Nice pathways for any garden

Some planning in advance, one day of work, and off you go. Before you start to create the walkway, think about the route it will take and what kind of material you prefer. The laying of wooden tiles or blocks is relatively simple and inexpensive and can be a real alternative to traditional stepping stones. Paths which are made out of mulch, gravel or crushed stone do not need a concrete foundation. They appear natural and can be transformed easily if you have other ideas or garden requirements later on. If the pathway will be used often, durable and resistant materials are a good choice.

When you know what you want, equip yourself with some string and wooden sticks. First, the course of the path needs to be marked. For the use of a single person the path should be at least 60 cm wide, if two people need to be able to pass each other a width of 120 cm should be considered.
Next step is to use a spade to dig a shallow trench along the borders of the path, right next to the string lines. Remove the soil in between to a depth of approximately 10 cm. Protruding rocks and roots must be removed and bumps or hollows can be filled with gravel, sand or soil for an even walkway. The ground can then be compressed with a soil roller.

To create the outer edging on both sides of the path ensure the original trenches you created along the string lines are slightly deeper than the stones or bricks you have selected. Place a small amount of sand in the trenches as this will allow for the edging to be adjusted and levelled out. Lay the edging in the trenches, leaving little to no gaps between the stones or bricks, and gently hammer down into place. Fill any gaps in the edging with sand. The path can now be completed by evenly laying gravel (or any other similar material) between the edgings.

That’s it – all done! Now enjoy your garden and use your newly created pathway to get to your favourite corner of the garden.