Transform Your Garden into a Personal Oasis

“Pathways of paradise lead
To gardens of green
Majestic elms, draping moss
And magic with lore unseen

Choose your path carefully
Watch how you tread
For life is just a shadow
And memories shall be our bed.”

Your outdoor area is actually an extension of your home: another room, another living space. Think of it as your "garden room." This space should be a refuge – a place of relaxation, entertaining and contemplation. In today’s world of unlimited communication, information and sensory stimulation, the need for peace, solitude, nature and meditation has never been greater.

One of the most popular ways of dividing this space is a pathway or walkway. The ideal pathway will provide an easy transition from one living space of your garden to another – easing the way from "room-to-room" while keeping your interest and providing a restful and calming accent from place to place.

While paths are generally one of the easier of garden fixtures to install, a bit of forethought and planning is important. A poor choice of material or path placement will make your outdoor space less comfortable and even make it appear messy and unkempt. You want your pathway to highlight and accent your home, rather than detract from it. A well-placed path with the best materials you can afford will add overall value and appeal to your home as well, should you ever decide to move on. Here are few thoughts to consider before installing your "Pathways to Paradise." 

Do you prefer a more casual, laid back approach to living? Are your indoor areas more eclectic in feel? Do you like a mix-and-match look, asymmetrical and fun? If so, you would probably enjoy a more informal feel to your garden as well: paths that lead to surprises and varying hues of multi-colors.

Once you’ve decided which general style category you prefer, it’s easier to choose your path design and the material that will correspond and emphasize your style and life-course outlook.

No matter which style you decide best suits your family and lifestyle, stay away from razor-sharp, straight paths. They are not appealing, they wantonly divide your outdoors in an unpleasing manner, and they serve no aesthetic purpose. Unless you have a very large yard and have a "Versailles" design in mind, it’s best to keep away from arrow-straight pathways.

Gently curving paths that meander through your yard or garden are much more welcoming. You will always wonder what’s ahead at the bend: a glorious blooming bush, a table and chair to momentarily sit and take in the view, or a fragrant and healthful herb garden? That’s what curvy paths do. They keep you guessing and make you want to continue walking and discover.

Also, curving paths are easier to slope. Sloping your path, no matter what design you've chosen, is crucial. It allows for water runoff and prevents depressions in the walkway. Particularly, if you live in a climate that experiences freezing winter temperatures, sloping is an absolute necessity to prevent slippery, accident-prone surfaces.

Be sure your path is wide enough. The most frequent mistake of pathway installation is narrow, restrictive space allotment. 2’ wide is the absolute minimum and 4’ is the ideal. What you want is for two people to be able to comfortably walk side-by-side with ease of movement. While you may initially save money on a narrow path, if it remains unused because it’s uncomfortable and cramped, the whole project is lost and you’ve gained nothing.

Any paving material that is laid in a concrete foundation and/or is mortared in is called rigid paving. The rigid style of paving is more costly and requires more labor, but in the long run it is longer-lasting, more effective and more attractive. Typical materials used in rigid paving are flagstones, bricks, natural or reconstituted stone, paving blocks, concrete and asphalt. With rigid paving, your result is increased strength and durability and a luxurious, formal feel. Remember the sloping requirement here. Rigid paving paths need to slope either ¼” per foot of width, or you can make the finished path about ½ higher than the adjacent grade (lawn, flower bed, etc.).

A more temporary and yet highly affordable alternative to rigid paving is flexible paving. This is where the material is laid on either a sandy bed, plastic sheeting or even directly on the turf. Benefits of flexible paving include cheaper materials. You can use crushed seashells, recycled shredded rubber, bark chips, gravel, or sawn circular logs with gravel. All of these materials are readily accessible and can be bought in bulk at substantial savings. Flexible paving is ideal for casual, informal pathways and lifestyles. This type of paving method also allows for easy change of design, whenever needed or desired. For almost all flexible paving materials, a border will be required to hold the material in and keep it from scattering into the lawn. Also, some materials may have to be "topped off’ every few years or so, especially natural materials that decompose over time.

So, you’ve decided on your paving style, the materials you’d like to use and where your path will be placed. For the perfect finishing touch to make sure the path looks "natural" and blends in with the surrounding landscape, consider placing low-growing plants around the edge of your rigid or flexible paving to ease the eye into the rest of the garden. Plants such as Blue Fescue (Festuca), Baby Tears (Soleirolia), Wooly or Creeping Thyme, or Blue Star Creeper are colorful, fragrant and easy to maintain.

A well thought-out pathway in the garden is no different than the path you make in life. It must feed your spirit, bring you joy, and nurture the soul. It must help your journey through this life to be as joy-filled and peaceful as possible. Only then will it truly be a Pathway to Paradise.