Gardening: 7 DIY steps to pave a beautiful garden path!

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Those of you who have the experiences of walking through the hedge mazes of Longleat, Villa Pisani Labirinto or any of the similar labyrinthine garden ways will know the enormous fun associated with it. But at length the heart longs to solve the riddle and the mind starts searching for the destination. 

It is much like life itself where all of us have gone through the experience of losing the sight of our life’s path at some point of time or the other. At length it turns out to be such a tumultuous experience and transformative too. We are forced to look at life from many different perspectives before breaking away from our old habits and emerging as a new person walking down a brand new path.

Sometime back we have shared few tips about how best to decorate your garden with appropriate shrubs and trees. Today, we will learn how to create a scenic walkway befitting our garden and what are the various styles to look for.

Choosing the right type of garden path

Like every other aspect of your home, a plethora of alternative is available to build a garden path with. Which one of these should you opt for while designing a winding alley in your garden? This largely depends on the size of your garden, the décor of your home, your budget, location of the house and the climate of the area. You can use a combination of styles to decorate your garden – such as decorative bricks closer to the building and grassy path a little further away. Let us discuss the available options then.

Gravel path

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Gravel paths were permanent features of the period homes. Japanese landscape designers use white gravel to decorate parts of the garden designed by them. It is also the preferred material for driveways. A potpourri of all sorts of stone called pea shingle can be used to decorate the garden path. Using colourful tumbled stones, though pricier, will enhance the beauty of your garden. Gravels disperse fast, so you will have to be diligent to put the stone in correct order. Besides, make sure your beautiful gravel path does not get spoiled by under growing weeds or accumulating dust.

Dry laid pavers

Because of their sheer variety, dry laid pavers can be used to create strikingly beautiful garden paths. Dry laid pavers can be easily removed and reinstalled which prove to be another great feature of this type of path. Since you are going to use gravel or sand to dry lay the stones or pavers you need to be extra cautious of the moisture content of the ground. Areas which experience heavy rainfall would do well to limit the use to the shaded areas or the run off areas only. Alternatively, you can use elaborate drainage system under the bedding to ensure prompt removal of any additional moisture.

Mortared path

In the construction industry mortars enjoy a widespread use. It is a compound enjoying more than 2000 years of uninterrupted utilisation. Using roughly shaped stones to lay your mortared garden path is going to give your house such beautiful country like feel. On the other hand, by using more regular shapes and high quality stones you can create a stylish pathway to suit your modern house and manicured garden

However, using mortared or cement bound bedding is built to last so any alterations would require complete demolition of the garden path before building anew. CP Paisagismo used a variety of materials to pave a charming garden path one section of which happens to be mortared. 

Wooden walkway

Wooden decks and paths are becoming popular by the day. Cedar, juniper, douglar fir or black locust can used to create a garden walkway. Reclaimed or pressure treated wood are less expensive options and easily available but lacks in durability as opposed to high quality original wood. Wooden path is soft, friendly for the feet and produces stellar results. But being an expensive option it is generally used in short walks or specific areas only. This will require some looking after periodically to keep it shielded from the elements of nature.

Mulch

Creating a mulch path would be a good choice for your garden for a variety of reasons. Mulching helps to control pests and weeds; maintains soil moisture and nutrients; prevents soil erosion; creates a neat and refined looking garden. Organic mulch is environment friendly and cheap. A variety of soil, wood chips, straw, cocoa bean shells, pine needles etc are used as mulch. Inorganic varieties include landscaping fabric, plastic and pebbles. Even such items as cardboard boxes and newspapers are utilised for mulching. With some efforts you can use your own expertise to create a mulch path for your garden.

Green grass

Walking barefoot on the dew soaked grass early in the morning is an experience nearly all urbanites have started to forget. So if you still retain a piece of green landscape why not use soft green tufts of natural grass to create a garden path. Alternatively, you can use grass turfs to create a walkway. However, this is considerably more expensive than the earlier option. True, grassy paths would be muddy in monsoon, but it may still prove to be a worthy choice. 

It is also the most ecologically conscious option that you can consider. It is less labour intensive than other types and only require periodic mowing, pest and weed control. The choice of grass seeds would depend on the weather condition of your region. Some popular choices include fescue, zoysia, bluegrass and ryegrass. Once complete, invite your friends to walk on the path and soak in the beauty of nature.

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