Paths are the arteries of a garden, leading you from one area to another, forming the lines of communication between house and garden. Paths can be manipulated in their width, thickness, colour, texture, directions and shape. They can give access to views, focal points, places for gathering or solitude.

To have low maintenance paths, it is important to follow the correct procedure, we always dig out the path, use a good depth of compacted small hardcore to make a solid base, and this also acts as a good deterrent to stop any weeds from growing.

• Paving is the most permanent feature, natural stone the most prestigious and will always look better with age as shown in picture top left.
• River gravel is larger than pea gravel, easier to walk on but not ideal for pushing wheelbarrows etc about on. It is cheap and can help improve security as you can tell when someone is approaching the house.
• Pea gravel is smaller than river gravel, but ideal for a traditional cottage garden path. When using pea gravel it will need to be edged to contain it in the path area as shown in picture top right.
• Limestone chippings are much more angular than the gravels, very hardwearing and they will lock together making them an ideal choice for heavy use footpaths or drives.

Edging paths will stop lateral spread and ease maintenance, we use either stone setts, bricks, cobbles, or traditional edging. The edging can be laid at the same level as the lawn allowing the mower to go over it eliminating the need to edge or strim as shown in picture top right.

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