Friday, April 24, 2015

Small Garden-Part 6-Paths



 One thing that is very important to me in the garden.... is paths. I love paths, whether they are hard surface like rocks or cement... or are soft, like pine needles. The paths can be simply functional... or beautiful... or both.
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If you are interested in seeing the first 5 parts of The Small Garden Series, the links will be at the end of this post.
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I love paths... and we have a lot of them.  :)

When we first moved to our house, there weren't really any at all... just a few stepping stones in the back garden.  We changed that. :)



 Paths can be beautiful and I love that part, but they can also be so useful.... and that is wonderful for us.  I do not like to walk on mud...  and paths help that.


Paths also help when there are high traffic areas of the yard because those high traffic areas will eventually wear the grass down... if there is high traffic... it will become a path of sorts. I like to make some sort of path that will hold up under the traffic.


Stepping stones like this are helpful to allow a person to step into the garden bed without compressing the soil.  I like to put a few stones here and there when there are areas I wouldn't be able to reach otherwise.


A path could be cement... a sidewalk or driveway.

 It could be flat stones that are set level with the ground. My guys have set these into the soil... it seems that all of my guys have gotten practice at setting such stones. :)

The path could be made of landscaping stones you buy. It depends on the look you want, the availability of materials and the amount of money you have to use. 

This path has crushed limestone... but it is all covered with pine needles.

 Pine needles also make a good surface for a path... and they are nice to walk over as they give cushion and there is a quietness on such a path. 

This path has some crushed rock... and lots of weeds...  it has been in place for many years and we didn't put a deep layer of rock...  and we let this get away from us... it still works fine, but it does need to be weeded. It's on the list. :)

This is a stepping stone path... made from the leftover cement from the making of the flagstone path in other pictures on this post.  We pressed leaves into them to make a pattern.

These are flat landscaping stones set into the ground. We don't want to have the mower hit them, so they do need to be set low enough.



More flat rocks... this path has a little path going off from it to go to the water faucet/hose. 

More round stepping stones...and others through the garden. 

 The walkways around the raised garden beds are helpful... on one side, the pine needles are covering most of them.

I wanted to be able to walk to my gardens... and even totally around the house... on paths with no mud. Our gardens are spread out all over our property, so this is important to me. It also helped when the kids were small, so that they could go out to use up some energy, even when it was wet... and not get muddy (usually- although sometimes that mud just beckons boys! :) 


On the other side, we have more weeds to deal with, but the more urgent thing on our list is to get the garden beds planted.

The crushed limestone has worked well and has been in for many years and the weeds have only become quite a problem in the last year or two...  I still love our walkways... they help so much. 

The flagstone paths are probably my favorite. :) You can see how we made them here:

Making A Flagstone Path

There are so many possibilities for making pathways... we have gotten many of our flat rocks for free... scavenged... or from craigslist. We have also gotten landscape rocks from garage sales or Craigslist. Rarely, we have bought them new, but that is an option, if you choose.


These stepping stones beside the yarrow, lead through this little garden.


Another stepping stone... just to give me a place to put my foot to take a step into the garden and not step on the ground... compressing the soil makes it harder for the plants to grow.

Paths are a great addition to a garden, whether large or small.
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       The Small Garden Series

Small Garden-Part 1-Crop Rotation

Small Garden-Part 2-Growing UP

Small Garden-Part 3-More Beds

Small Garden-Part 4-Companion Planting

Small Garden-Part 5-Signs

Small Garden-Part 6-Paths
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Shared on:
Gardens Galore
Dishing it and Digging it
Snickerdoodle-Create-Bake-Make
Saturday Sparks
 Scraptastic Saturday
Simple Saturday
Blogger's Pit Stop
Foodie Friday and Everything Else
Home and Garden Thursday
Homestead Blog Hop
Wednesday AIM Link Party
Inspire Me Tuesday
Tuesdays with a Twist
Tuesdays At Our Home
Modest Mom
Art of Homemaking Monday
Over the Moon

39 comments:

  1. I love seeing all of our paths together! <3

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    1. We do have a lot of them, don't we?!!! :) I sure do like them. :)

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  2. I saw an awesome tutorial for stepping stones last week. I wish I had a garden. I love taking care of plants and a nice path completes the view. #blogbooster3

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    1. It does make it seem complete somehow. I can't imagine not having any garden... and I hope you are able to enjoy gardens elsewhere at least. :) Thank you for visiting.

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  3. What an interesting yard you have, it sounds just wonderful and I love paths and curves, straight paths are a bit boring LOL. You have so many different types of paths, what fun. #blogbooster3
    Kathleen

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    1. I agree... straight paths are a bit boring... but I would still like them better than no path. :) The curves are certainly my favorite! We have different types because of doing them at different times, with varying amounts of time/money. :) Thank you for visiting.

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  4. Hi! Visiting from Olives and Okra's Funtastic Friday. I love garden paths too. Pinning to my Garden board!

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    1. Thank you for pinning.. garden paths really are nice... and useful too. I'm glad you visited... it was good to hear from you. :)

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  5. You've made a wonderful garden spot - love what you've done with the paving stones, too! Thanks for sharing at http://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2015/04/french-corner-bakery.html

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    1. Thank you... it sure is a work in progress.. and it changes every year based on what we plant and what the Lord provides for me to use. :) It is an ongoing challenge... and delight. :)

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  6. So many choices...
    One thing that works well for weeds on a path is placing newspaper down first, then your cover of choice (we use pinestraw). Your garden looks very inviting and serene.

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    1. There are many choices... and newspaper down first does help for quite a while, w/ the weeds.. eventually they start anyway, but it is nice to have a break from them for a while. :) Thank you... we do enjoy our garden and inviting and serene are two of the things I want my garden to be, so I am glad you could see that. :) We are already doing some things this year to improve the garden.. .an ongoing process.

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  7. Your garden series have been so much fun! I can tell you enjoy gardening and I am sure your plants thrive with such love and care. It's always a joy to have you at Roses of Inspiration. Blessings!

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    1. I do enjoy gardening (at least MOST of the time!!! ). I have most of it planted this year, but I really need to go to buy tomato and pepper plants. :)

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  8. We really need to make some paths in our garden. Yours look just beautiful.

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    1. Thank you.... paths do add a lot... in functionality... and in charm. :)

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  9. Your garden is beautiful. I like paths. And I love your blue stepping stone with the blue glass in it. xo

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    1. Thank you... paths are so fun... I like that stepping stone also and I have realized this year, that I could make one of those if I had leftover cement again... just put those colored flattened marbles in it! :) Might be a fun project.

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  10. Very nice. Your garden is pretty.

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  11. You have a wonderful garden and it looks so inviting and the paths all look great. Thanks for sharing your wisdom and your path ways at Good Morning Mondays. Blessings

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    1. Thank you... we sure enjoy it..... and those paths are so helpful. I do enjoy having a beautifully inviting garden. :)

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  12. Very good information! I need some of these in my yard! Thank you for linking up with us on Idea Box link up party!

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    1. They are helpful and pretty in the garden! Thank you for visiting and for the great blog party. :)

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  13. Hey friend, just wanted to tell you that Fabulous Friday will be next Friday. I just moved into my new home and its been chaotic, so i had to postponed it, love the garden post Hugs Maria

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    1. I did miss you and wondered... Congratulations on your new home... and I understand postponing... moving is a LOT of work. :) Enjoy settling in....

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  14. Some lovely ideas here and I do like the stepping stones. Thanks for sharing with us at #overthemoon link party. I'm pinning and sharing.

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    1. Thank you... so many ways to make paths... even when money is tight. :) Thank you for visiting.

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  15. Lost of twisting, winding pathways make you want to linger in the garden, to walk and meander among the flower beds. Very pretty!

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    1. YES!! That's what I think too... and the garden looks bigger and more interesting. I had the hardest time explaining my desire for curving and winding paths to my guys... who saw straight ones as the only option. sigh. Thankfully, they tolerated my creative vision and now like them. :)

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  16. Enjoyed seeing your paths :) Thank you Joy for attending the #WednesdayAIMLinkParty. I shared your post on Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, and Twitter.

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    1. Thank you... we sure enjoy them. Thank you for sharing... what a blessing! :)

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  17. Thanks for linking up to Gardens Galore. Paths always make me think there is something interesting at the end. You have done a beautiful job with stepping stones and pathways in your garden and yes, they are necessary so as not to ruin the plantings!

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    1. They are... and also, I like to walk out there even when it would normally be muddy... or when the chiggers would be waiting for me, so paths were something I REALLY wanted. :) It also helped when the kids were little... gave them a way to be outside even when it was muddy out.

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  18. I agree- paths are important. A path can provide a walk to something you anticipate with excitement or just a quick junction between two areas

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    1. So true... I am so glad that many of my paths are curved and meander a bit.. it makes them so much more appealing to me. :) Thank you for visiting.

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  19. I agree about the need for paths and I am needing more. I get my feet wet and dirty constantly. Usually three or four pairs of flip flops are by my door drying so I don't track in the house. You have inspired me to get going with this project. It is so hot now but I need to formulate a plan and have it ready to implement in the fall.

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    1. Wow... that sounds great! So good that you are thinking ahead on it too. I really appreciate our paths and use them often.... I would love to hear from you about your path projects, so feel free to come back and tell me about them in the comments. I hope you come up with some great ideas and it all goes well. Thank you for visiting. :)

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