Plants for Garden Walkways

Herbs

• Kitchen herbs can be a good addition to garden walkway borders. Thyme and catmint are two plants that adapt well as walkway bordering plants. Ornamental thymes, especially wooly thyme (Thymus pseudolanuginosus), form nearly flat branches reaching a mature height between 1 and 3 inches and features wooly, gray leaves and small, mauve, summer blooms. Catmints, especially Walker's low catmint (Nepeta x fassenii 'Walker's Low'), features green leaves, evergreen to temperatures of 15 degrees F with lavender-blue spike-like flowers. It reaches a mature height of about 18 inches with the flower reaching 8 inches. Both wooly thyme and Walker's low catmint fill the garden with fragrant leaves.

Vegetables

• In areas with small yards and no room to create a large vegetable plot, line sidewalks and pathways with vegetable plants. Larry Bass of the North Carolina State University recommends planting broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, collard greens, eggplant and squash along the walkways. Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and collard greens benefit from protection from afternoon sun and thrive in partially shaded areas. Eggplant and squash prefer full sun, requiring a minimum of six hours per day to thrive.

Sedges

• As an alternative to grass, consider planting sedge between the pavers or staggered stones of an informal garden pathway. Woodland sedge plants respond well to foot traffic and spread quickly to cover the area. These grass-like plants remain evergreen and respond well to mowing. Nan Hampton of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center recommends fox sedge (Carex vulpinoidea), Texas sedge (C. texensis), Pennsylvania sedge (C. pensylvanica) and Eastern woodland sedge (C. blanda).

Foot Traffic

• Groundcovers that withstand the people walking on them are another alternative to grass between pavers. Some low-growing plants responding well to heavy foot traffic include brass buttons (Leptinella squalida) and blue star creeper (Pratia pedunculata). Brass buttons form an evergreen carpet of fernlike fronds but can spread and benefits from being blocked by paving materials. Blue star creeper is a semievergreen groundcover with light-blue, star-shaped flowers. For areas with a bit less foot traffic, consider plants that respond well to being lightly trod upon. One suggestion is include beach strawberry (Fragaria chiloensis), which also provides natural erosion control. It features white flowers throughout the spring and produces strawberries in the late summer.