Pathways - Natural And Gravel, Easy Steps For You To Follow
Pathways are a great addition to any landscape
or garden area. There are many different options
for you today in creating a walkway for your outdoor
enjoyment. In the
outdoor feature
section there is an article on walkways
without cement. This is one option you.
If you have worked with cement
or want to hire a contractor, brick or
stone walkways are a wonderful addition.
A hard scape walkway is popular with a formal landscape.
There are a couple of different options that
you can do yourself as well as being cost
effective. Using natural material such as pine
needles, straw, bark mulches, and even
crushed shells can give you a great informal
appearance.
This informational page is intended to walk
you through simple steps in planning and
installing a natural material or gravel pathway.
I have created many walkways for clients and one
of the first steps I do is to get a feel of
what the rest of their outdoor environment. You can have a formal look inside
your home, and create a natural informal
landscape outside. Remember, this is your
own personality and what you do in decorating
should reflect your favorite colors and textures.
Create a pathway that you can enjoy everyday.
Lets look at a couple of different aspects of
doing a natural or ornamental stone walkway.
One of the first things you will need to decide
if the material you would like to use is feasible
for your environment. Feel free to search Google
from this website to find some materials you could use.
In working with natural materials there
are some advantages and disadvantages.
Here are some
advantages to using natural
materials and ornamental stones.
Natural naterials are the least
expensive and can adapt to different
inclines and uneven surfaces. Ornamental
gravel or stone is also inexpensive and if
properly prepped and grated, it will provide
good drainage throughout a landscape area.
Ornamental gravel pathways work well
on a light to moderate bank or slope area.
I will also use
Jute on many of the inclines.
This is a commercial grade landscape fabric
made of burlap material. Jute not only holds
the gravel in place, but is great for
keeping plant specimens from shifting.
Here are some disadvantages of each.
Natural Materials can erode a lot quicker
then other material. The natural material
also is lighter in weight and can blow away
in windy conditions. If you live in a rain prone
area, the materials can become soggy and also
be invaded with weeds and tracked into a home.
Ornamental gravel shouldn't be used on a real
steep incline as it will wash away. The gravel or
stone can also be tracked inside.
In deciding which material you would like to use,
know your outside ground and climate conditions
before starting this project. Lets take a step
by step process on how to go about planning,
preparing and installing your pathway.
- The first step is to decide where you
want to build the walkway, and calculate the amount
of material you will need. Natural material is generally
measured in cubic feet or meters. It is either sold
in bales or bulk which you can purchase at your
local nursery or garden center. If you live in a location
that is accessible to woods, explore options of gathering
the materials yourself. Ornamental gravel is usually bought
by the ton. You can buy stone or gravel at some local nurseries
or go to a stone quarry. I have used specialty stone companies
as well as quarries. If you have a good size pick up this will
cut down on the delivery cost.
- The next step is to figure out how much natural
material or gravel you will need for your pathway.
When calculating quantity, the best way to measure
is to multiply the length and width by the depth you
will want your walkway to be. This will result in the
correct cubic feet or meters. If you are doing a
smaller area you might want to consider purchasing
bags. When doing ornamental gravel figure out
your quantity by also multiplying length and width by
depth you want the walkway to be. With both
of these options you will then divide by twenty seven
to convert to cubic yards. Most garden centers, nurseries,
and specialty companies can help you out with your
measurements.
- One of the most important steps in doing any
pathway is to know your soil conditions before you
start the project. If you have a clay or heavy base
top soil these will hold water and potentially
become muddy. If you have a sand base soil you
probably know how quickly water will drain through.
- Once you have decided on where you are going
to install your walkway calculated the amount of
materials and determine your soil condition, it is
time to begin preparing the ground. Your first step
when preparing the ground is to smooth out the
area. You can use a tiller, mattock, round nose and
square blade shovel. A sloped surface will need a little
extra work as your goal is to divert any water away
from the paths surface.
- Once you have properly prepared your surface
you will lay out your walkway. Garden hoses or spray
paint will work to design your length width and shape.
Once you are satisfied with the design keep the garden
hose or paint in place. Take some string and stakes and
put the stakes about every six feet. This will help you
keep a consistent width of the walkway.
- It is time to dig out the walkway. A mattock is
a great tool to dig out the area. If you are planning
some type of border make sure you mark this area
as well as dig along the entire length. The general
rule is to dig six to eight inches in depth or 15 to
19 centimeters.
- Once you have the entire walkway dug out, you
have the option of laying down some landscape fabric.
Your area should be completely smooth so you
shouldn't have problems securing your fabric with
landscape pins.
- Now that the fabric is in place you are ready
to lay out your natural material or ornamental
gravel. One very important step to do through
the entire process, use a level! The level
will provide stability when the walkway is finished.
Depending on what type of material you select will
determine how many inches thick the pathway
will be. Gravel is generally three inches thick in
depth. Mulch or straw can run from two to four inches
thick.
- The final step is to do an edging or border. You
can use landscape timbers, rocks, or bricks. You
can also use a variety of plant specimens to line
your walkway. In the
gallery of plant section,
there are many different trees, shrubs, and
flowers you could consider using. There
are photos, brief descriptions, and climate zones.
The border provides not only a finished look, but
will help control some grass and weeds from entering
the walkway. Using the level is a must in this final step.
Sometimes I will get creative in doing borders not only
to give my clients a unique appearance, but also to save
them a few dollars. Any loose rocks around your property
will work great in creating an edging.
This is a very basic description on how to plan and implement
a natural or ornamental gravel pathway. Your main goal
in doing a landscape project like this is to know your own
soil and climate conditions. Once you have determine the
conditions, these easy steps will result in a beautiful
new addition to your property. There are so many different
style
gardens you can enhance with pathways.
To give you some other ideas to incorporate
a walkway into your gardens take a look at some
examples of landscape designs.
There are a variety of hand drawn designs that
may suit an area on your property. I hope this
informational article has given you a few basic
tips on doing a natural or ornamental gravel
walkway.
