Realistic tips for your romantic walkway

Paths are among the most romantic features in the typical suburban landscape.

Close your eyes and imagine a path. You see a winding walk leading to a rose garden or maybe a playhouse or bench tucked back in a woodsy area. It's easy to conjure the picture of a young woman in a long dress waiting for her sweetheart or little girls and their dolls enjoying a tea party.

But building that path requires more realistic considerations.

Rather than a romantic dream, you should have a monthlong inventory of how your yard is used before you plot the path, according to a tip sheet from the Morton Arboretum in Lisle.

One issue to explore: How do people travel across the lawn? Do they meander, walk in a straight line or cut diagonally?

Laying out a path with small flags and trying it out for a few weeks works well, said Abigail Rea, assistant manager of horticulture for the arboretum.

Frank Lloyd Wright's plan for houses inspired the vision of gardens for Barbara Rosborough of Rosborough Partners in Libertyville. The famous architect created cozy entries or hallways opening into grander spaces. The landscape architect thinks paths lined with say ferns or hostas should open onto a lawn, sitting area, fountain or maybe a lake view.

"A path should be inviting," she said. "What's beyond that space? I want to go wherever that is."

While Brian Jordison, landscape designer with James Martin Associates in Vernon Hills, appreciates the "romantic, cottage in the woods" feel of paths, he reminds us of the practical reasons we build them.

"It's a more firm or stable place to walk so you're not walking through mud or mulch or your plants," he said.

Jordison praises slabs of stone as path material because the large sizes mean a project requires less labor.

Bluestone - gray tones related to slate - is often found in straight-cut squares and rectangles that lead to a more formal look, although the irregular edges that the golden-toned flagstone is know for are available, said Rosborough.

A popular look has thyme or moss growing around the flagstone, which Jordison said can give the feeling the path's been there for many years. But if you want flagstone to fit tightly together it might require cutting stones in the field, which would add to the cost, he said.

Concrete steppingstones cost less than stone but can more or less mimic that look, he said. Rosborough lists other material choices, dictated by the home's architecture and materials.

Bark works for a woodland path, a really large lawn can carry a swath of grass, brick can be very formal, and gravel fits some paths, she said.

Decorative gravel like granite or bluestone is attractive for low-traffic areas that don't need to be shoveled in the winter, said Matt Haber, design director for Western DuPage Landscaping in Naperville.

Believe it or not, Rosborough says the biggest mistake with gravel paths is laying the stones too thick so they are difficult to walk on. She wants 4 to 6 inches of a hard, compacted base of gravel that clumps together topped with only one-half inch of more decorative stones. Angular or sharper gravel makes for safer walking than the rounder, more slippery pea gravel, she said.

The gravel must be edged to keep the stones from the grass or flower beds. Haber said a steel edging is all but invisible, but stone and brick work, too.

Rosborough's prime rule for paths is that the edges be crisp and obvious - like you planned and designed it, rather than walkways that look like an after thoughts.

Even a random-looking stone woodland path with moss between the pieces should be lined with a sweep of hostas or sweet woodruff with ferns or other plants behind them, she said.

And Rea warns that if plants are going to brush against your guests as they stroll down the path, choose ones that are soft and maybe aromatic. For a sunny path, she recommends bronze or green fennel.

Whatever material you lay for your path, you need to dig out a level course and install about one-half inch of sand under the walkway so you have an even path without wobbly stones, said Jordison. The pavers should be at least 1 inch thick, and set level with the ground around them. If they're too low you'll end up with mud on the stones; too high and people might trip on one.

And don't forget to take into consideration how water flows on the property because you want to send it to the right places, said Haber.

Almost as much as she loves paths, Rosborough appreciates the interest brought by grade changes in gardens. These can be on a path or by a patio, for example. If the area is not too steep it can even be a slope rather than something more definite like steps, she said.

<p class="factboxtextbold12col"><b>Tips from Morton Arboretum staff about planning your paths</b></p> <p class="factboxtextbold12col">• Take a month to "audit" how people walk on your property. Do they cut across the lawn in a diagonal or walk in a straight line out to the alley? Do they meander? </p> <p class="factboxtextbold12col">• Take note of what areas get a lot of foot traffic. Consider paving with a hard surface such as concrete or bricks.</p> <p class="factboxtextbold12col">• For a walkway that will hold equipment or wheelchairs, make the pathway smooth and stable.</p> <p class="factboxtextbold12col">• When a path reaches an entrance, widen the area in front of the door so people can gather there.</p> <p class="factboxtextbold12col">• If people typically walk side by side on a particular path, make it 5 feet wide.</p> <p class="factboxtextbold12col">• Try to conform to the colors found around your home, and make your walkways the same or a shade darker than your house. When the sun reflects off a path, it will appear lighter, calling more attention to the path than to where the path leads.</p> <p class="factboxtextbold12col">• Curved paths are terrific for casual strolls, while paths in straight lines are better for specific tasks, such as taking out the garbage or walking from the front door to the public sidewalk.</p>