Large expanses of lawn can be high maintenance and require continuous weed control, fertilizer, pest control and watering. If you need a big area for football, soccer, golf practice and all that then lawns are worth the trouble.
But, did you ever feel like giving up on your lawn and paving the whole thing? Of course you have, however, let’s face it, it’s not practical. Your neighbors would probably tar and feather you. Not only that, but you wouldn’t be really happy even if they didn’t. Your yard would look like a desert and feel like one too. Besides, the idea is to plant more trees, shrubs and turf to improve our environments and not to pave over paradise.
If you fertilized and mowed your lawn properly, you may still have some trouble spots. Those areas that are too shady or too heavily trafficked need to be handled in some other way than turf.
Shady spots might be ideal for a small terrace, or a paved area where you can sit and enjoy the cool location. If this is not practical in your landscape, then shade-loving ground covers or shrubs might be utilized. When it comes to heavy traffic areas, a good solution is a garden walkway. Walks are as much a part of a garden as are grass, shrubs and trees. But, as with the rest of the garden, walks should be carefully designed. They also must be practical.
As a general rule, a walk should go somewhere. It should serve a purpose. A walk from the sidewalk to the front door is an example of a walk with a purpose. However, the purpose is not served in a practical way if the walk is designed to follow an “s” curve throughout the lawn. On the other hand, if the walk is made to curve about a group of trees or to go round a clump of shrubbery, then the design serves a purpose. Some folks like to create an entry garden path incorporated into a water feature with fish and lilies.
A walk from the sidewalk to the front door, from the kitchen door to the garbage can, or a walk around the house as part of a service entrance are all examples of walks that have a useful purpose.
But landscape architects sometimes design walks that are useful in another way. One practice is to run a walk about the border of the lawn, separating the grass from the shrubbery along the lot line. In one corner, the walk may bulge out into patio size for chairs and perhaps an outdoor barbecue.
The walk may serve as a mowing strip or limit the borders of the plant beds. It may provide a comfortable way to stroll through the garden to enjoy plants from a close up viewpoint. If there are small children, it may even provide a safe tricycle or skateboard run. In some cases, the walk may end up going nowhere but give a sense of depth to a small garden.
When we speak of paved walks, drives or patios, one material that usually comes to mind is concrete. It is durable and extremely versatile. Concrete comes in many textures and colors and may be designed in many ways. For example, large stepping stone, 16 by 16 or 20 by 20 inches, often can be used very effectively for making walks. Zoysia grass may be grown between them, or the grass that is used for planting the lawn. This discourages unwanted skate boarders. Flagstone and lava stone are available at garden shops as well.
Leveling the ground where stepping stones are to be placed is very important, but if the area is filled with large roots, the stones soon will be tipped one way or another by the expanding roots. Gravel, crushed lava or coral may be used to level these spots but you don’t have to be a perfectionist. A little natural variation dose not hurt.
The important thing is to be creative and have fun.