In a backyard garden design, landscape paths serve the practical purpose of directing traffic, keeping your feet out of the mud and dust, and create a means to access a destination. But garden paths also determine how people experience the garden design. A landscape path can encourage people to linger at a spot that has a nice view, or it can direct people away from areas where things are being stored or a trash enclosure. By drawing the eye off into the distance, a landscape path can also make a garden seem larger than it is. Changing the paving material as a path moves into different area of the garden further enhances this illusion. Through tricks such as these, a landscape pathway adds elements of mystery and adventure to a garden. It invites visitors to explore further.
There is a wide range of materials you can use to create a garden pathway. Options including solid landscaping stone or flagstone make a solid surface that is easy to cross without much thought. There are also different types of landscape gravels, in multiple color options, with smooth and rough cut textures. Another option is decompossed gravel which is a ground clay that can be used to create a very organic feel, and can have a stilizing element added to create a lasting solid surface.
For paving garden surfaces, no material is more is more beautiful or durable than natural landscaping stone . It gives the landscapes a sense of permanence and timelessness. Because stone comes directly from the ground, it roots the landscapes to the earth in a way manufactured paving materials don’t. And stone adapts to most anysituation.
Depending on the type of stone chosen and how it is installed, the effect can range from quite formal to so informal that the paving looks like part of the natural landscaping. A formal garden path might be created with cut stone set a precise pattern , broken only by uniform mortar joints. At the other end of the spectrum is a stepping stone path surrounded by low growing ground cover, that is whimsy and fun.
Deciding on the best material for your landscaping design pathways is part of the process. Finding a landscaping contractor to help you impliment you ideas is also important. When you work with the landscape designers at Ashley Farrell Landscape Design we will help you to decide on the best medium for you project.