Adding a decorative walkway to your landscape adds visual interest while at the same time providing practical access to your garage or backyard. A pathway is a project many homeowners feel they can tackle on their own, but before you start plowing up your yard, you might want to read this helpful advice from Landscape Design Advice that covers three important factors for planning your project.

Shape and Design
Width
Materials

Walkway Designs and Shapes

The geometry of your walkway can be either curvilinear or straight. This is usually determined by the locations and relationships of the places that the walk is connecting. Walkway designs can be of different paving materials. For example, if the walk is to be a short one, forming a connection from the street to the front door, curves may not be possible.

Curves will provide a meandering feeling and create a more naturalistic feeling. One or more curves may make up the walk.

If your garden walkway is coming off a front porch, start off with lines that are perpendicular to the porch. You can then start the curve; the walk can be one large curve or it can have a few curves with “switchbacks”.

Straight paths have more of a directness about them. Yet the widths of the geometry can change and create interest. Rectilinear walkways can be very formal, they can have a traditional look to them, or they can just be a simple access way.

You might also have to consider including steps in the walk.

Widths

Depending on the importance of the walk, it might be wide or narrow. Front walks and those that are main access ways should be a minimum of 4 feet wide. They can be much wider and if you have the room or a wider walk fits with the scale of your surroundings, you might consider it.

Less important garden walkways can be 3 feet wide. These might be those that lead from the driveway to the backyard landscape.

Minor paths can be as narrow as 2 feet. Stepping stones can be even smaller.

If using stepping stones such as irregular pieces of bluestone, consider planting low growing plants, such as Thyme or Sedum, in between the stones for a very casual and natural look. These might be walks that are strictly practical. They also may be ones that lead further back into your backyard landscaping. It might be a path through the woods. Take a look at some walkway pictures and how I used them in my landscape projects.

Materials

The material should go well with material on your house. Expense is often a consideration. Here is the order of materials from most expensive to least costly:

1. Natural stone, such as bluestone, set in concrete
2. Natural stone, dry laid
3. Travertine pavers
4. Brick, drylaid. It is more expensive if set in concrete.
5. Concrete pavers
6. Stamped concrete
7. Concrete
8. Decomposed granite – There are three different applications for this material with varying costs.