All You Need To Know Garden Paths

Enhance your home’s exterior by smartening the route to your front door, or through your garden, with a wonderful walkway

- Jacky Parker

Setts laid in an irregular pattern give a lived-in look

Whether you want to set a stylish tone that starts at the front gate, or create a pretty meandering walkway through flowers and foliage at the rear of your property, the right path will connect your home and garden.

WHAT DO I NEED TO CONSIDER FIRST?

Think about the style of your home, the period it was built, and the construction materials. A Victorian-style tiled path would look beautiful leading to a property of the same era, while gravel or chippings better suit a country house constructed with local stone for example. Also consider whether you’d like a straight path from A to B or winding walkways across a lawn to a shed, flower garden or outdoor dining area. Does it need to be practical for pushing a wheelbarrow along or more decorative? ‘Paths for front gardens are generally more formal than rear gardens, as they and the planting give context and a sense of arrival to the house. As such, they need to be visually strong enough to balance the architecture, with a minimum width of 1.2m,’ says Amanda Patton, landscape and garden designer.

WHAT ARE MY OPTIONS?

It depends what you have to spend and the surface area but a big budget doesn’t necessarily equate to a better look. There’s a lot you can achieve aesthetically with inexpensive materials. Think about whether you’d like the same path for the front and back, and consider the style, colours and textures in your garden – your path should blend in rather than stand out.

DO I NEED TO USE A PROFESSIONAL?