Ideas for Garden Walkways

Stone

• The type of stone appropriate for a garden path depends on the garden style -- urban, suburban, rural -- and the physical location. Formal cut stone may be more visually suitable for an estate or urban garden, whereas informal fieldstone walkways (rock carpets) have an earthier look; stepping stones are more suitable for a garden with water features. The type of stone largely depends on what is available within your region. For example, in the northeastern Unites States marble, bluestone, goshen schist, and quartzite are locally found, whereas in the midwestern US limestone and dolomitic limestone are available.

Wood

• Wood is useful for creating boardwalks over boggy areas or shallow water, bridges and stairs in a garden. It is also useful for paths over sand at a beach house, free-form ramps from a front or back door to the garden or driveway, and for landings that create a raised patio aside from the main path. Wood is easier to cut than stone so there is more freedom in design and shaping your wooden path. Gordon Hayward, author of "Garden Paths: Inspiring Designs and Practical Projects," points out that wood is generally used to create geometric shapes and can introduce bold or simple, straight, angular, or broadly curving lines to contrast with the natural forms of foliage and rocks in the garden. Pressure-treated wood generally lasts 40 years, but in humid climates it will need to be replaced more often.

Lawn, Brick or Concrete

• Three of the most common and easiest to maintain materials for paths include lawn, brick and concrete. Lawn pathways, though they require mowing, are a living pathway that blends well in most garden spaces. If maintained properly, lawn paths are also fun to walk on barefoot. Brick is earthen in tone, heats nicely in the sun and is generally inviting. It can be arranged in many paved patterns and has been used as pathway material for at least 5,000 years, though modern brick originated in the mid-1800s. Concrete is the most durable, and requires the least maintenance, but it is the least visually appealing.

Loose Materials

• Loose materials create a middle ground between hard features in your garden such as boulders, and soft features such as water. There is a range (hard to soft) of loose materials as well. Hard loose materials include gravel, crushed stone, or other crunchy surfaces like shells. These are easily managed, provide flexibility in placement and come in a variety of colors. Creating a straight-line path of crushed gravel will have a very formal effect compared to a curving path of crushed gravel. Soft loose materials have a more natural effect and blend in with the surrounding environment with less contrast. These include mulch, pine needles, leaves and the Earth itself.