Garden paths serve a purpose beyond providing a simple paved walkway, strip of gravel, mulch, or stepping stones. In a small garden, a path subtly guides the flow of the space, showing which areas you should and shouldn’t walk through, where plant beds can safely start and end, and how a seating area can link back to the back door, front gate, hose spigot, and tool shed. Rather than deciding what you’ll grow first or how you’ll decorate, begin by figuring out how you wish to move through the space.
Imagine a small courtyard with a back door, narrow border planting, a seating area, and a gate at one end. If the path is not determined, you’re apt to cut across the lawn or mulch, trample the shrubs, or skip over a whole corner of the garden. A well-designed path provides a garden’s overall structure. It can shorten the appearance of a longer distance, lead the eye to a focal point, and keep people off planting beds that they wouldn’t intentionally cross over.
The best path usually prioritizes function first, then design. Take the time to walk through your space. Imagine yourself coming out the door and carrying a watering can, a bucket of tools, a tray of drinks, a rake, or a bag of mulch. Note your instinctive direction of travel and the angles that are awkward for you. A path that may look elegant on paper will get on your nerves if it forces you to detour to reach a frequently used spot or adds several extra feet to your daily round.
The width of the path is equally important. While a skinny path may look neat in the plans, it will be uncomfortable if you have to squeeze by a friend carrying tools or by an overgrown plant. Shrubs, perennials, and ornamental grasses all tend to lean and spill towards the path. So your path should be wide enough to give the plant room to grow. Also, a stepping-stone path needs plenty of breathing room around the stones for easy footing, safe maintenance work, and trouble-free transit from one garden feature to another.
Before you set stones, pavers, or gravel permanently in place, lay out your path using a hose, string, or garden stakes (or just place leaves in the lawn) and walk the route, from both directions. Walk slowly and stop when you come to a turn. Ask yourself: Does this angle seem unnatural? Does it cut too close to the planting bed? Is the seating area easy to get to? Look at the end of your path too. What does it frame? A small adjustment in this spot may help define a border, frame a tree, feature a container, or draw attention to another key feature.
Your path design also influences your planting design. Along a path you may need to soften the hard edges with low-growing, flowering perennials, ground covers, or repeated grasses. A curved path will look confusing if the adjacent plantings are too complex or the curve has no logical reason. In addition, pay close attention to the size of the plant. Low planting around the path edge will maintain visual openness for the pathway and taller plants can be planted further back, providing layering and privacy. Repetition of the same plant in the same color along the pathway will draw your eye along the path without crowding the space.
In a small outdoor space, garden paths should be planned as you make the site layout; they should not be an afterthought. When you sketch the next site, start by drawing your back door, front gate, seating area, and planting beds (along with any existing hardscape). Lay the path design in with your finger. Is it logical for you to walk, water, prune, and carry things in the directions indicated? A well-designed path will feel obvious as soon as it’s established. It should feel like the space was waiting for you to draw it!