No matter if you are looking to navigate a small city draw or some rural acreage , there are a few rule of quarter round to espouse when building effective pathways . Keep these things in mind during your preparation and you will be well on your way to eld of wandering delectation in your garden . Learn more about creating picture - perfect garden tract here .
1 . Locate underground pipes and power lines . Before you travail , be certain to find any pipes , power lines , or other utility structures below the filth open . The price triggered by a misplaced digger can be high-priced at best or deadly at bad .
2 . Give plants space to grow . As enticing as it is to arrange young plant life as tightly as possible so that the plantings are full from the get - go , space them out to allow for growth . This will help to preclude a luck of upkeep - and - pruning woes and unsightly path later .
3 . establish a self-colored base . No matter if you are laying down peastone crushed rock , brick , or even slab of bluestone , it ’s important to lie down a foundation to stabilize your path . Begin by digging a flat oceanic abyss for your track ( 4 to 12 inches mysterious , depending on your terminal path material ) . Then add a sublayer of crush pit ( compacted to 2 to 4 inches compact ) , followed by an in layer of George Sand or gemstone junk ( if you are installing brick , pavers , or stone slabs ) .
4.Select a coarse grain . recede your footing is never a fun experience . When selecting your pathway textile , prefer one with a uncouth surface grain . A slick control surface , specially when wet , is a recipe for disaster .
5.Go as wide as potential . Although some spaces will only accommodate a narrow-minded path , if you have the space for a wide moorage , take it . If you want people to be able to wind your garden side - by - side , make your path a minimum of 4 to 5 feet wide . For smaller , exclusive - file paths , do n’t go any smaller than 3 feet all-encompassing — unless you delight worm lawn cart or other expectant garden objective through tight spaces .
Jennifer Benner is content editor program forFine horticulture . She has a bachelor ’s academic degree in horticulture from The Ohio State University .
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