Nick Bailey explains how to use stepping stones on your plot
They’re the ideal solution if you want to walk safely around a soggy garden
With winter in full-swing, getting around the garden becomes more challenging as the turf gets wet and muddy in high-use areas. Well-trodden routes turn into squidgy quagmires and get progressively worse through winter.
One of the easiest solutions for these high-wear highways is to set stepping stones into the turf. They ensure safe passage and provide understated paths through what designers refer to as ‘desire lines’ – in other words, the most common or easy routes around our plots.
Along with their obvious function as a path, stepping stones have other benefits. By following or wrapping around curved or straight beds they serve to enhance the garden’s form. Stepping stones also give a sense of direction or focus and let us know we’re being led somewhere.
Select
Stepping stones can take numerous forms, but essentially they’re slabs of concrete, stone or sometimes wood. Concrete types are available in many colours and shapes.
You’ll also find online and at garden retailers, cast concrete in the form of sliced log rounds – they don’t suit everyone’s taste, but look pretty convincing. Stone slabs are more expensive and generally square or rectangular. Timber rounds also have a great look, but can be slippery and rot over a few years.
Install
Laying stepping stones is one of the easiest and most rewarding bits of hard landscaping. Start by laying out the stepping stones on top of the turf at roughly 50cm (20in) from centre to centre in the desired area, using a string line. Tweak and move the stones, viewing them from all angles until you’re happy they’re perfectly placed. Then use a border spade to cut a 12cm (4¾in) deep slice around the outside edge of the stone. Flip the stone out of the way, lift the turf and excavate down to 12cm (4¾in) or so. Use a 5:1 sand and cement mix to fill the bottom of the hole and tap down the stone. Use a small spirit level as you go to ensure it’s horizontal and sitting around 6mm (½in) below the soil surface. Scrape some of the mortar up to the side of the stone to hold it in place. Finally, let the cement set, followed by filling any remaining gaps around the stone with soil or skinny turf strips.
Maintain
Because stepping stones are set a fraction below the soil level, they can be mowed-over while you’re cutting the rest of the garden. To keep them well defined, simply strim or edge around them every three to four weeks.