In the garden behind the house, we can give up paths at all, because walking around neat, well-kept grass will not hurt either, nor even our legs. However, there are gardens, where everything has its strictly defined place, also communication. In front of the house, that is, in the entrance area, paths must be there, same as the drive to the garage. In both situations – behind and in front of the building – both the course of the paths is important, as well as their surface.
The direction and width of access roads and entrances in front of the house is determined by the designer on the plot plan. To, what is happening in the garden, can be planned by the owner himself. Some landscape architects advise, in order not to set out pedestrian paths in the initial phase, just wait, until the residents using the garden step on the grass themselves and thus determine the most appropriate course of paths for them. Others propose to set the dominants right away, sight lines, place and shape of flower beds and flower beds. The paths will be subordinate to all of this. They lead you around interesting and beautiful places, they are, as it were, guides in the garden, making it possible to come to this, What is worth seeing. So that they fulfill their role well, should be attractive, non-monotonous, interestingly arranged and well suited to the surroundings.
The best paths are made of natural materials – stone gravel, stone, wood, clinker. They are derivatives of their surroundings, they always blend in well with the greenery and do not interfere with the functioning of the flora and fauna of the garden.
THE STONE IS NICE, PRACTICAL AND DURABLE. It can be cut, split and shape freely, in accordance with the idea and idea of the designer. It does not contain any chemical additives and is water permeable, thanks to which it allows both humans to breathe, as well as trees and plants growing nearby. Paths made of gravel or small round pebbles washed out by streams are the most ecological and the cheapest solution.. They do not require many technical treatments, so everyone can arrange them by himself.
A different substrate must be prepared for the paths made of granite cubes, big "cobblestones."” or stone slabs. Contrary to expectations, such surfaces do not have to be slippery. They can be treated to make them rough and non-slip even on a rainy day. This effect is achieved, giving the material a pea or roasted texture or soaking it with appropriate preparations, which preserve them at the same time.
Wood is another natural and beautiful material, from which garden paths are built. It looks best when arranged from sliced stumps or narrow stakes driven into the ground. However, this path is only suitable for light foot traffic and can also be slippery in rain. However, its cracks and deformations should not raise any concerns – they will only add charm to the garden.
Road brick and its noble variety – road clinker are very good, durable materials for paths. They can also be used for lining a driveway or home parking lot. Plinths are made of bricks and construction clinker, low walls, edging. This allows you to create the entire system of small garden architecture. Road brick, a bit smaller and more resistant than the construction one, can be stacked in many ways – after all, it has three completely different sides, which, alternately, they can diversify the monotony of the surface. It also does not require any special conservation measures, neither rain nor frost destroy it. Because it is fired from clay and sand – natural resources – it is easily absorbed by the environment and is related to it.
Concrete cube, very popular and often used in gardens, it is the worst in this comparison. It is an artificial product, impermeable to water and air to the ground, heavy and aging in a way that is not always predictable. Among the greenery, it often looks gloomy and does not encourage walking. However, it is easily accessible, relatively cheap and, thanks to a variety of colors and shapes, he can be attractive. As long as it works well with high loads – for example, on car ramps,
It should rather not be used on footpaths in the garden. The only ecologically justified form of building concrete paths can be an openwork chessboard: ankle – grass, not very aggressive and allowing the ground to live.
In addition to surfaces made of one material, there may also be different types of stone-wood and wood-brick connections., equally interesting, and certainly more fancy.
