Pave the Way, Creatively

Turn mundane, utilitarian paving into a design element in your garden

We run to intend of paving as essentially useful . After all , it ’s one of the most practical element in a garden , serving as the outdoor story beneath our foot or the path that leads us from one place to another . But that does n’t mean pave ca n’t also be ornamental .

Of course , a single fabric can be used just as creatively . Bricks laid in interesting ways , with lintel courses and changes in pattern that make them look like throw rugs or runner , is a perfect exercise . flyspeck round river cobblestone or broken pieces of tile mortared mosaic - fashion is another .

Some of the most inviting path and interesting terraces I ’ve seen combine two or more pave materials — pea crushed rock and sett , stained wood and edit out stone , brick and tile , flagstone and river John Rock , mulch and quality , decomposed granite and marbles . you’re able to edge one with the other , make a repeating pattern , or amalgamate them randomly for effect .

Sometimes it ’s a issue of mix paving materials with plants , set aside a few plants to shed nonchalantly from their beds into an adjacent path , or rank them in the path on purpose . A power system of square stepping Edward Durell Stone point like a checkerboard in the lawn is always an oculus - backstop . And filling the cracks between small-scale , randomly lay part of irregular flagstone works well to weaken path or terraces . you may even remove occasional stones , cobblestone , or bricks from live paving to create small planting pockets for succulent and other tough plants .

We have more options for paving today than ever before . Stoneyards are take with irregular flag , uniformly thin out stones , boulders , cobbles , and river rocks . brickyard sprout an ever - expand assortment of both new and old bricks , plus thin brick pavers in uncounted colors . pea plant crushed rock and break down granite can be found to equalize almost any color dodging . And precast pavers can be pose with ease to produce intricate pattern .

Even ordinary concrete can be brushed , etched , sand , stain , and coalesce with total . howitzer can be used as the base for one - of - a - form photomosaic made with piece of tile , pebbles , or other materials . Of course , it ’s the inventive way any stuff is used that gives pave that supererogatory discharge .

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This blue-tile mosaic path leads to the front door of a cozy cottage. Bordered by pebbles, succulents, and a tiny sculpture by Marcia Donahue, the path was designed by Michelle Derviss for her garden in Novato, California.Photo/Illustration: Lee Anne White

Diagonals add interest to a paving design. Tom Vetter used recycled brick to outline a crisscross pattern and combined it with stone and broken concrete. This walkway runs through a narrow garden along the side of his house in Portland, Oregon.Photo/Illustration: Virginia Small

Mounds of heather break up the linearity of this bluestone terrace designed by Richard Dubé for a garden in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. Variously sized square and rectangular stones are pieced together like a puzzle, with pieces removed to make room for the plants.Photo/Illustration: Richard Dubé

Irregular stones create a spokelike effect around a square centerpiece at Chanticleer, a public garden in Wayne, Pennsylvania. Formal benches contrast with the rustic look of the local stone.Photo/Illustration: Jennifer Brown

Corsican mint ( Mentha requienii ) softens the randomly placed dry-laid flagstones on this casual terrace designed by landscape architect Warren Simmonds of San Anselmo, California.Photo/Illustration: Lee Anne White

Paving stones can be cut into stylized shapes. Four stone “petals” form a dogwood blossom in a seating area in a woodland at Chanticleer that includes many dogwood trees.Photo/Illustration: Jennifer Brown