Here are eight types of walkways to inspire you.
Flagstone colors range from gray to light green to iron-oxide red.
This pathway’s stone is heavily mortared and filled in between the stones to prevent gaps that may collect water or grow weeds. The columns and decks are not built of stone, though they appear that way. Rather, veneer stone has been applied to the facades.
Install the flagstone sparsely, with large 2-inch to 4-inch joints. This uses up to 25-percent less stone than with close-fit methods.
Bricks can work as a border to help hold the flagstones in place and to visually define the walkway. Finally, place bark around the flagstone, then sweep it off.
On the downside, the wide bark joints will develop more weeds than tight joints. Also, the bark tends to kick up onto the stones from normal usage.
Flagstone can be used to great effect alongside water feature banks because its straight edges form a nice, clean pond edge. Garden ponds often have EPDM or PVC liners overlapping the sides that need to be covered to prevent deterioration caused by ultraviolet light.
Also, pond liners need to be held down with solid, heavy materials to prevent the liner from lapping back into the water. Dirt and loose rocks do not work well for this since wind and rain will eventually send them into the pond.
The path is laid perfectly level, with few surface imperfections in the stone. Stones are laid down in a mortar base that maintains a level surface and prevents flexing and cracking. finally, mortar is applied to the joints.
This type of pathway is better for gardens or along the side of the house than as a front pathway. While this type of stone pathway doesn’t stand out as prominently as do the slate and flagstone paths, it does an adequate job of blending into the landscape.
One benefit, too, is that no mortar or grout is used. The weight of the stones does the job. Real stone is considerably heavier than masonry such as concrete pavers or pea gravel. The weight of the stones settles them deeply into the soil.
