An elegant path emerging among snow-white pebbles

Today we bring to your attention amazing ideas for decorating garden paths. We will show you the splendor of options for arrangement and chic landscape design. Here are all the most popular examples, from unique design compositions and stylish geometry, to simple and uncomplicated paths built from waste building materials and other great ideas.

The most popular are the stunning alleys and paths built from natural stone. They themselves can perfectly complement textures and diversify lush greenery, but you can show a little creativity and create magnificent masterpieces with their own original plot, charming contours and rough shapes.

A fairytale path among a riot of decorative plantings

Rectangular rock fragments surrounded by colorful pebbles

Simple but neat path

Stone slabs laid between beautiful flower beds

Even simplicity can look impressive

From large fragments you can combine not only an alley, but also steps

Compositional contrasts

What your imagination is capable of

Beautiful staircase

Unique image

Cozy garden

Laconic landscape design

Fairytale composition

Works made from decorative stone, which was previously given finishing to acquire a certain shape, will look more impressive in the landscape design of the site.

As a rule, such rock fragments are made to order and, depending on your desire, they can have even the most intricate configurations.

You also get the opportunity to individually select this or that stone and better implement this idea together with a designer who will help you correctly formulate your needs.

Elegant decoration

Intriguing compositions from different materials

winding path

Alley for a modern garden with a minimalist design

Original scenery

The road to a fairy tale

You can focus on non-standard options; winding stone paths will add an interesting twist to your site. And if you choose original garden lighting to complement such a stylish look, you will get an impeccable picture that will be difficult to take your eyes off. You can lay out such a path from almost any material that is available to you.

Charming road through a well-kept lawn

A winding concrete path surrounded by colorful flower beds

Discreet Design

To some, brick may not seem like a very modern material, but if you formulate the image correctly and choose non-standard patterns, you will get a wonderful decor. Moreover, you can combine it with other textures to create a striking contrast.

Intricate motive

Stylish alley

Convenient path through the luxurious gallery

Simple but effective solutions

Paving stones formed into a stylish image

A road along which your walk will be unforgettable

Interesting way of laying

Chic landscape design

For fans of stylish geometry and creative design, you can think about a stunning option that is worthy of royal flower beds. A symphony of natural stone, lawn grass, pebbles or other material can be embodied in a chic picture that will become an artful highlight of your garden.

Playful combination

Worthy decoration

Concrete garden paths also have good potential. You can build such an alley yourself, having basic knowledge in this industry, or entrust all the work to a specialist.

You can choose any method: solid pouring or slabs, and the second method will be more flexible, since you will get not just a solid canvas, but also areas where decorative plants can be planted between the fragments, which will serve as frames for each piece.

Alley between beautiful flower beds

An impressive composition in an original frame

Paved paths

Adding Interest with Captivating Details

Magnificent steps

Do you want to express your individuality, and in some cases, fit within a modest budget? Then the following examples will pleasantly surprise you.

An unusual but beautiful path made of wooden logs buried in the ground

A creative approach to arranging a path

Even simple pallets will perform the simplest task

A unique pattern, the material for which can be found among our garbage

Passage between flower beds

Having a small pond on your site, you can’t even imagine how effectively you can present this image. Right in the middle of a mini-reservoir in the garden, you can build flower beds with moisture-loving plants and lay a small path out of stones. But you shouldn’t limit yourself to this, because wide opportunities open up before you that you shouldn’t brush aside.

Gorgeous man-made lake

Exotic terrace

Luxurious landscape design

The paths, lined with stones with an uneven structure, have a very charming appearance. They blend perfectly with the entire landscape. To slightly soften their rough appearance, you can plant decorative low-growing plants in the voids between them, which will hide the open ground underneath and create a simply fabulous image.

A tempting option for designing a path

Modern terrace design

Wonderful path

Magic Road

Bring a variety of colors

Visual appeal in every detail

Magnificent landscape with superb scenery

You can build garden paths with your own hands even from scrap materials, you may doubt it, but glass, sand, broken bricks, old tires and other building materials can be a brilliant idea for decorating a stunning path running through your garden.

For a more skillful project, you will need the help of a designer who will turn your patio or area near your house into a fabulous place where you can not only relax, but also fully enjoy the beauty of nature that you created with your own hands.

еQˠ - just add the additions suggested above, and you will mentally find yourself in the south of France.

Owners of personal gardens, firmly convinced that garden paths exist only for ease of movement, are not only deeply mistaken, but also deprive themselves of the opportunity to enjoy the amazing design of a dramatically transformed site, complemented by picturesque paths. However, creative people with aesthetic taste do not miss this chance and try to turn the garden path into an object of pride. How they manage to do this, and what are the main options for designing paths in the garden - you can find answers to all your questions in the article.

What do you need to know before you start designing garden paths?

Before you start arranging, and even more so decorating, garden paths, you need to carefully, mentally or on paper, recreate the project of future paths and do this better at the stage of designing a country house. This will be an excellent way to carry out advance zoning of the garden area, to allocate space for the most important objects and landscape elements. However, if the country house was built a long time ago, and all the objects are located on the garden territory, you should not despair and worry about the missed moment; on the contrary, it is better to take care not only of the ease of movement along the garden paths, but also of their appearance. When designing and decorating garden paths, it is important to take into account the overall style of the site.

The design of garden paths at this stage is gaining more and more recognition and can rightfully be called a very fashionable area of ​​landscape design, which not only helps you test your imagination, but also allows you to become the owner of a delightfully designed garden that can become a source of pride for the owners. A wide range of modern decorative materials and design options allows you to create exquisite works of art in the garden, characterized by ornate shapes, multiple forks and height differences, as well as a wide variety of materials. In general, there are no restrictions, the main thing is that the finished paths are not only convenient for everyday use, but also fit harmoniously into the design of the landscape space.

Decorating garden paths with flowers: borders and mixborders

Decorative design of garden paths with flowers is very popular at all times. One of the most famous and accessible methods is to arrange a border of plants near the paths.

Such borders are a narrow strip of plants, the width of which is no more than 20-30 cm, characterized by a one- or two-sided arrangement.

To make the paths look most advantageous, it is enough to use one or two rows of ornamental crops.

It is important to consider that for arranging a border located along the edge of the path, it is important to choose the right decorative plant varieties. Firstly, preference should be given to low-growing crops, and, secondly, it is important that the selected plants are characterized by the same variety, otherwise incompatible varieties can lead to the death of one of the crops.

Thus, the following crops would be the best option:

1. Spiraea dwarf;

2. Daurian cinquefoil;

4. Lungwort;

5.Marigolds;

The current way to decorate a path to a house with the help of flowers is to create mixborders or so-called mixed flower beds, which are characterized by an oblong shape.

Often, they combine both annual and perennial crops. In exceptional cases, mixborders include shrubs, dwarf trees and even climbing plants. In order for mixborders to delight their owners with their flowering throughout the warm period, it is recommended to use varieties with different growing seasons and flowering periods, then flowering crops can alternately replace each other. Planning a mixborder is no less painstaking work than selecting the crops themselves.

The complexity of the arrangement of varieties is complicated by the fact that for the proper development and functioning of plants it is necessary to follow certain rules, compliance with which will be the key to an enviable mixborder that blooms all summer long. According to these rules, tall plants are located in the background, the next row is reserved for medium-sized crops, and it is advisable to plant low-growing plants or grass closer to the path itself.

The strip between the mixborder and the lawn can be sown with lawn grass, which will be an equally original solution.

Decorating a garden path with mixborders is quite a bold decision, since picturesque flower beds require constant care, which can be very difficult without minimal knowledge of floristry. But, despite this, mixborders have been and remain one of the most picturesque options for landscape decoration of garden paths.

Main methods of decoration: wooden cuts and mosaics

One of the most affordable ways to decorate a garden path is to decorate it with wooden saw cuts. Despite the discreet design, this garden path looks very impressive. A source of additional originality can be crushed tiles or small pebbles, which can be used to fill the space between the cuts.

However, if you want to see something more refined on your site than a path made from wooden cuts, mosaics will come to your aid as another way to decorate garden paths. Using ordinary river pebbles or decorative crushed stone, you can recreate the most intricate patterns that will become real masterpieces.

It is necessary to choose the right material: patterns laid out from small elements of approximately equal format look most elegant. However, if the path is characterized by an impressive width, experts do not recommend giving preference to small mosaics. Instead, designers advise choosing larger paving elements or combining materials of different sizes in one compositional solution.

An advantageous compositional solution would be the combined use of large stones and pieces of ceramics or bricks, as well as stone chips. The combined use of flat stones and smaller paving elements is also practiced.

An original solution for decorating garden paths using mosaics would be to recreate mosaic waves reminiscent of a cool stream that strives to make its way through picturesque flower beds.

Original ways of decoration. What to choose?

Fans of Japanese gardens will love the following method of decorating garden paths.

You can build such a path from ordinary wooden boards, but you need to focus on the details, namely the elements located between the boards.

These can be white stones of various sizes and fluffy dark green small bushes that will play in contrast.

Fans of original design solutions who care about preserving the environment will love the idea of ​​decorating paths using glass bottles. For a more harmonious design, it is advisable to choose material of the same color and size.

In addition to the above-described options for decorating garden paths, there are many ways to diversify the ordinary appearance of such an essential element of a personal plot as a garden path.

Everything that was discussed in the article is just the most common methods that you should not limit yourself to. In this case, everything is in your hands, and you can give preference to the most unusual design ideas. These could be luminous stones, which are gaining popularity, or stepped brick paths made in a checkerboard pattern, or alternating dark stones and colored pebbles...

There are many options, you just need to follow your imagination!

The landscape interior at a summer cottage or in a garden depends on the choice of its owner. Many decisions need to be made at the very beginning of setting up a summer house or garden, because then it will be too late. But basically, almost everything can be changed—you just need desire and skillful hands. The design of garden paths is an important point, which is never too late to pay attention to.

When choosing material for the construction of paths, you should take into account the intensity of their use.

This not only provides ease of movement, but also unites individual areas of the dacha into a single whole and gives harmony. By installing evening consecration along the paths in your dacha, hidden or, conversely, attracting attention, for example, statues of gnomes with lanterns in their hands, you will change your dacha world beyond recognition.

Features of work on the installation of garden paths

In order to start doing, you need a plan. You can draw it yourself, very accurately marking the places for garden paths.

It is most convenient to navigate along already trodden paths. But in any case, the places where you will arrange the path need to be marked with rope and pegs.

Paths connect different areas in the garden and at the same time separate them from each other.

The most crucial moment is the choice of the material from which the paths will be made, and it is necessary to take into account the characteristics of the soil, microclimate and architecture of the house. You should consult a specialist about technical requirements and loads.

The choice of material that can be used to create garden paths is quite wide. For a correct and confident decision, you need to know all the advantages and disadvantages of each of the proposed materials.

The grass path at the dacha was the most common one in the past. Its design is based on the principle of sowing a lawn, it is pleasant to walk on barefoot, and it fits perfectly with any design.

But in wet weather it becomes slippery, and it is not so easy to transport a cart with any load along it, so the choice of grass garden paths is becoming less and less common.

A path made according to all the rules will be a beautiful and durable addition to the interior.

They have become a common occurrence. Only a specialist can perform such work efficiently, who will measure the thickness of the foundation and lay the tiles exactly level.

A path made according to all the rules will be a beautiful and durable addition to the interior of your dacha. The owner will only have to choose the color and size of the garden paths that will fit well into the environment. If you take on this matter yourself, then it is better to choose a different material.

For example, you can make a stone path at your dacha. It’s not for nothing that it becomes more and more popular every day, and not only because of its strength and durability.

The path can withstand the highest loads; even heavy vehicles are not afraid of it. It is laid out from processed stone, such as quartzite, pebbles, diabase, or from untreated gneiss, slate or sandstone. But in order to save money, you can take a concrete paving stone.

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Construction process and nuances

Made from small fractions such as sand, crushed stone, granite and so on, it is not complicated and always fits well into the landscape. First you need to remove the top layer of soil, exactly according to the markings.

• the exposed surface must be compacted very carefully; this can be done using a garden roller, sledgehammer or wooden beam. Do not forget to check the horizontalness of the future path using a level;
• then a layer of sand about 60 mm high is poured, with its help they make a slope for water drainage;
• the next step will be the installation of formwork, for which it is better to choose soft wood, then it is covered with the selected material. Using the same principle, it is erected on a garden plot; concrete is simply poured instead of stone.

The location of the paths is consistent with the general style of the garden.

You can also cover it with any stone and even ordinary broken brick.

Wooden flooring made from boards or saw cuts looks very natural. The most important thing is to get the advice of a good carpenter and do not forget to soak the wood with a solution that protects against rot.

Garden parquet looks very aesthetically pleasing on the site, which is made using a plastic backing - decking, with wooden plates attached to its surface. The disadvantage is that they are not very strong and that when it rains in the country, such wooden paths become slippery, just like grass paths.

The construction of paths from large slabs is not at all difficult, but, of course, it will not be possible to do it alone. It is very convenient to move on them, their durability is beyond doubt, but at first they will often sag, which is quite easy to fix.

A plastic track is very modern now; it is also popular because its price is relatively low. Distinctive qualities are strength, stability of shape, absence of dampness, rotting and ease of maintaining cleanliness.

Of course, an additional advantage is the huge selection of colors and shapes. Its design is also simple; everything is done using the designer method. You can create any geometric shapes; for ease of assembly, there are expanders, thresholds and corners; they are used at the junction with lawns, borders and other decorative elements.

Increasingly, the dacha is becoming a vacation spot for family and friends. The plots are equipped with houses and outbuildings, recreation areas and flower beds. Space is also allocated for a vegetable garden, which acquires decorative qualities. All objects are connected by a communications network - paths. They allow you to avoid dirt, create convenience for agricultural work, walks in the fresh air, and are elements of a unified landscape design of your backyard area. Let's get acquainted with the basic techniques for beautifully and competently arranging pedestrian paths for a summer residence.

What are they for?

Paths differ in their functional purpose. Depending on this, certain materials are used; the width and laying technology depend on the purpose of laying the path. There are several main functions of communications in the country.

Entrance from the gate to the porch of the house

This is the front area of ​​a private or country house; it is used most often. A wear-resistant material with good decorative qualities is appropriate here, which should be combined with the style of the main buildings, copy the material of the base, and have a sufficient width (from 80 cm to 1.5 m) to easily pass each other when two people meet or ride a bicycle to the house. A flat surface is required.

When choosing a material for the main entrance path, preference is given to paving slabs, concrete slabs with decorative design, and natural stone.

Connecting the house and outbuildings

For this variety, the coating material chosen is strong and durable. It is better to make paths straight (for example, for ease of movement with a wheelbarrow when carrying out gardening work). The width varies from 80 cm to 1 meter. The surface of these paths should be smooth, non-slip, and convenient for use in rainy or snowy weather.

In addition to the above materials, you can use more affordable concrete pouring into the formwork. For better wear resistance, it is reinforced with metal mesh. Artificial stone has proven itself well. It is much cheaper, is not inferior in performance to natural materials, has a lot of colors and imitates different structures.

Walking

I make walking paths from lightweight materials: wood, sandstone with intervals of ground cover plants or sand, mosaic concrete slabs. These paths can be covered with pebbles, sand, and tree bark. The width of the paths varies depending on the distance from the main communications and is calculated based on the size of the entire area. If possible, it is necessary to provide a width of 1 meter for walking together. To create a flair of mystery and romance in special corners of the garden, a standard tile size of 35-50 cm is allowed. Any curved shape that emphasizes the topography of the soil or the zoning of the garden is welcome here.

Natural materials in the landscape look natural and harmonious.

Paths between beds

Their function is to limit the accumulation of dirt during gardening work and organize space for vegetable plantings. These paths are made 50 cm in size; the material used can be very diverse (from rubber tires to board coverings on logs). It is not at all necessary to make a sand and gravel cushion under these paths: most often they are simply laid on the ground. When redeveloping the beds, it is easy to move these paths to a new location.

When arranging stationary high beds, the paths are covered with crushed stone, laid on black acrylic insulating material. This material isolates them from weed germination, while moisture freely passes deep into the soil. Paths made of fine gravel look aesthetically pleasing and last a long time. Paths in a dacha with different functionality can be designed in the same style, using the same material, changing only the width and shape of the paths. It all depends on the preferences of the owners, the size of the plot and the price segment of landscape work.

Selecting a location

An important stage in the improvement of a summer cottage is the road and path network around the cottage and the surrounding area. At the first stage of planning, future paths are traced. There are two approaches to tracing: if the building exists or the site is just being developed. In existing buildings, they focus on well-trodden dirt paths between objects. These paths are taken as a basis, applied to the site plan, given a technological size and the desired curvature, or straightened a little for ease of use, without disturbing the vector of the path itself.

To develop a new site, the necessary and desired paths are drawn on the plan. It's better to make two or three options. Using these plans, they navigate the area, walk along these routes several times, and evaluate the ease of movement. Changes are made depending on the terrain or taking into account economic needs and the location of communications. In both cases, there are common factors that affect the trace.

The necessary utility paths are planned first:

• from the gate to the porch of the house;
• from home to outbuildings;
• to the garden area.

These communications are subject to the same requirements, the main ones being:

• wear resistance;
• sufficient width for the passage of small garden equipment;
• ease of cleaning from debris or snow;
• non-slip coating;
• no sharp bends.

Additional paths are needed to connect with the recreation area or access to remote corners of the summer cottage.

The load on them is not as large as in the first case. Decorative and useful qualities do not require straightness or a particularly flat surface. Paths can be made from scrap materials, using the inclusion of natural elements. They are often given a deliberate curvature to lengthen the route or examine certain landscape compositions. The width can also vary.

After tracing and determining the width of the transitions, the relief is studied. To protect against the formation of puddles on the surface, it is necessary to maintain a slope. The soil in some areas will have to be added. In others, choose to level the top layer. If the terrain of the site is textured and has large differences in height, it may be necessary to install stairs or remove a large amount of soil with the installation of retaining walls to prevent soil from falling onto the path. In some cases, it is necessary to change the location of the path to bypass relief depressions or protrusions in order to avoid a large amount of excavation work.

Next, the drainage arrangement is taken into account. For solid paths on a cement base, a transverse slope from the middle to the edges is used to drain water. The middle is made slightly higher, and the finishing material is laid in an arc towards the side edges. The slope must be at least 15 degrees. Paths with more sparse laying of finishing material on the ground, sand or crushed stone have natural drainage. When installing a curb, it is necessary to lay special stormwater systems under the road surface.

The next planning stage is to create a decorative effect. The communications network is not only of practical importance, but is also an element of landscaping of a personal plot.

Simple concrete paths are practical enough, but a network of gray, boring straight lines is unlikely to please the eye. They should be given some curvature, for example, a sharp turn over a hill can open a beautiful flower bed.

Paths can be a means of visually changing the parameters of a site. A narrow elongated section will look wider with a path in the form of a sinusoid across the section. For a short section, it is better to place the coating material along the track surface. This will visually lengthen the area. The transverse layout of the material will visually reduce the distance.

The color scheme of the finishing material is selected at the planning stage. Here you need to rely on the basic colors of the environment. A house surrounded by dark green coniferous trees will require gray, dark stone paths or finishing in the color of dried pine needles. The paving pattern plays an important role in the overall perception of the landscape. For example, cottages decorated in a rural style can be decorated with brick or homemade mosaic paths. Children will love the soft rubber tracks made from tires.

Planning ends with drawing up an estimate for the purchase of materials. Calculate the length of the canvas, multiply it by the width and get the required amount of finishing material. It is worth considering land work: will it be carried out independently or will it be necessary to attract equipment and specialists. For cement-based paths, take into account the presence of a 10-15 cm sand cushion, layers of crushed stone, and a cement-sand mixture in a ratio of 1: 6 (for laying slabs). If the paths are made of different materials, estimates are drawn up separately for different types of coverage. This is justified, since resource savings can be achieved using a simplified approach to the arrangement of secondary paths. To do this, consider the types of garden paths.

Types of garden paths

Garden paths are divided into two types: hard and soft.

Solid

Hard coverings are made of brick, concrete tiles, clinker stone, flagstone, paving stones. Such coatings are used in car parking areas, in the entrance area, on the main alleys of the site, between country houses.

Hard surfaces are chosen for paving recreation areas and some paths.

A special base is prepared for them.

The soil is selected to a depth of 25 cm, the bottom of the trench is compacted manually or mechanically using a vibrating rammer. For the manual method, a special tamper is made from a log with a nailed transverse bar instead of handles. The bottom of the trench is lined with geotextiles to isolate weeds. A layer of sand (5 cm) is poured, after compacting, a layer of crushed stone (from 5 to 10 cm) is laid on it, compacted and covered with sand.

After this, they spill water so that the sand fills the voids between the stones well. After drying, sprinkle with sand again in a layer of 5 cm, followed by a layer of cement-sand mixture (5 cm). Finishing material (natural stone, brick or slabs) is laid on this layer. They are compacted and filled with cement mixture. Sprinkle with water and cover again with cement mixture until the desired level is reached.

Soft

The soft covering on the paths is made of crushed stone, sand, wood, bark, rubber, marble chips, and pebbles. Such paths are for walking, although they are also used for tending the garden. Grass and rubber surfaces are optimal for children's playgrounds. For soft finishing material, there is no need to prepare a complex trench before installation. Here it is enough to remove the soil to a depth of 10 cm, compact it, cover it with geotextiles to prevent weeds, add 5 cm of sand and lay the finishing material.

From paving slabs

Paths made of paving slabs have a universal purpose. Laid on a cement-sand mixture, they will serve excellently on the main driveway due to their high performance qualities.

The tiles, placed at some distance from each other with a grass cushion in between, will create a clean, dry path in tune with the natural landscape.

Pedestrian paths in a dacha can be beautifully combined from different materials; the main thing is to take into account the overall design style of the site.

Styles

The same finishing material in a certain context can be a participant in retro styles and the most modern trends in landscape design at the same time. If you want to create a garden in a certain style, you should adhere to the following rules.

• To design the site Mediterranean style choose pebbles, tiles and sand. Country style goes perfectly with natural wood flooring. Forest areas are landscaped with paths made of stone, cobblestones and wood cuts. It looks interesting to use crushed bark to fill paths.
• Modern especially loves floral decor and rounded smooth lines. Eco-style prefers paths made of sand and stones, covered with fine gravel (without curbs, almost invisible in the landscape).
• Wood and stone– traditional materials used for centuries to equip paths. Today they are given special attention.

A striking example of a combination of a variety of materials is industrial style hi-tech in landscape design. It combines glass and metal, concrete and plastic, water and stone. These materials can be arranged randomly or symmetrically. The main thing is the presence of a clear geometric pattern. The paths are strictly straight, the turns have a strict pattern. The coating avoids texture, the color scheme is restrained and monochrome. The most popular coatings are made of concrete and marble filling with inclusions of glass elements edged with metal. The aquatic environment is presented in an original way in this technological design.

The design of the paths has the same striking uniqueness. Japanese style. If the high-tech style sharply distinguishes the natural environment and the human environment, the Japanese style includes humans in the natural landscape. The finishing materials here are natural stone and wood, plants and streams. The paths are combined with bridges and recreation areas in a classic Japanese style.

Great importance is attached to natural stone. The stone has a deep philosophical meaning and is a symbol of original ethnic design. The entire garden or a separate section of it is decorated with appropriate plants. The paths have smooth curves, the surface is decorated using pebbles, crushed stone and flat boulders.

The width can be arbitrary: from very narrow paths for contemplative solitary walks to wide dry rivers. Flat and smooth paths are combined with yielding rapids boulders.

From the same materials you can create completely different style solutions for decorating your dacha area.

Let’s take a closer look at what materials can be used in the construction of country communications.

Materials

Different materials are used to make paths.

Flagstone

Traditional options for designing paths at the dacha are natural and artificial flagstone. The stone has a maximum wear resistance coefficient; it is one of the most durable materials. It is not exposed to seasonal temperature changes and has the necessary roughness, which ensures no slipping. Has a huge palette of colors. It is better to choose the color to match the color of the house or base: this will compositionally unite the house and garden.

Laying flagstone does not require special skills; this work can be completed without the involvement of special workers. Prepare the ground for the hard surface, laying the stone with a small gap (like a mosaic).

The stone covering does not require a curb; any bend in the trajectory can be made.

The width of the path can be easily changed smoothly along its entire length, which gives a natural look to the entire appearance of the garden and yard.

There are several types of natural stone: slate, quartzite, granite, sandstone, shungite. Stone with spaces filled with turf grass creates a warm and comfortable transition through the area. The disadvantages of this paving include the high cost of the material. For a budget option, it is better to use paving slabs.

Paving slabs

Paving slabs are not inferior in strength to stone. There are concrete and ceramic tiles. It may have a pattern, then it is laid out in the form of an ornament. This is a very colorful coating with excellent performance qualities. Manufacturers offer surface-painted or fully colored tiles (in the first case, the top layer may wear off after a few years).

For the parking lot and the front alley, vibrocast tiles are used: they are more resistant to loads; for paths, vibropressed tiles are more appropriate. Tiles are produced in the form of bricks, diamonds, and coils of different colors. Smooth edges allow you to install a border that can be matched to the tone of the main pattern. Paving is carried out using hard surface technology with a wide variety of patterns.

Clinker brick

A durable hard surface is clinker brick. This material is not afraid of moisture, has an interesting range of colors and is designed specifically for paths. It can be filled with a cement-sand mixture. Another way is to fill the top layer with soil and sow grass seeds, however, caring for this coating is more labor-intensive (you will have to remove weeds and sow grass in places where there is abrasion).

You can lay out various patterns from brick, just like from parquet blocks.

Decking

A special garden wooden parquet - decking - has been created for road surfaces. For its production, particularly hard wood or plastic is used, simulating various types of parquet wood layout. Decking is produced in the form of slabs or individual planks, which are laid out on a prepared base in a specific pattern. The sections have dimensions of 35 x 50 cm or 50 x 50 cm, due to special fastenings they are connected to each other, they are placed on special supports. This connection allows you to model the path according to the terrain of the site.

You can assemble the parquet flooring yourself. Using decking boards to design paths made from natural or polymer materials will not break the budget. Decking requires the preparation of a base made of concrete screed or sand and gravel cushion. Garden parquet requires thorough care; it must be protected from moisture and regularly impregnated with special compounds. Particularly valuable wood species need to be dismantled for the winter.

Concrete

You can make a hard road surface yourself from reinforced concrete. Prepare a sand and crushed stone bed. A metal mesh is placed on it. The formwork is installed and filled with cement-sand mixture. The top layer can be decorated with pieces of old ceramic tiles and broken dishes. The result will be a kind of colorful mosaic.

An original pattern can be laid out from multi-colored caps from plastic bottles into not yet hardened cement. True, you will have to make an effort to collect them. However, the result will be bright and exclusive. If a river flows nearby, the surface of the concrete path can be lined with pebbles or shells.

Various patterns and natural colors of the path will decorate your summer cottage.

Modules

If there is a lack of finishing material, it is worth casting separate concrete slabs. It is worth preparing a pillow of the size for the base, making formwork in the ground and pouring it with concrete, the top will remain to be decorated according to your taste and the availability of material. Combining materials gives an excellent effect: this breaks the monotony of one finishing material. At the same time, high performance qualities are maintained.

The advantages of modular tracks are the variety of shapes, the possibility of decorating them with improvised materials, adding color using tint. Modular tracks are easy to repair by replacing modules. They can be made gradually, lengthening the track as needed. Simple rectangular modules look stylish against the background of the lawn.

Plastic

Plastic garden paths have become a new offer on the finishing materials market. They immediately gained popularity due to their ease of installation, ease of maintenance and low cost. Colorful plastic coverings are sold in rolls or modules, which are assembled like a construction set. This type of coating is not as durable, but it performs well against dirt. Even a pensioner can lay roller paths on his summer cottage.

Plastic modules are indispensable in the garden or playground; they are easy to move to the right place or put away for the winter.

Gravel and crushed stone

Soft paths in the garden plot are covered with gravel and crushed stone. For the base, dig a shallow trench, compact the bottom, lay geotextiles and fill with crushed stone or gravel. It is better to install borders here so that small pebbles do not spread throughout the area. This type of path looks especially impressive when using gravel of different colors.

Rubber

Budget-friendly and comfortable paths are made from rubber mats. Rectangles of thick rubber are placed in the right place - and the path is ready. It does not slip, it is pleasant to walk on it barefoot, as it is warm even in cool weather, light and durable, and will last for several seasons. Often in this case, rubber tires from old wheels are used.

To do this, the side parts of the tire are cut off, the resulting ring is cut and straightened into a track. On one side it is smooth, on the other it has a tire texture. You can use both sides. Aesthetic qualities leave much to be desired, but such paths perform the practical function of protecting against dirt well.

Tree

Traditional wooden paths in the country are environmentally friendly, inexpensive and beautiful. You can use leftover boards or wooden pallets from transporting building materials. The pallets are of sufficient width, the blocks consist of identical processed boards. They can be laid out along the route, but their service life will be short-lived and some boards may break and pose a risk of injury. It is better to dismantle the pallets, prepare a trench from crushed stone or concrete, lay boards on top of the logs, secure them with self-tapping screws and treat them with special anti-rotting agents.

Paths made from wood cuts look beautiful. They cut down stumps 10-15 cm high, prepare a trench, and fill in a sand cushion. Hemp impregnated with an anti-corrosion compound is installed in the trench, the gaps are filled with sand or small crushed stone. Such paths are appropriate in coniferous landscape compositions.

Bottles

A path made of bottles will be a unique solution for garden communications. The principle of the device is similar to the previous version. Only instead of stumps they install bottles filled with sand. The glare of light reflected from the glass creates a pleasant shine.

The trench for the path can be lined with bricks left over from construction. It is worth remembering that red brick is susceptible to moisture. After a few years it will have to be replaced with a new one. Preparation for installation is done as for a hard surface.

Paved paths made of paving stones or cobblestones are the most preferred options for creating a hard road surface. These materials are durable, wear-resistant, and their decorative qualities make it possible to use paving in the front area.

Masonry schemes

There are many options for laying paths. Creating them is a fascinating process.

At the same time, for the best result, it makes sense to turn to the basic schemes that professionals adhere to:

• Linear-angular diagram. The bars are laid with their ends to the edge of the longitudinal side. It turns out to be a “herringbone” at an angle of 90 or 45 degrees.
• Linear with shift. Classic form: the bars are laid in a row, the second row is installed with a seam in the middle of the long side of the first row, while the outer bars are shortened by half.

• Multi-colored tiles are laid in a checkerboard pattern.
• The “braid” is obtained by alternating longitudinal and transverse tiles.
• The end arrangement of the bars is used to mark the boundaries of a path or pattern.

When choosing a laying method, you need to know that the transverse arrangement of the tiles visually shortens the length of the path (and vice versa). A “herringbone” at an angle of 45 degrees visually compresses the space, a “herringbone” at an angle of 90 degrees expands the track surface. The easiest to install patterns are herringbone and braided. They are convenient to use when working with regular-shaped bricks or rectangular tiles.

The stone can be laid “seam to seam” or “in a run”. In the first case, the edges of the ends are aligned, in the second they are shifted by a certain amount. Laying "in a run" gives an interesting picture of movement in a wave or diagonally. Alternating longitudinal and end parts of the stone are used. This technique creates “Gothic”, “Dutch” masonry, “well” or “cross” masonry. The most difficult is the “radial” masonry. Its implementation is best left to specialists.

Marking

The initial stage of arranging paths is marking the route. To do this, fill the contours of the future path with chalk or sand along the entire length and required width. The width is set slightly larger than the size of the path itself for installing formwork, curbing or installing a drainage system. They study the route again, assessing the convenience and adequacy of the path width. It is important to take into account the view that opens from the path and think about where the water supply and electrical cables will run.

To do this, they walk along the future route several times, visually representing the size of adult plants along the path, so that as they grow, they do not interfere with traffic, and the roots do not destroy the road surface. The path should be at least 2 meters away from large trees. If there are no green spaces yet (or they have not yet grown), the contour of the crown in an adult state is outlined with sand. Dimensions can be found in plant growing reference books.

It can be difficult to imagine a particular plant in the future. Then use the following technique. Place large stones, boxes, or drive a stake at the planting sites (this will help with visualization). After approval of the route, the paths begin to lay out the finishing material.

How to post?

To save material resources, many landowners build a pedestrian network in their dacha with their own hands. This process consists of several stages.

Digging a trench for the path bed

Based on backfilling, soil is selected to the required depth:

• for hard surfaces 25-30 cm;
• for filling by 10 cm.

The bottom of the trench is leveled and checked to the construction level so that there are no holes or bulges. It is necessary to monitor the general slope of the path for water drainage (5 degrees). If it is not possible to provide this slope, provide for slopes of the finishing material sheet itself towards the sides (5 to 15 degrees). The bottom of the trench is compacted with a log with a nailed plank or a mechanical tamper.

Preparing the base

Sand is poured onto the bottom in a layer of 5 cm for hard and soft surfaces. Compact, check the level of the horizon and slope. Next, crushed stone is poured with a layer thickness of 5 - 10 cm. You can combine these two components and immediately fill the bottom with a sand-gravel mixture. Next comes another layer of sand 5 cm thick. Everything needs to be thoroughly watered and left to dry for several days. Finally, they carry out a final check of the level and add sand in the right places - and the base is ready.

Laying finishing material

Stone, tiles or bricks are laid out on the compacted top layer of sand according to the chosen pattern. If you lack experience, it is better to first lay out a small part of the pattern on the ground, and then lay it out on the base. Flagstone, cobblestones, paving slabs can be laid on a cement-sand mixture or concrete. Bricks and paving stones - on sand.

The technology for laying on concrete is similar to indoor tiling. In the second case, sand and sand-cement mixture are poured onto the base in a small layer. The covering material is tightly laid on them and compacted, regularly pouring sand or mixture on top, swept with a brush, spilled with water, and sand is added again until the seams are completely filled.

If it is necessary to install a curb, it is installed before work begins on the construction of the base for the walkway. For backfill paths, the technology is simpler. Here you can use the option of laying it on a concrete screed with a curb or on a sand-gravel mixture. For narrow garden walking paths, a simplified version of the construction of paths made of brick, gravel, sand, concrete or paving slabs is used.

Design

Summer cottages equipped with high-quality paths are a great convenience for the owners. At the same time, they also have a decorative function, and therefore require careful attention to the choice of shape and material of manufacture. A garden plot with a variety of uneven paths looks out of date. Designers advise adhering to a single design style for the entire summer cottage. The exception is particularly large areas of 30 acres or more, where you can allocate a place for a regular garden with straight wide alleys, borders and flower beds along them. Here it is worth decorating a front area with a fountain and a circular path around.

In a large garden area there is room for several stylistic solutions:

• You can set up a Japanese garden with a dry stream or a mysterious forest alley. Most dachas do not have this advantage, so the house, outbuildings and communications design are kept in a single design. The material of the blind area and finishing of the house is taken as a basis, the color of the tiles is selected to match.
• Traditional rural style with a log house or bathhouse will be complemented by paths made of stone or wood cuts. These paths in the shade can be framed with hostas or ferns, in the sun with bright sage and lavender.

• In an English garden with its natural beauty, brick paths are indispensable. They look harmonious among the riot of summer greenery and wildflowers with bright accents of roses, being protected from prying eyes by dense hedges of evergreen conifers.
• It would seem that a gravel path looks boring. However, if you decorate it with suitable plants, the view will be transformed into an elegant alley.

Landscape design in the Scandinavian style combines simplicity and expressiveness. Cobblestones, paving stones, clinker bricks, natural boulders, pebbles with their natural weight will support the dark thuja needles against the background of white buildings. Mossy tiles can echo the gray stone of the paths. The design of the site preserves the natural contours; some curvature of the paths will add expressiveness and mystery to the northern design. These gardens contain compositions of coniferous plants and stones, alpine slides and rock gardens. Visitors will want to take a closer look at these compositional accents, so paths should skirt these areas and reveal their full beauty.

In homes with children, you can create original paths with your own hands from scrap materials. A few ideas for using plastic gratings will help transform your yard and protect it from dirt. The gratings are easy to install on a leveled area covered with geotextiles. Some of the forms can be filled with soil, seeded with lawn grass, and other cells can be filled with sand or small crushed stone. This design is quite reliable; soil and sand will create the necessary strength and keep the yard and paths clean and tidy.

The bright mosaic on the paths will delight the eye for many years, lifting your mood in cloudy weather. Ceramics and glass are durable, mosaic fragments can be easily repaired by replacing parts with new ones. By pouring concrete forms yourself, you can decorate them with unusual mosaics made of glass or pebbles. There are a lot of design options.

The improvement of the dacha area begins with the design of the front area. The best decorative materials are used to decorate the courtyard area. The path from the gate to the porch is the calling card of the owners.

There is no need to save money; it is better to purchase material that matches the decoration of the house:

• Remote paths can be made from budget or improvised materials; for example, paths made from thick and wicker branches like a wattle fence look interesting.
• An ordinary dirt path is covered with sand and planted with border plants: the result is a beautiful and practical path.

Installing a curb makes the structure more expensive. If this is not a regular park alley, it is better to limit ordinary country paths with the remains of stone or brick or install formwork from boards. A protruding border will make it difficult to mow the grass; you will have to cut the grass along it with garden shears. This drawback also applies to the track surface. To do this, the surface of the path is buried to ground level or a couple of centimeters below (for ease of lawn processing).

When planning walking routes, you need to make sure that the path does not run into a fence. If this cannot be avoided, a false gate, an arch with a bench, or a flower bed are arranged at the end of the path. Don't be afraid of the terrain on the site: steps made of large boulders or concrete sleepers add charm and charm to the landscape design. An important detail is the competent technological design of the steps: walking on them should be comfortable.

A skillful combination of finishing materials on one path looks beautiful. These materials should match each other in color and structure (for example, stone and crushed stone, boulders and pebbles). Use materials that are available locally. For example, to create an island in a Japanese garden, it is enough to place pyramids of ordinary stones along the path at some distance.

An illuminated or illuminated path looks impressive. Modern LED lights are safe. They consume little energy, create a romantic night garden atmosphere and allow you to safely travel around the site. Lighting requires electrical cable installation. It is placed at a safe depth in a special corrugated hose to protect it from damage.

All work on laying electricity and water supply systems is carried out before the construction of the roadway: if the technological sequence is disrupted, some sections of ready-made paths will have to be dismantled for laying cables and pipes.

Beautiful examples

Stylish paths are an important element of landscape design on the site. By designing paths, you can create a garden in a minimalist style from concrete structures with a minimum of decor.

The use of color will add bright colors to the spring and autumn seasons. The use of a material of one shade in finishing the path allows you to create a monochrome garden. If it is planted with flowers of the same color, there will be a unique complex of plants and landscaping structures.

Bridges and steps will add color to the path and garden, enhance the steep terrain of the site, and help decorate a cliff or hill.

A few years ago, only parks and squares were equipped with paths. Today, every summer resident strives to improve his plot. We present some beautiful examples of designing garden paths.

You will learn how to make a garden path yourself from the following video.

The entrance to the house, despite all its functional limitations, is as important from an aesthetic point of view as any flower garden. After all, a private “roadway” from the gate to the house is not just a necessity, but also part of the image of the garden, influencing its perception by the owners, their guests, and just passers-by.

To turn a simple entrance into an attractive corner that fits into the garden, you don’t need to use any special tricks: a simple design, consistent with the general concept, will make it a real highlight of the garden - not boring, original and colorful.

Deborah Silve

Landscaping access roads - a fun solution for boring objects

Regardless of how exactly you have arranged the entrance to the house or garage on your site - simply in the form of a concrete platform, a paved wide path, with or without a divider and lawn inserts - it always seems boring, flat and an obligatory element, inferior in all respects to the front garden and decorative garden compositions.

Entrances can be different: open or partially hidden behind hedges, running parallel to a fence or hedge or almost in the middle of one of the sides of the site, long or very short. Their main characteristics are a solid foundation, wear resistance and durability. But obligatory and practical are not always ugly. And we’re not just talking about the fact that the driveway can be paved with a variety of concrete blocks, and partly even planted with a lawn on top of a solid foundation. And it’s not about the fact that installation options or the use of fashionable colored concrete will help make the entrance more individual. After all, the fact that heavy vehicles move along this “track” does not at all interfere with landscaping the area. And there are countless options for arrangement - from simple and modest to almost unrecognizable transformation.

Randle Siddeley

However, it should be immediately clarified that it is not the entrance itself that needs to be landscaped, but the areas adjacent to it. Usually - “side” strips of soil, narrow residual ribbons, which can be considered as a ribbon flower bed or ridge. In fact, plants decorate the sides of the entrance leading from the gate to the house or garage - or its “sides”. At the same time, in terms of design options, regardless of the style and size of the plot, all gardeners are limited by purely technical requirements:

1. Plants growing on the sides should not interfere with the passage of a car or free movement, which means they should not be spreading and splayed, their crown should not hang over the entrance even at a height of 2 meters;
2. You cannot use aggressive crops, especially from the category of vines and ground covers that are prone to uncontrolled spreading of shoots;
3. All crops that are used in landscaping the driveway must be gas and wind resistant and not afraid of pollution;
4. It is better to use plants that do not require special care and are not afraid of close proximity.

You need to think about landscaping the entrance even when one of the sides is adjacent to lush hedges. Without additional design, the driveway will always look flat, open and completely unattractive. And the only tools with which you can correct the situation are paints and greenery from plants. And in the design of entrances it is better to use all categories of garden crops:

• trees or shrubs that will balance the entrance and compensate for its “flatness”, connect this object with the building and the main garden, and add expressiveness to the design;
• herbaceous perennials are hardy, creating lush ensembles for many years;
• seasonal accents - not necessarily annuals, but plants planted for a specific season that will ensure the attractiveness of the entrance all year round.

Ian Abrams

But choosing the right plants is not as decisive as using them. When decorating entrances with the help of hardy and colorful plants, you need to create a bright frame that seems to solemnly “enclose” the roadway in the embrace of the garden. Landscaping entrances has its own rules and features:

1. In design you need to actively use verticals, play with them, create expressive, elongated ensembles on both sides of the entrance. The height of the crops is very important: if you surround a flat entrance to the house with the same flat ridge, the situation will not be improved with paints alone. The landscaping should actually compensate for the absolute flatness of the entrance itself, acting as a counterweight to the large empty area. To achieve this effect, you can use:
   • woody;
   • tall bushes;
   • vines on supports.
2. Immediately determine how isolated you want to make the entrance, the degree to which the panorama will be blocked by the planted plants. The best option is to place large plants in such a way as to create the illusion of separation from the rest of the area, but not completely, but just lightly. The house and garden landscapes should be visible from the entrance; slits can be left in the line of plants and vertical accents can be planted at a considerable distance. Even if you build a pergola around the entrance on one side, you should not create a solid green wall. The balance of tall and short plants should be approximately 50/50.
3. Connecting the driveway to the rest of the garden is the most important landscaping task. Thanks to compositions of flowering and ornamental plants, a simple and boring road should turn into a colorful path that seems to anticipate a garden show. And to achieve this, you need to immediately make an impression, do not forget to take into account the architecture of the house and the design motifs already used in the garden. The design of the entrance must match the style and color concept of the garden as a whole and especially the front garden. At least half of the plants you will use should be found in other objects in the garden. It’s better to use a typical set of plants. After all, you can simply experiment with new varieties. Pay special attention to color: it will be good if you use strong, “explosive” colors in the plants at the entrance to the house, which will immediately make it clear which colors dominate the garden flower beds.
4. The more expressive the ensembles themselves at the entrance are, the better. Don’t be afraid to emphasize tall plants with short ones, lush ones with slender ones, large-leaved ones with small-leaved ones. Feel free to play with texture and color, use unusual combinations: taking risks in the design of driveways is always justified.
5. Allocate as much soil as you can afford for landscaping your driveway, but within reason. In order to create a colorful frame, a very narrow strip of soil is enough. If the entrance is adjacent to a flower bed or front garden, hedge or other decorative objects, simply separate at least a 40-60 cm strip of soil along the edge. For a beautiful alley, a meter strip of soil is enough. And if your entrance “butts” sideways against a fence, you can always come up with an original solution: both potted plants and crops that can be content with a minimum of soil will help to add accents. They can be planted literally in the cracks between stones (from sedums to sedum, thyme, saxifrage).

Sue

Three main options that will help turn your entrance into a colorful miracle

Option 1

Blooming alley– a design emphasizing the shape and purpose of the entrance area, relying on wood with a colorful retinue. It is enough to place slender ornamental trees in a row with large openings and complement them with a “flat” flower garden with bright seasonal plants and several perennials that create the basis for the design. Plants are selected so that flowering practically does not fade.

Option 2

Pergola around the perimeter and colorful climbing frames. Thanks to the construction of an additional structure along the entrance, the entrance will be as good as any garden gazebo and will turn into a secluded, cozy and surprisingly intimate area without losing its meaning. At the same time, the pergola can be replaced with wooden trellises or supports for climbing frames that are equal in semantic value, but less labor-intensive in construction - objects of small architecture, which will also serve as the basis for colorful garden vines. In order for the pergola to become a spectacular element of small architecture and a special decoration of the entrance, do not be afraid to use 3-4 different vines and plant under them the most lush and lush, voluminous thickets of perennials. And to add expressiveness, simply add accents with evergreens or topiary.

Option 3

Hedges on both sides. This method of landscaping will help to visually separate the entrance from the garden without losing touch with it, and surround it with colorful flowering ribbons that set the tone for being in the garden from the very first meters. The main requirement for such a hedge is that it must combine the first row of perennials with a base of shrubs so as to create the most expressive ensembles with variegated textures and colors.

Natasha

Plants for decorating entrances to the house

The main stars in the design of driveways, hedges or flower beds under pergolas and supports with vines are shrubs and trees. Tall, lush, voluminous, they are the ones who connect the entrance to the garden and give it expressiveness and harmony. Their functions are very important. And the choice is more than great. The main favorites among trees are ornamental apple and plum trees, cherry trees and white tree forms. A luxurious frame can also be created from Japanese cherry - the legendary sakura. And strict accents can be easily added with the help of elms, cypress trees or columnar thujas. If you prefer climbing roses on supports, then you can safely mix climbing roses, clematis, wisteria, and honeysuckle in the design.

For lush floral ensembles and variations on the theme of hedges, shrubs such as:

• gray rose;
• weigelia;
• David's buddleia.

In flower beds, completely different shrubs will help to complement perennials - more modest in size Japanese quince, deutzia, spirea and colorful barberries, as well as boxwoods, which always add festive solemnity.

Loree Bohl

The choice of perennials is perhaps the most difficult. After all, so many plants can successfully fit into the design! Their choice varies depending on the style, color concept, tastes, and is almost as varied as for a regular flower garden. But there are also unconditional stars that will not let you down in landscaping entrances:

• all garden geraniums;
• splint;
• chistets Byzantine;
• sedums;
• sages;
• carnation;
• yarrows;
• thymes;
• oriental poppy;
• Veronica;
• tulips, etc.