Garden Pathway Ideas

Designs

• Design your path with landing points along the way, widening these areas enough to accommodate seating for pausing to enjoy the plantings. For additional stimulation, add elements such as a bird bath or garden sculpture. Aiming the path toward an interesting destination such as a gazebo or dramatic water feature rewards your guests at the end of their stroll. Include lighting to illuminate the walk at night and to spotlight some of your standout plants and garden elements.

Surface Materials

• With the wide array of surface materials available for paths, it helps to choose an option that coordinates with the theme of your garden and other elements already present. Brick and uniform pavers work well in formal and streamlined gardens, while loose materials such as gravel and mulch suit more-casual venues. Natural stone can be dressed up or down with the material you use to fill in the gaps between the stones. If the path is intended to stand out, colorful, visually intriguing patterns of rocks, pebbles or smooth glass will draw more attention than the surrounding plantings.

Entrances

• Adding an architectural feature to the beginning of your pathway clearly marks the entrance while enticing guests into your garden. A trellis arch serves double duty as an entrance marker and support structure for climbing vines such as roses and clematis. A gate may be more appropriate for entrances right off the street, and to keep pets from entering. For a quick, simple marker, place large decorative containers on either side of the pathway entrance.

Plantings

• Adding plantings alongside your walkway softens any hard edges of your surface material while providing a barrier between the walkway and other, delicate plants. Choose ornamental grasses or tough plants such as Japanese spurge that can withstand trampling when guests step off the path. Installing ground-cover plants in the spaces between pavers cushions the walk. Flowering ground covers such as blue star creeper and several thyme varieties hold up well to foot traffic while adding color to your pathway.