Garden Design (2015)

Journeys and routes

The contoured design of this footpath impels us on, yet allows casual exploration of adjacent lawns and planting.

DESIGN BY IAN KITSON

PATHS AND STEPS create journeys through the garden, guiding visitors and helping to control their experience of the different spaces, with broad pathways promoting a leisurely stroll, and twists and turns or a change in level forcing them to stop and consider a view or feature.

Designing a pathway

Just as boundaries define and delineate spaces, pathways connect key elements and facilities together, while also enabling movement through the space. The design of any pathway is determined by the status, function and position of the features that need to be accessed, the amount and type of traffic each route will receive and the characteristics of the site. Fundamental elements of any garden scheme, the way in which pathways flow and perform influences how we interact with and enjoy the spaces they link together, and their design therefore requires careful consideration.

The quickest route between two points is a straight line and this may be required for practical purposes or for impact when the path is punctuated by a striking focal point. A meandering route, on the other hand, allows for more lingering experiences of flowering plants and views of incidental or surprise elements, such as sculpture, water features or seating. However, nothing is more frustrating than negotiating a meandering path when the route should be more direct, and most designers would also guard against overly complex routes.

“A long, thin garden can feel like a corridor - the eye and the foot will travel quickly from one end to the other. To avoid this, use some indirect routes that travel across the garden to slow the pace, and make the space feel much wider too. You will find this allows you to create new vistas and enjoy every aspect of the garden.”

ANNE KEENAN

Consider the width

Paving width is critical when designing paths and this again is determined by use. For example, narrow, meandering paths are difficult for wheelbarrows, mowers and other equipment to negotiate, and the planting on either side will soon make the passageway unnavigable. Ideally, paths should be wide enough for two people to pass by comfortably, usually about 0.9-1.2 (3-4ft), but 0.6m (2ft) may be sufficient for a simple track through planting.

Using two or three paving materials and playing with the width and proportion of the pathway can create a spectrum of design statements. Subtle or dramatic, these can help to forge character into a landscape or create optical effects, such as using contrasting bands of paving materials to break up long expanses, or creating a pausing point with a contrasting paving material where pathways intersect.

Step designs

Navigating a change in level often requires the use of steps. There are recognised architectural specifications for steps’ height (risers) and depth (treads) for ease of use and comfort; a proportion of 7-11 is often specified, which relates to a maximum riser height of 17.7cm (7in) and tread width of 27.9cm (11in), although this is a guide, not a hard and fast rule. Rest areas are best included every 18 steps, for every 1.2m (4ft) in height, or where there is a change in direction. Also ensure paving materials are secure and provide good traction, and shed water to prevent flooding or ice forming in winter. Steps also help impart a style or look. Wide steps are welcoming and give an impression of permanence and grandeur, and are easy to traverse; narrow steps can be used to accentuate a gradient, particularly if they also change direction to navigate the slope.

CHOOSING MATERIALS FOR PATHS AND STEPS

Materials for paths and steps can range from turf and loose or fixed gravel through to bricks and paviors. Turf will require regular mowing and maintenance to keep it in good condition, but it’s cheap to install and useful for extensive spaces. Gravel and crushed stone is an effective fluid paving material that can be shaped and will flow like turf, but without the need to mow. Local gravels and stones lend regional character, while other aggregates can offer a variety of different colours and textures. Gravel is also an excellent foil for plants, ornaments and artefacts. Self-binding gravel or aggregate and clay mixes such as hoggin, which comprises dust-like and larger particles that are compressed to form a permeable, weed-free surface, are ideal for lightly trafficked country settings, while gravels sealed with resin offer a hard-wearing surface, suitable for heavily used or more urban and civic situations.

Slabs, bricks and concrete are good choices for the primary routes through the garden. Their high cost is offset by long-term durability and the visual quality they can bring. While recycled Yorkstone paving, antique brick or marble offer timeless elegance, paths created from reconstituted crushed stone and concrete can be just as effective and cheaper, with a bewildering range of textures, colours and shapes on offer. Sealed surfaces will require laying to falls to drains or soakaways, so that rainwater does not collect, resulting in hazards or flooding.

Dark cobbles create fluid patterns;

clay hoggin secured between granite sett edgings;

elongated grey slates create motion;

a rustic boardwalk effortlessly traverses a stream;

sawn stone strips dramatically contrast with gravel and cobble infill.

Informal pathways composed of hoggin (clay, sand and gravel bound together), suit country settings perfectly.

DESIGN BY JAMES SCOTT

Gravel is among the most flexible and cost-effective surfacing materials for pathways, allowing plants to encroach and blur the edges.

DESIGN BY ARABELLA LENNOX-BOYD

Changing the paving palette at key points creates visual variety or denotes a different status or use.

DESIGN BY ANNE KEENAN

Mown turf pathways are an easy and dramatic way to carve routes through meadows and wild gardens.

DESIGN BY ACRES WILD

Elevated timber boardwalks offer exciting opportunities to meander over wet and boggy ground.

DESIGN BY NIGEL PHILIPS

Timber sleeper edgings backfilled with gravel are easy to install and provide an inexpensive and dynamic method of creating steps.

DESIGN BY ACRES WILD

Rough-hewn irregular slate steps contrast with crafted mellow stone walls to create visual impact.

DESIGN BY JULIE TOLL

A flight of wide turf steps edged with stone allows the lawn to infuse the landscape, conveying a subtle change in level.

DESIGN BY SARA JANE ROTHWELL

Powerful yet elegant, these steps collect users from a wide terrace and direct them to a single point of entry.

DESIGN BY DOUGLAS COLTART