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Can I Use Gravel and Stone for Garden Walkways?

Source: Dargan Landscape Architects
Source: Dargan Landscape Architects

When you think of a floor, chances are good you do not immediately think of your garden. By its very definition, however, a floor is a surface that is walked on. With that in mind, choosing the proper flooring for your gardens and their walkways is very important for both the function and overall appeal of your garden. Utilizing soft materials for garden floors can add to a tranquil setting and not take away too much attention from the work you have put into design and planting.

The first thing to determine is whether your garden is casual or formal. A general rule of thumb is to use loose materials for casual spaces and more structured materials for formal areas. The exception to that general rule would be maintenance. If you have many trees dropping leaves and seed pods onto your garden floor, loose materials can be difficult to keep clean-looking. The following are some ideas for utilizing soft materials for garden floors:

  • Flat pea gravel is a popular choice for both casual and formal spaces because of its compact size and versatility. It can be used for many applications such as walkways with edging, seating areas, and as filler between larger stone elements such as flagstone. Be careful not to put In too deep; we used a crusher run base of 3” and a 1” topping of gravel on the surface.

  • River rock is large stones that have been worn smooth from tumbling in a river. A natural-looking product, river rock can direct drainage and create dry creek beds for focal points. The stones can be difficult to walk on, so you may use them to edge a garden path rather than create main pathways.

  • Crushed granite can be used in both formal and casual gardens to create garden floors or pathways. The crushed stone is not smooth like pea gravel, however, the natural coloring blends well with most landscapes. It needs an edging of brick, metal or river rocks to hold it in place.

  • Soft-looking, smooth and fairly uniform in color, Mexican beach pebbles are a sophisticated choice for lining beds, walkways, and creating a zen-like atmosphere.

Let Dargan Landscape Architects design a master plan for your garden. View our past designs and contact us to learn more.

How Can I Incorporate Natural Elements into Garden Paths?

Source: Dargan Landscape Architects
Source: Dargan Landscape Architects

Garden paths may be functional and lead to a specific destination or they may be decorative and lend themselves to a stroll through your landscape. Regardless of their purpose, paths should always have a destination as a type of reward for whomever chooses to follow them. For a stroll-type path, the destination may be a beautiful centerpiece such as the one we created as a Dargan Landscape Architects project in this photo. Other destinations may be a sitting area or even a view of water. Incorporating natural elements into garden paths will ensure that whether the design is for function or fancy, they will still be beautiful and tie well into your garden’s overall design.

Once you have determined the destination, you need to assess what elements your garden path will pass through. When incorporating natural elements into garden paths, the idea is to keep them in character with the surroundings rather than having them clash or seem to be an afterthought. For example, a meandering pathway of variegated stones may not work well with a landscape that is ultra-modern and geometric.

To ensure the garden path is safe and comfortable for walking, stones or pavers should not have gaps larger than four inches between them and gravel-type paths must be secure enough to walk over without turning an ankle. Such safety measures do not have to impede your design, however. The materials you choose can be used in many ways to blend beautifully with your landscape. Irregular shapes can be used to create interesting walkways with live plants or pea gravel as space fillers. Uniform shapes can be mixed and matched to create interesting patterns or a cobbled look.

Before beginning construction on your garden paths, you should determine the end result you wish to achieve and create a plan. You can get some inspiration from our Dargan Landscape Architects photos or contact us to help you design and build the perfect pathway for your landscape.

 

Design Lifelong Landscapes: A Home Environment Workshop with Mary Palmer Dargan

Source: Mary Palmer Dargan
Source: Mary Palmer Dargan

Join Hugh & Mary Palmer Dargan, RLA, APLD for the Seattle, Washington Association of Professional Landscape Designers ( NOT landscap”ers”)  workshop being held on January 26, 2015 from 9 a.m.- 3p.m. The workshop is scheduled at the Center for Urban Horticulture, UW. An advanced course tailored to students with pending licenses, “Design Lifelong Landscapes: A Home Environment Workshop with Mary Palmer Dargan” will be an excellent addition to your portfolio. Homeowners with landscape designing interests are welcome!

As a landscape architect, author, professor, lecturer, and entrepreneur, Mary Palmer Dargan promises to inspire new horizons for your clients’ landscape designs. We will learn  Learn to merge the principles of fine art and landscape design with the functional beauty of permaculture techniques to create nourishing environments where your clients’ lifestyles can flourish.

Based on the relationship between humans and nature, permaculture is a form of ecological design meant to create sustainable architecture and self-sustaining, regenerative environments. Founded in the late 1970s, permaculture has grown into a thriving world-wide movement over the past 30 years. Through lectures and practical exercises, we will learn to design lifelong landscapes with Mary Palmer Dargan as she shares some of her vast wealth of knowledge with us.

Time to Take your Garden to School? Landscape Design Workshop Intensive in Seattle Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD) Presents Landscape Architect, Mary Palmer Dargan at the Center for Urban Horticulture

Source: Mary Palmer Dargan
Source: Mary Palmer Dargan

Does your garden need a tune-up? Would you like to learn landscape design tips from a master with 40 years in the landscape design trenches? When the APLD contacted me about offering this workshop, it presented the perfect opportunity to share how to  avoid the common landscape design mistakes and pitfalls. We’ll be taking our experiences with us on the road for a presentation at the APLDWA Annual Design Symposium.

Join Dargan Landscape Architectects at the APLDWA Annual Design Symposium in Seattle ( open to both homeowners and landscape designers)

On January 26th, Mary Palmer Dargan and her life/ business partner, Hugh Dargan, will host a presentation, lecture, and  a landscape design workshop intensive at the Center for Urban Horticulture in Seattle, Washington. The event is designed to help landscape professionals ( and landscape designing homeowners) avoid the common pitfalls that lead to “embarrassingly dysfunctional, over-budget & unsustainable client projects.”

The three secrets they’ll share are designed to help attendees design landscapes that are, in the words of ancient Roman author, architect, and civil engineer, Vitruvius, “firmitas, utilitas, venustas.” That’s, “solid, useful, beautiful,” for those of you who aren’t up on your Latin. These three secrets involve:

  1. Applying the tenets of a four-part master plan, so the project is not only aesthetically pleasing but is functional such that its purpose will be realized year after year.

  2. Implementing an innovative system of “layers,” which will help you organize and utilize site improvements.

  3. Using lifelong landscape design principles to create and guide a sustainable philosophy.

Registrants will receive a workbook (register early as we can’t guarantee workbooks for late-registrants) and are encouraged to bring paper copies of a survey at 1/8-inch of front or rear of project, an aerial photograph (Google Earth is great for those) and three photographs at letter size.

The cost is $150 for members, $200 for non-members, and $100 for students. The cost includes the workbook and an on-site lunch. Late registration (after 1/12/2015) is $250. Online registration will open soon at www.apldwa.org/events-and-news. You can also contact us here at Dargan for more information.

Blending Design & Shapes Into Outdoor Seating Areas

Blending Design & Shapes Into Outdoor Seating Areas
Source: Dargan Landscape Architects

As a career landscape architect and gardener, I’m very aware of the positive effects a landscape has on its owners. Your beautifully landscaped outdoor areas may be the only space to escape the trials and tribulations of daily life, as you breathe oxygen-rich air, surrounded by beautiful growing, living things.

Enhance the Holistic Benefits of Your Landscape by Blending Design and Shape into Outdoor Seating Areas

One of the best ways to reap the holistic benefits of your landscape is to add seating areas where you and guests can take a moment to comfortably soak up Mother Nature’s splendor.

Rather than plopping a few chairs or lounges down, I recommend integrating your seating areas by blending both their design and the shape into your existing landscape. Here are some examples of how to do so.

Use boundaries. Timeless cottage gardens have always used boundaries, both hardscape and natural, in order to define different landscape areas, whether they be winding walkways, raised kitchen gardens, or – yes – various seating areas. Larger spaces may be bordered using existing architectural walls or fences. If you are planning on creating a smaller or more intimate seating area, use a trellis, shrubs, or a small section of fencing to create a bit of privacy.

Consider circular or rounded additions. A rounded or circular shape can facilitate the flow of conversation in a particular seating area, as well as its aesthetics. Your rounded or curved seating area will also make a nice change if the majority of your landscape is portioned out in square or rectangular patterns. The addition of an arch or a trellis can also add the curved juxtaposition you’re looking for while serving as a focalization tool, guiding the eye to carefully proportioned and positioned table and chairs.

Use attractive flooring materials. Enhance your seating area’s design by using attractive flooring materials, like natural stone squares or pavers, that can be used in different colors and patterns, augmenting their visual appeal.

Blending design and shape into outdoor seating areas will make them as pleasant to the eye as they are to the soul.

Contact Dargan Landscape Architects to help you enhance your outdoor areas.