ON THE RIGHT PATH

Garden paths link, lead and lure, not only serving a practical purpose, but also offering great scope for imaginative designs and planting. Carefully thought-out paths strike a balance between necessity, style, and blending into the setting. In a formal layout, paths tend to be straight, well-directed and potentially dull, but this is avoidable by either zig-zagging the route, or by including inspired planting along the way. Linear thoroughfares benefit from the definition of an edging, whereas informal, winding paths naturally peter out into planting.

The choice of surface for a path has considerable impact visually because it can imply either movement or a static feel. For example, a long, straight path can be broken up with brick pavers to maintain a sense of movement, until reaching a place to pause, such as a bench. ‘You can use hard landscaping to give a visual cue on the ground as to a change of use,’ says Nic.

When it came to a single step between the garden room deck and main courtyard, Nic changed the material from one to the other. ‘Had I used the same material, the step would not have stood out so clearly,’ he explains.