Landscape Design & Implementation: Paths

   This is one of my mixed-materials "art paths". It consists of recycled red brick, granite & marble slab pieces, Mexican beach rocks, and slate flagstone.  The design is all about flowing shapes and patterns - it contains areas of predictable symmetry broken up by vignettes of free-form expression - all joined together by the continuity of the materials.  Every couple of steps you will see a new pattern emerging and dissolving ...then you notice that you've made it to the other side of the yard.  These photos were taken in winter, so the rest of the dormant garden is at it's aesthetic low point for the year, but the path makes it an interesting space to enjoy year round.

   This path is interesting because it is specifically intended to not be the star of the show.  It is beautiful, not because the rock material (Cascade granite) is anything special, but because of how it functions.  The stones are much more massive than they appear.  About 4-6 inches of each stone is buried underground with 1-2 above ground.  With each step you can feel the solidity and stability of the mass beneath your feet.  It is a path designed to make you choose your steps.  And while you are glancing down, who knows which of the thousands of plant or sculpture treasures might capture your attention.  The entire yard is designed to be a space for decompression and relaxation.  The network of paths don't take you anywhere except to the next beautiful scene - the bamboo grove, the bench under the wisteria arbor, the water's edge, the secret patio nestled among the cypresses - one after another after another...

   This path had a very specific purpose - to allow the home owners to travel from the driveway to the house without tracking wet grass (and associated muck) to the house every day.  They started out thinking that a very simple utilitarian path out of concrete or cement pavers would do just fine.  I suggested that if you are going to use it and see it every day, it should be more interesting than that, and the cost won't be much different.  So, the result is a gracefully sweeping path that still provides the shortest distance to walk between driveway and house along with a brand new planting area and bird bath to boot!  The stone is partially metamorphosed slate from western Montana. It is my favorite material to use here in the Northwest as it looks beautiful when it's dry but it blooms into an explosion of color when it's wet.  This transformation into warm reds, oranges, ochres, and soft greys is really appreciated in the damp, dusky, grey winter months.

   These are photos of different sections of a path that meanders from one end of the property to the other with courses of steps, patios, and gardens integrated along the way.  In some sections the path is intended to slow down movement, to dip in and out of sight, so that the woodland garden can be appreciated.  In other sections the path is wider as it serves as the primary walkway to and from the house, but still accomplishing this with gentle curves intended to subtely showcase certain planting areas.  The stone is a quartzite (or schist, depending on which geologist you talk to) from central Idaho.  It is a steely light grey with lots of mica flecks.  The look is subdued sophistication with a little sparkle thrown in for good measure.

   This is a network of paths designed to lead one through a tranquil garden space between the street and the house.  These photos were taken just after the paths were installed but before any significant plantings were put in.  At one point, the path has a dead end spur that takes you to a sitting rock.  Another spur takes you to the patio and french doors to the house, the main path circles around a bermed island to be planted with growing little treasures, and yet another spur leads you to the back yard where more wonders await...  You can imagine the possibilities!  The most utilitarian part is the wide section that connects the driveway and the original concrete front walk. This part was designed specifically to allow comfortable egress from a car parked close to that side of the driveway.  The flagstone is set in concrete with a pea gravel topping so it looks as if the gaps between stones are filled with natural gravel, but the path is, in fact, very solid, stable, and will not be a host to weeds.

   The goal here was simple - create a way to get from sidewalk to house.  The slope was steep enough to require steps, but the number of steps was minimized by creating a gentle switchback as the path snakes its way up the hill.  Reducing the number and height of steps in this way eliminates the need for a railing, which would have marred the clean, open, natural design of the front yard.  The primary entrance path to the home now has a hint of a typical mountain hiking path (but more civilized) which suits the classically handsome Northwest architecture of the house.  The curves of the path also change the view point of the walker along the way, drawing attention to a variety of features and interests (soon to be) in the planting beds.  This helps create a more relaxed, albeit short, journey from public space to private space.  The alternative to all this would have been a straight shot up many steps right to the front door.  Now, how much fun would that be?

   This is basically a service path through a community garden that wraps around a playground in Tacoma's Hilltop neighborhood.  The red bricks are recycled and the path is designed to allow wheelchair access throught the space.  I built the block wall at the same time, which allowed me to tie the two elements together for stability. 

   The goal on this one was to create a park-like setting for the front yard.  Before we got a hold of it, the yard was tired, weedy, mossy grass.  Now it is a personal park with trees, shrubs, sculptural boulders, and meandering gravel paths.  The pathways are made of a crushed rock material called "5/8 minus".  The '5/8' in the name refers to the largest particle size.  The 'minus' in the name refers to all the finer particles from the crushing process that filter down below the larger particles and compact to create a comfortable, stable walking surface (like you would find in a city park).  NOTE: The photo below, showing the very dark mulch was taken immediately after the job was completed. The other two photos were taken about 18 months later.

   This yard started out with a plain, six foot wide, grey gravel 'runway' to the front door with mossy grass filling the rest of the space.  Being on Bainbridge Island, it was important to make the path follow a direct path to the driveway so one could conveniently and efficiently make a mad dash to get to the ferry.  However, that did not require the path to be straight.  In a more casual mood, the traveler can stroll along and enjoy the sights & scents of the plantings and stone arrangements.  The contour of the ground caused the original path to slope down just before the porch steps.  I eliminated one step and built the flagstone up to the second wooden step of the porch, thereby making the path continuously level from beginning to end.  A short spur of stepping stones leads to the greenhouse at the side of the house.  As is often the case, the flagstone is my favorite partially metamorphosed surface slate from western Montana.

   This is another one of my mixed-materials "art paths". It consists of recycled red brick, Indonesian river stones, local river rock, tumbled Mexican beach stones, and quartzite gravel.  The original concrete path forced the pedestrian to make two right angle turns from the bottom of the steps to get to the back gate.  The homeowner wanted (very reasonably) to be able to travel more directly across the yard without having to wear a path in the grass.  Oh, and while we're at it, why not do it artfully?  There you go.  The orginal concrete walkway was left in place in order to keep the project budget under control, but will likely be removed in phase 2.