Down The Garden Path

Walkway design is one of the most important – and often overlooked – elements of a successful landscape.

At its best, a garden path will gently guide the visitor to the final destination, while providing a visual tour of the best your landscape has to offer. At its most functional, the path leading to your front door will offer visitors the shortest distance between two points while providing a transition zone from public to private space. It will also help create their first impression of you and your home.

Here are a few design tips to keep you on the straight and narrow when choosing materials for your walkway:

• When designing a walkway, keep function in mind. For example, if your garden is a place for children, wide walkways with a hard surface for playing ball and riding trikes might be a good choice.
• Use walkways to highlight a focal point in your garden – a pond area, a pocket patio or a dramatic piece of lawn sculpture. However, try and avoid a bowling alley path which gives a clear view of what lies ahead. Instead, create a path that meanders, with slight twists and turns, before revealing the prize at the end.
• Garden paths should be wide enough – usually four feet as a minimum – to allow for some encroachment by any shrubs and plantings lining the walkway.
• Front walkways should be simple and functional, to discourage delivery people from creating their own paths.
• Consider safety when choosing the materials for your path. Smooth stone might look wonderful, but become slippery with ice and rain. Similarly, while rustic cobblestones are fine for a garden path, the uneven surface is not safe for the entrance to your home.
• For smaller spaces, consider the use of simple stepping stones to create a path. Pressure-treated wood squares, flagstone or interlocking brick, can all form a pleasing path to guide your garden visitors.

Courtesy: Homeservice Club