Pathway Landscaping Ideas

Wood and Grass Contrast

• A long pathway created from wooden planks slightly elevated off the ground look especially good lined on both sides by a deep green grass. Placing a layer of pebbles beneath the wooden planks keeps weeds from growing beneath it. A lush, well-maintained lawn provides a green contrast to the brown of the planks.

Low-Maintenance Steppingstones

• A pathway of steppingstones can become a relatively maintenance-free zone when surrounded by pea gravel. This material offers absorption of moisture. Add a few maintenance-free plants that don't toss leaves over your pathway each fall. Consider plants like Oregon grape holly and rhododendron.

Lightly Placed Wood Piece Walkway

• Lightly place a series of five or six wood pieces in a row to create a walkway where the wood pieces won't pop out, even after a heavy rain. The loosely placed wood pieces can fill a channel filled with a couple of inches of sand. Use redwood to add a resistance to rotting. Plant either a small bed of flowers or high-growing shrubs on either side of the walkway to create a corridor effect.

Dualistic Walkway

• A pathway leading from a garden to a patio introduces a change of texture as well as elevation. Build a wooden plank walkway beginning at the garden and lead it to the patio. Add two or three concrete steps down onto the patio. A large boulder on one of the steps and container plants occupying terra-cotta pots on the other side of the steps continues the dualism theme.

Railroad Ties and Long Garden Bed

• Line the path with railroad ties the entire length of the walkway. Leave a section of earth between the walkway and the railroad ties and create a long, narrow garden that leads from one end of the pathway to the other.