Walking the Garden: Simple Garden Paths to Elaborate Mazes
Posted: Thursday, February 09, 2006
by lorien1973
Online Discount Mart Home & Garden Decor
Creating a path through the garden is often a major part of a garden’s design. The interior of a large garden can only be appreciated close up with the incorporation of a walk that allows visitors to admire all the gardener’s hard work—the beauty of the flowers and plants. In most types of gardens, paths not only draw onlookers through the garden, but the also divide planting beds and direct the eye and foot to various points of interest. The following article discusses paths and mazes employed by various garden styles and how today’s gardeners may incorporate them into their landscapes.
In small gardens, pathways may be functional and without much design needed. A city lot garden may not be the convenient place for a maze for instance. Consequently, the following article might be most practical for those landscapes comprised of a reasonable amount of space to several acres. On the other hand, even small gardens can make use of the information contained here as to how the paths are laid and what materials might be used.
Until the middle of the 18th century, Western gardens tended to be set along straight lines, paths especially. However, subsequent garden styles began to employ octagonal and circular shaped gardens with corresponding walkways which led to serpentine and maze-like styles. Oriental paths will also be discussed and they, of course, would not follow straight lines as an underlying principle of their design which, instead, sought to recreate nature—not to master it in unnatural form. Today, gardeners employ everything from straight, curved and maze-like walks for visitors to fully experience the garden.
Chinese gardens tend to employ winding paths that slowly reveal the garden like the unfurling of a scroll. Simple on paper, true, but perhaps difficult for the garden designer. But such paths inevitably led strollers along the edge of streams of pools, around rocks, over mounds, etc…It may sound like a bit of an obstacle course, but these types of gardens are laid out with this walk in mind and each trek of the path reveals something new about the garden. A tall evergreen may hide a hidden statue or a small garden waterfall my lie beyond a flowering hedge. Such gardens and even formal English gardens might even be termed as serene entertainments and they allow nature to captivate its onlookers.
The Japanese employ many types of walks and make use of all kinds of materials. They may be paved or laid with gravel. Simple wooden planks may lead visitors through the garden or rustic flag stones may provide the base of the walk. A paving of cut stone is generally seen in more formal gardens. Rustic gardens simply employ stepping stones. An interesting note about Japanese gardens is that while they will bridge a water element like any other garden style, they will literally lead one right through it. For example, it would be no surprise to find large flat rocks poking above the water beckoning walkers to simply step across.
Mazes or labyrinths are quite interesting in terms of garden design. Garden paths, even elaborately winding paths are usually not designed to shield the walker from viewing, simply to enhance the view as it leads one through in an attractive manner—generally speaking. Likewise, a mazed walk may be paved with bordering flora quite low to the ground. When viewed from a terrace or a higher spot in the garden, this is just another way or ornamenting the garden with a unique design.
However, think of those romantic English novels when strollers are subjected to all sorts of hidden entertainments when walking the grounds in these maze like gardens beset with shoulder high hedges, widening and narrowing corridors and random changes in direction. Such mazes may lead visitors to a center point where a spectacular focal attraction is employed like a rose-strewn gazebo or a grand fountain. Other mazes are floral in nature and are designed simply to showcase different species. Mazes are more difficult to maintain, but when successfully accomplished, they make for an unforgettable garden experience.
Whatever shape your garden takes, designing a path through it is essential for visitors. A grass path may be fine for a rustic cottage garden, but rain tends to make these messy and of course, after several treks, the grass becomes trampled and soon resembles a dirt path—which may also be used in rustic settings. A paved walk set by a landscaper is not as natural as other methods, but it is often the easiest to maintain and is certainly functional. Stone is attractive—either simple stepping stones or a paving of cut stones is also agreeable. Many gardens employ gravel paths and there is a wide variety of size and color to choose from at today’s garden centers.
Cobblestone paths are still chosen for restoration gardens and anywhere one wants to indulge in a bit of history. Both Victorian and colonial gardens could employ cobblestone paths. Wood is frequently used for sections of garden walks whether to span a water feature or in the form of garden steps leading to a different area of the garden. A treated wood that will withstand the elements should be chosen like redwood or cedar.
Keep in mind that the underlying purpose of the walk is to get from one place to another, so unless you aim for a completely rustic attitude where logs pose obstacles to the way, your path, even narrow, should be free of obstructions. No one wants their garden guest to walk into a thorny vine for instance. With that in mind, design your walk to lead visitors in an attractive manner where they can best appreciate the views. Plants that border the walk should be low to the ground as not to hide the plants behind them.
Garden ornaments might also be strategically set where viewers can see them. Gazing balls, birdbaths, sundials are simple attractive features. But consider more elaborate enhancements like garden ponds or small garden structures like arbors and pergolas. Before finalizing your path, walk it over several times. Perhaps the walk is screened from the compost heap but is it still a bit too close for the sense of smell on a ninety degree day? That’s merely one silly consideration, but your individual space will pose elements you want to direct the eye towards and often some areas you want to steer away from. It is up to the designer, but given the range of possibilities, it is a happy task!
by J. A. Young
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