Paths lead to something special
Few elements of landscape design add as much function and allure as a garden path. Whether a straight path of least resistance or a curvilinear trail, formal or informal, hard or soft underfoot, a path leads us on.
The best paths extend invitations to garden destinations: a fountain, a sculpture, a bench, a view.
“Creating a path with a destination in the garden — that’s fantastic. It can be as simple as a bench — a place to go, stop and enjoy the space,” said Rachael Shuler. She holds a landscape horticulture design degree from Colorado State University and manages the design team at Environmental Designs in Brighton.
“People often get restricted to just their patio, but a path pulls you out there where you can enjoy the garden more,” said Shuler.
Over the past 12 years, she’s worked on footpaths leading to hammocks, raised vegetable beds, beehives or chicken coops.
“Another great destination is a viewing area,” Shuler said. “If you have a view from your yard, but not from the house, you can create a path to the view. It’s very inviting.”
A path’s obvious purpose is to provide a route from one place to another. Yet sometimes paths cater more to the eyes than the feet. And a path’s form needn’t always follow function.
“A lot is visual. Paths break up a space or make it more dynamic. We occasionally design a path that is not used just to create some interest. We might add slate stepping-stones flowing through a garden. You could walk on them, but they’re not necessarily to get people from the street to the gate,” Shuler said.
“A lot of times, a xeric garden involves eliminating turf, and you don’t want to end up with a sea of rock or mulch. A path adds another element,” she said. “At home, I have meandering path from my patio to my veggie garden. It’s red flagstone stepping-stones, and I like the way it looks, but I still walk through the grass sometimes.”
Paths can be made from a variety of materials soft as wood mulch, hard as stamped concrete, natural or manufactured. Hard materials such as bricks, stones or concrete pavers create more formal paths. Softer materials such as pebbles,
gravel, groundcovers, or crushed granite create more informal paths.
Paul Hartman serves as president of Changing Landscape in Longmont, which puts him close to the source of some of his favorite pathbuilding material: the flagstone quarried in northern Colorado.
“There are many types of flagstone and slate,” Hartman said. “On irregular flagstone as we peel it off the pallet, we use a chisel and hammer to knock off the sharp points and round the edges so the stone looks softer and not so fragmented.”
As a building material, stone rocks. Flagstone, limestone or slate add unparalleled natural beauty to a landscape, but manufactured concrete cobble pavers cost less. Stepping stones can be informal or formal. Geometric shapes lend a more refined look.
“I love stepping-stones. They look beautiful,” said Shuler. “We install each one like a mini patio. We excavate and lay base and level each stone, taking care so they’re not loose or imbalanced. If they’re not level and solid, they can break much more easily, too.”
Stepping stones or paver paths hold up better in the extreme freeze-thaw cycles of Colorado’s steppe climate. Temperature fluctuations cause ground to heave, which in turn can damage paths.
“Concrete cracks,” Shuler said. “Once it cracks, there’s not much you can do with it. You can seal it, but you will still see it. Freeze-thaw has effects on pavers, but they’re more easily repaired, if needed. Heaving ground also damages edging, which will eventually need maintenance.”
Both Shuler and Hartman prefer paths without edging.
“I like aggregate paths with gravel of some kind and no edging so the path bleeds into the landscape,” Shuler said.
Hartman agreed. “Some people like edging, but I’m not a fan. To me it looks tacky, but it’s aesthetics so to each his own.”
Both Shuler and Hartman recommended lining paths with fragrant plant material such as lavender and lilacs. Thyme planted between stones will release scent when stepped upon.
“Sages are fragrant. Roses are, too, but you don’t want them too close to the path because of thorns,” Hartman said.
“In between stepping-stones, a good solid planting of thyme or veronica can stabilize steppingstones as plants mature and get rooted,” said Shuler. “Use plants that can tolerate heat because stones will warm up in the sun. I like sweet woodruff, the short variety. And creeping Jenny, a vining chartreuse green plant, looks great.”