Paving a Pleasant Path

Choosing a Walkway for Your Landscape

Since spring brings us to a place of starting or finishing projects, straightening up and cleaning out…how about that yard project you’ve pondered for a while now? You know, the one where you finally design that walkway of brick, stone, or gravel to enhance your landscape? Here are a few ideas of materials to help you get moving down your desired path:

Pavers: Offering great versatility, pavers come in many sizes, shapes, colors and textures, and are much like indoor tile. Some of them are even designed to interlock to create a set pattern. You’ll find natural stone pavers as well as those machined into specific shapes. Pavers are usually set in compacted soil and gravel to minimize cracking.

Bricks: Manufactured and used for hundreds of years, clay bricks are stillquite popular, and can be used in either formal or informal settings. Bricks work well in conjunction with other materials like natural stone and concrete. See the patterns pictured here to give you some ideas on design layout. Although uniform in shape, brick also lends itself well to curved path designs, and does not have to be laid in a straight line. It can be dry-laid or mortared. If dry-laid, it is recommended that bricks be set into a mixture of sand and dry concrete so they can move when the ground contracts. (Dry-laying permits water to filter down into the soil, allowing grass to grow between the bricks or stones.)

Flagstone: As versatile as brick, flagstone also mixes quite well with other paving materials. Flagstone can be used for both formal and informal walkways, and provides options: you can cut this stone into a desired symmetrical shape, or use the natural, irregular shape for a more abstract design. This stone is primarily found in natural tones. Flagstone can be dry-laid or mortared over concrete.

Gravel: Simple, natural and affordable, gravel paths are quite popular. With many color choices and sizes available, for your walkway, you’ll want a small sized rock that will compact well, such as pea gravel. Gravel walkways should be edged with a border that will keep these rocks in place.

While you’ll need to consider your personal budget and cost of the materials you choose, don’t forget to consider maintenance, durability and availability of these materials in your area. Use your imagination and creativity to design the walkway that will bring you pleasure for years to come!