walkways are enticing when lined with fragrant shrubs and flowers.
- Remember to place a garden bench around the corner or beyond the curve, letting the walker meander down the path and arrive at a destination.
- Long borders in the garden require paths to make them manageable. When you separate your gardens with paths, you can create different color schemes in each.
- Walkways are integral to a garden design for children. Their imaginations are inspired by places to hide and paths meandering through trees and fragrant flowers.
- Try placing clay pots filled with colorful flowers along your walkways to bring color into non-blooming areas.
