What to Plant Along a Garden Walkway

Shrubs

• Dwarf or pruned shrubs can be used along a walkway to define its lines. Select plants that grow to only 18 inches at their tallest to keep them from overpowering the walkway. Always check the recommended spacing for shrubs and plant them accordingly so they do not crowd the path and remain neat. Shrubs that produce berries provide food for birds and other animals during the winter. Ideal shrubs for a walkway include azalea, Japanese barberry, boxwood, holly, dwarf mock orange, spirea, arborvitae, lavender and winterberry.

Ornamental Grass

• Some ornamental grasses are available in dwarf form while others are naturally tall and thin, which means that they take up a limited area. Fescue is one of the best ornamental grasses to use in a walkway border because of its small mounding habit.

Flowers

• Just about any annual flower enhances a walkway. Most grow low to the ground and can be used to lend color to the edge of the path. Consider planting blue ageratum, sunny-colored French marigolds, dwarf zinnias and fiery-colored celosia as well as shade-loving begonias and impatiens. Irises and peonies are tall perennials that, when combined with smaller plants, give the border a vertical feel. Group them at the walkway's ends or in a bend for the greatest effect.

Plants in the Walkway

• Do not leave the cracks in the walkway out of the planting. If you have a stone walkway dotted with crevices, fill them with plants that can absorb foot traffic to soften the hardscape. Even concrete or brick walkways can have some creeping plants planted in spaces between the stones. Woolly thyme will flourish despite foot traffic, as will most thyme varieties. You can also use creeping plants, like brass buttons and blue star creeper.