Clever plant selection and a good design create a garden that you won't want to leave. Garden design by Impressions Landscape – Design
What a great winter project! And when you build a path anywhere in the garden – front or back – it adds significant charm wherever you lay it and keeps things flowing beautifully.
A Good path is as practical as it is beautiful. It makes moving through the garden easier, adds structure, while creating spots to pause and enjoy. Explore these ideas to find a look that works for your space and the way you step it out!
Use a timber screen
Position a screen to hide unsightly air conditioning and water tanks, especially if your new path will be close by. Here, a stained timber-slatted screen adds texture and colour and is a pleasure to walk past.
Add clipped balls
Buxus balls provide structure which you soften with lamb's ear, sedum, white echinacea, ornamental grasses, blue salvia and native violet. These gentle but inspiring plants greatly assist in adding to the appeal of your new path.
Lay concrete pavers
Stepping stone paths are one of the easiest ways to create a stylish walkway. Excavate to allow for a compacted base so pavers sit flush. Then space them to suit a natural stride.
Plant ground covers
Use plants to soften edges and help the path sit naturally within the garden. Here, dichondra creates a textured look between the pavers.
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Layer it up
Combine low groundcovers, mid-height foliage and taller feature plants to create depth and texture, keeping the journey along the path visually interesting as you move through the garden.
Step and stay
Introduce a larger feature paver where you want to pause. It continues the path underfoot but also creates a subtle stopping point – especially when paired with seating turning the journey into a place to sit and truly enjoy the space.
Set the tone
Large, round stepping stones create a relaxed, organic feel – perfect for lush, informal or tropical-style gardens. Surround them with a carpet of native violet to soften the edges, fill gaps and help ground them into the garden.
Go big and bold
Use statement plants, such as the giant bromeliad (Alcantarea) to anchor the start of the path – its bold, sculptural form creates a strong focal point. It also sets the tone for the planting beyond.
TOP TIP
Test the layout first – lay stones on top of the surface and walk the route a few times to check stride, spacing and flow. Adjust positions as needed before setting them in place.
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1. It's good to be square
You can't help but love this little path running through your garden. Clear the width you need, lay down a gravel or stone base, tuck it in and under your bushes and shrubs, then with a little craziness in mind, lay your different-size square pavers along for a thoroughly joyous view and journey.
2. Rock the path
Make the most of narrow side paths by turning them into productive garden spaces. A gravel or decomposed granite surface is a cost-effective, free-draining option that suits tight areas and stays comfortable underfoot. To install, excavate to around 75–100mm, add a compacted crushed rock base, then top with your chosen material and rake smooth. Finish with dense planting to frame the path and create a lush and inviting , easy-to-navigate walkway.
3. Go with the curve
Small-format stone pavers - or bricks - are ideal for curved paths, allowing you easily to follow gentle bends and contours. Laid tightly together, they create a stable, durable surface that still feels soft within the garden.
4. Wood you look at that
Timber sleepers make an easy, informal solution for garden steps, especially on gentle slopes. Set into a gravel base for drainage and stability. With low planting weaving between, the path feels both structured and grounded. Ensure sleepers are evenly spaced, level and securely set to keep the journey safe underfoot. This approach works just as well for a flat path.
5. Keep it loose
A gravel path creates a soft, natural look that blends easily with planting but good preparation makes all the difference. Excavate and level the area, add and compact a base layer, then spread gravel and rake smooth for a free-draining, low- maintenance finish, that's so pretty.
6. Mix it up
Mixing materials like recycled brick and gravel creates a path that’s both practical and visually interesting. Brick provides a firm, stable surface underfoot, while gravel improves drainage and softens the look. And perfect between vegie beds!
"A well-designed path follows your direction, linking spaces while shaping how you experience your garden"
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Take cues from Japanese-style gardens and treat paths as part of the experience, not just a way through. Use materials like stone, gravel and timber, along with considered placement, to guide movement, slow the pace and reveal the allure of the garden.
Clip into place
Use clipped topiary to bring structure and contrast to looser planting. Their defined shapes anchor the space, creating strong visual markers and giving the path a clearer, more ordered feel.
Change the pace
Position stepping stones in an irregular contour to break a rigid rhythm and slow the pace, creating a more gentle, unhurried walk through the space – perfect for Japanese-style, informal and small gardens.
Edge it right
Stone edging helps hold gravel in place and maintain a clean line along the path, preventing it from spreading into surrounding beds and making the space easier to maintain over time.
Lead the way
Use a feature element – like a lantern, sculpture or specimen plant – to draw the eye forward, guide movement through the space and create a stronger sense of purpose and arrival within the garden.
TOP TIP
Avoid straight lines in informal gardens – introduce gentle curves and offset stepping stones for unexpected visual appeal which simply invites you to take the journey.
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