If you’re planning alterations to your garden, the visual impact of the path cannot be underestimated. This is far more than just a place to walk on, so make sure you think long and hard about how you want it to look. While it’s perfectly understandable for home owners to focus on the plants, shrubs, lawn and furniture, overlooking the path can have a detrimental effect on the final outcome.
The first consideration will often be where to site the path. If it starts close to the house, perhaps from a patio or terrace, where do you want it to go? Do you prefer an arrow-straight path right down the centre of the garden or perhaps a meandering one that takes you past a few of the more obvious focal points? When it comes to garden design Scotland home owners have a number of intriguing options.
And of course you should think about the materials that you want to use. Paths can be created from a number of materials, including brick, gravel, stone and mulch. If you’re using brick or stone, try to use local suppliers to ensure a good colour match, especially if the path is going to be close to the house. With mulch, you need to remember that it will need topping up with more mulch from time to time.
Put your own stamp on your garden path
It’s worth noting that there’s no such thing as the perfect path to suit all tastes. This is a chance for self-expression, so it makes sense to go with what you think is right, rather than anything the current fashions dictate. If you prefer clean edges to your path, try some box hedging, and if you’d rather have blurred lines think about flower beds and shrubs that overhang a little.
We’ve worked in Scotland landscaping for many years now, and one of the things we see on a regular basis is an emphasis on how the path looks during the day. While this is understandable, we like to offer advice and guidance on the use of outdoor lighting around the path area as well. It’s relatively easy these days to create some beautiful effects with lanterns, lamps and recessed lights.
And the good news for all budding path designers is you can create something special without harming the environment. Recycled path materials are available from a number of specialist suppliers, and with solar lighting you can enhance the power of daylight to bring some extra beauty.
Brown Earth Landscapes are specialists in landscape gardening in Scotland. Call 01250 884 342 to find out more.
