Paths and walkways through lawns, gardens, and wooded areas provide inviting access, and may enhance the overall design of your yard and garden. The layout and materials of a walkway should co-ordinate with the shape of the land and existing plantings to produce an impression of beauty and serenity.

Wide Walkway Of Square Stones

Pathways should be designed in width, shape and paving material to contribute to the layout of your lawn or garden. Every walkway should have a destination and a logic to its design. Walkways without purpose will appear artificial and out of place. However, a path should be more than just a way to get from one place to another. The shape of the path, the paving materials used, and edge plantings all have an effect on the garden or wooded areas through which they pass. Curving pathways, for example, are more visually interesting and make the surrounding areas appear larger. Paths may direct you to a destination, but also may hide it until the last moment by winding around screen plantings.

Flower Bordered Path Of Reused Sidewalk Stones

When we layed out our small patio area (next to the pond) and path to the garden, we use 12" square patio block with a raised brick design. We spent a bit of time with graph paper trying out various designs and layouts. That's actually the fun part; laying and leveling can be backbreaking work....LOL.

Paths - The Right Width

The width of the path should be suited to its purpose and amount of traffic. The main paths between the street and your house should be 4 to 5 feet to permit 2 people to walk side by side with plenty of room. Secondary paths in lawn and garden areas should be about 3 feet wide; occasional paths can be 2 1/2 feet wide. Again, the rule is that paths should be only as wide as necessary to provide comfortable passage to their destinations.

Curved Walkway Of Split Stone

Paths - Paving Materials

One of the most common and durable paving materials is concrete. A firm foundation for a concrete walkway is very important. Wire mesh laid on the ground before pouring will become imbedded in the concrete, and will serve as insurance against major cracks.

Patterns executed in common brick can transform an otherwise plain garden into an exciting and vibrant rush of design and color.

Common Brick In A Herringbone Pattern

Bricks come in many sizes and colors and can be used in walkways, as well as in walls and house facings. Simulated used bricks are now also available at lower cost. However, bricks should not be used in areas of high traffic, unless they are mortared together and cleaned regularly in wet climates. Otherwise, moss may grow in the cracks and on the surface, making the path slippery and dangerous when wet.

Natural rock flagstones are quite attractive but rather expensive, due to high transport costs. Their colors range from tan to blue and gray, and they are available in thicknesses of 1/2 inch to 4 inches. Keep in mind that very colorful flagstones may take attention away from garden features Flagstones should be flush with any grass border. Lower stones will acumulate water; higher stones will interfere with the lawn mower. If the walkway is trimmed with plants, you may set the flagstones about an inch higher than the bottom of the plants to prevent soil runoff onto the path surface during rainstorms.

Walkway Constructed From Railroad Ties

Redwood is one of the most durable woods for walkways, and it is particularly effective in raised walkways through wet areas. Railroad ties add a rustic element to walkways. They can be spaced apart from each other, permitting ground cover to row between them.

Paths - Installing

All materials discussed above - except concrete - can be laid in the same manner. On unstable soils, it is best to excavate to a depth of about 7 or 8 inches, and fill the hole halfway with coarse aggregate rock. Stamp or press it down firmly to pack the rock as much as possible. On relatively stable soils, it may only be necessary to excavate to a depth of 4 inches. In either case, you should add 1 1/4 to 2 inches of sand to serve as a foundation and to aid in positiong and leveling the pavers you have chosen to use.

A Granite Block Pathway

If you plan to lay the pavers, you will need a garden or masonry trowel, a line to stretch across the walk (with a line level), a small surface level, a small ruler, a mallet, and a block of wood. Use the trowel for adjusting the amount of sand under each block until it is positioned as needed. Tap the paver with the mallet and block of wood until the paver reaches the proper level and orientation.

Use the line to guide positioning of each block so that it is even with its neighbors, creating the appropriate gradient for drainage. Attach the line to a stake at about 6 inches above the ground on one side, then stretch it across the walkway, leveling it with the line level at the appropriate marking on the ruler to define the desired slope. For a walkway, this slope should be 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch for 4 feet of walkway width. For terraces, allow about 3/4 nch for each 39 inches of width.

Use the surface level to maintain a smooth surface from one brick to another. If the paver is too high, remove some sand with the trowel from underneath until the correct height is achieved. When you are satisfied with the way it is positioned, place the piece of wood on the paver and tap it firmly with the mallet. After the pavers have all been laid, sweep dry sand over the surface until all the cracks have been filled, then water it down until the sand is wet to assure a firm and even set of pavers.

The Roman-style pattern is attractive only when the pavers can be adjusted to completely fill the walkway area. No space should be left in the margins, or the random effect will be disrupted. Neither should the pavers be laod so that the spaces form a complete cross. The spaces may be aligned for 3 or 4 pavers, but longer runs, or spaces forming complete crosses, also disrupt the random effect.

Using gravel as a paving material is inexpensive, but good site preparation is essential to create a desirable walkway with these materials. First, prepare a bed for the gravel by excavating to a depth of at least 6 inches. Then spread 1 to 2 inches of larger stones or brick chips on the bottom of the hole. Tamp this layer harder at the edges that in the middle to establish a slight curvature from the middle. This curvature will be followed by the top materials to facilitate drainage of water from the middle of the path. Next, fill with an inch or 2 of clayey soil mixed with finer gravel. Tamp this down and water it well to settle the clay around the stones, and tamp it again.

Lastly, you can add a thin top layer of gravel, and then tamp or roll it, being careful to maintain the curvature from the middle toward the sides. This procedure will ensure that future settling of the gravel will be minimal, and it will direct the water to run along the sides of the path, leaving the center relatively dry to walk on.

Least Expensive Is A Bark Mulch or Grass Pathway

Grass or bark mulch are the least expensive materials. The raw material (grass) is already available from the lawn, or the erea can be sown for pennies per foot of walkway. Grass paths are particularly useful for light foot traffic and are easy to maintain in areas with more than 25 inches of rainfall annually. Bark mulch laid to a depth of 4 inches can be quite attractive; it is ideal for naturalistic or woodland settings.

Last Updated February 20, 2002