UP THE GARDEN PATH

There may be no one path to happiness, encourages you to look where you walk and that but you can find happiness with your path Create one that goes beyond utilitarian, that turns your journey into a delight not a drudge trudge!

1 Turn grey granite slabs curling up a slope into the star of your garden by making them oversized and giving them curves. The old-fashioned accompanying flowers are just the support act for this inspired piece of contemporary, chic design.

Every garden needs a path or two – to get you to the clothesline, the shed or your front door. It can be formal and straight or snake around your garden, taking you on a voyage of discovery. It can be rustic, or modern and sleek, depending on the style of your home. And the path material can blast a hole in your budget or be as cheap as wood chips. But what isn’t optional is that your path should take you up close and personal to your plants.

Every garden needs a path or two – to get you to the clothesline, the shed or your front door. It can be formal and straight or snake around your garden, taking you on a voyage of discovery. It can be rustic, or modern and sleek, depending on the style of your home. And the path material can blast a hole in your budget or be as cheap as wood chips. But what isn’t optional is that your path should take you up close and personal to your plants.

DESIGN considerations

• Try to make your path materials fit in with the colours and textures of your garden, as well as the style of your home. A gravel path sits well in the succulent garden of a modern home, while recycled bricks go with rose beds beautifying an older home.

• Be aware of instinctive access to gates, doors, play areas and clotheslines – if there is a shorter and more direct way across your lawn than by a path, it will be taken and your lawn will soon be worn bare.

• High-traffic paths need to be wider than side passages and made of sturdier materials.

• Measure the width of your garden essentials, such as the lawnmower and wheelbarrow, to ensure your paths are wide enough to accommodate them.