Wendy Rogers
20241 Brockman Mill Road
Fiddletown, CA 95629
209-296-2345
20241 Brockman Mill Road
Fiddletown, CA 95629
209-296-2345
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| Creating a Cottage Path #1 It is very important when you are starting a project like this to level and compact the soil underlying the path. Remove any loose soil and stones, recycling them into another part of your garden ;) Get rid of those annoying clumps of grass. I toss mine to the goats! #2 Use a garden hose to create the shape of your path. Straight lines will be more formal looking, so try to incorporate some curves! #3 Choose the stepping stones that you will use. I chose these simple mortar caps because I liked the size and shape of them, and they were inexpensive. They are plain concrete gray. There are so many choices out there in home improvement land! Keep in mind your design goals: Color, shape, and function. #4 Lay down a good quality weed fabric. VERY IMPORTANT--DON'T SKIP THIS STEP! That weed fabric creates an essential barrier between your stones and gravel and the soil beneath. This is a relatively inexpensive and easy part of the project. Pleat your weed fabric so that it lays nicely in the curves, using stones to hold it in place until you place your stepping stones and gravel. |
| "Plants cry their gratitude for the sun in green joy" --Astrid Alauda |
#5 Spread a layer of sand for leveling and stabilizing your stones. This layer should be about
one inch deep. While not an essential step, this made the project a little easier on me. Whether
or not the path is more or less stable because of the sand, I guess we will have to wait and see!
#6 Place your stepping stones, leveling and straightening as you go. I gave my stones about 2"
of space between each one, and worked hard to make sure my path had good straight lines.
This extra effort paid off in the long run.
#7 Add gravel! I used a river stone gravel that came in 30 lb bags (1/2 yard) from Lowes. It is
round gravel, and is a little bigger than pea gravel. Gravel can be hauled in by the truck load if
you have a large project to do, but this bagged gravel had the texture and consistency that I
was looking for, and the bags actually made the project easier for me ;) See how I used fist
sized river stones to edge my path? Gravel tends to "wander" if not edged with something. I
have an unending free source of rock (an old gold mine) so this is a good use of a recycled
product. You may use reclaimed bricks, pieces of log ends, upside down recycled wine bottles
(YES! This looks beautiful!) See my rustic gravel path edged with pine branches below...
#8 Add dry mortar if you wish. My Dad did this to a walkway in his yard. He simply added
the dry mortar to the top of his stones and swept it into the "cracks", then he wet down the
walkway, gently cleaning the tops of the stepping stones as he went, being careful not to use
too much water. (The mortar should pass between our gravel, stabilizing the stones further,
but I skipped this step ;) The mortar hardens as it dries.
one inch deep. While not an essential step, this made the project a little easier on me. Whether
or not the path is more or less stable because of the sand, I guess we will have to wait and see!
#6 Place your stepping stones, leveling and straightening as you go. I gave my stones about 2"
of space between each one, and worked hard to make sure my path had good straight lines.
This extra effort paid off in the long run.
#7 Add gravel! I used a river stone gravel that came in 30 lb bags (1/2 yard) from Lowes. It is
round gravel, and is a little bigger than pea gravel. Gravel can be hauled in by the truck load if
you have a large project to do, but this bagged gravel had the texture and consistency that I
was looking for, and the bags actually made the project easier for me ;) See how I used fist
sized river stones to edge my path? Gravel tends to "wander" if not edged with something. I
have an unending free source of rock (an old gold mine) so this is a good use of a recycled
product. You may use reclaimed bricks, pieces of log ends, upside down recycled wine bottles
(YES! This looks beautiful!) See my rustic gravel path edged with pine branches below...
#8 Add dry mortar if you wish. My Dad did this to a walkway in his yard. He simply added
the dry mortar to the top of his stones and swept it into the "cracks", then he wet down the
walkway, gently cleaning the tops of the stepping stones as he went, being careful not to use
too much water. (The mortar should pass between our gravel, stabilizing the stones further,
but I skipped this step ;) The mortar hardens as it dries.
| I like the look of containers used in the beds, it adds interest and seasonal color! |
| Want to plant pumpkins for the fall? Start in spring!! Click on the photo for instructions... |
| The Garden |