PATHWAYS
A garden must have a pathway leading to house or destination, keeping aside other paths. The main criteria for a good garden path are that it be a flat, dry, & pleasant looking passage way for people to walk through. A path with graceful & gentle curves will look much better aesthetically rather than a straight path.
Gravel Paths
These are made similar to gravel driveways, except that the foundation material used will be less.
Bricks Paths
The foundation of a brick path is made in the same way as that of a gravel path but leaving a space of about 5-7cm on the top for ashes or lime mortar & also the depth of the brick to be laid. The bricks chosen should be strong enough to withstand any kind of wear and tear, especially from heavy rainfall or other extreme weather conditions. If the bricks are laid below ground level, no cement will be required to join them. Many patterns can be put together for these pathways such as herring-bone or basket patterns. The inter spaces between the bricks are tightly packed with sand or with lime mortar if necessary.
Stone Paving
These are very popular forms, especially in places where stone slabs are easily available, as these are permanent and last long as well. The stones should be 3-5cm in thickness & rectangular in shape. The foundation is made in the same way as for the gravel path. Over this, a layer of 5-7cm of ashes, topped with fine sand is placed & leveled. To make the path permanent, 5cm of cement mortar is used instead of ash.
Here stones and rock blocks of different sizes, colors & irregular shapes are used. Stones used here will be thin about 2- 3.5cm only. The foundation is made in a similar manner to that of the other pathways. Over this, about a 2.5cm thickness layer of fine sand or ash is put, and levelled properly. The paving is laid firmly. To make it permanent, the paving will be bedded over 2.5cm cement mortar. The spaces in between are filled with good sandy loam soil when cement is not used so that some rocky plants can be grown here.
It is necessary to have a hard surface for pathways which are subject to heavy wear and tear. But if a pathway is used for only morning and evening walk, and for much gentle use, the most desirable and attractive one will be a grass path. Paving stones are placed at 60cm intervals in a single row just below the ground level at the places where there will be maximum usage of the pathway. This will give a stepping stone kind of effect. Alternatively, 2 or 3 bricks can also be used to bring in a similar look. Under the Indian climatic conditions, doob grass will be the best suited of all.
Pathways
