Whether your desired walkway functions as a border for a lovely garden, supplies an aesthetic contrast to the surrounding scenery, or draws the eyes to a focal point or feature, never minimize the impact that a well-thought out pathway can have in your landscape. It is important to select the right mix of materials to create a unique garden path that meets your landscaping design and style needs. Many home gardeners have the expertise to make these decisions, while others look for a landscape designer with the extensive plant knowledge, eye for composition and experience that only time brings to make the best choices. Here are a few tips from an experienced Main Line landscape design company:
Garden path walkway landscaping ideas for your Main Line Philadelphia garden
Match Materials to the Garden Style
Formal garden paths are characterized by straight lines and right angles and informal pathways are typically winding, curved and meandering. Formal gardens tend to be greatly enhanced by the strong character of solid paving materials such as stone and concrete. Cottage gardens are particularly beautified by the softer materials, bringing a dreamy quaintness to complement the billows of informal plantings.
Hardscaping: Natural Stone Pavers
Walkway pavers are a commonly used and inexpensive pathway material leading to a main entrance, side entrance, outdoor living area circulation, or to a landscaped garden area. Three common paver materials are natural stone, concrete and brick. Natural stone pavers are typically composed of granite, slate, brownstone, limestone, sandstone and bluestone.
Aardweg Landscaping Main Line Garden Design – One Year After Installation
Both durable and versatile, natural stone pavers vary in color and texture. Hardscaping choices are quite diverse, ranging from decorative concrete stepping stones and pavers to brightly colored pebbles, brick or natural stone look, to softly mulched trails, pea stone to gravel. The selection in hardscape is largely determined by the overall feel of the garden.
Soft Garden Pathway Materials
Mulch path materials are affordable and easy to install garden materials. Installed over landscape fabric, mulch paths can be meandering, wood chip–covered trails or carefully planned designs. They may range from casual to semi-formal, as determined by the layout and edging material. Loose pathway materials vary, including coarse bark, decorative mulch, washed stones and crushed gravel or shells.
Classic Landscape Design for Formal Philadelphia Gardens
“With beauty before me, may I walk,… with beauty all around me, may I walk, wandering on the trail of beauty, may I walk.” With these simple words, the Navajo have summed up what every lover of beauty desires for his lawn and garden – for everything to be beautiful. And this thirst for beauty extends to the very materials that make up the paths upon which nature lovers pass. Indeed, the simple choice of pathway material offers so much to the whole gardening masterpiece.
We hope you will benefit from these path and walkway landscaping ideas for your Main Line Philadelphia garden. Take your time to explore the many possibilities in materials for your garden path or walkway, and then get started on the garden journey of your dreams!
Main Line landscape design, installation and maintenance company Aardweg Landscaping of Newtown Square, PA was recently 
recognized with the “Best Of Houzz” 2015 award for Customer Satisfaction by Houzz. As a full-service landscape company, Aardweg Landscaping has the design expertise, plant knowledge, and quality workmanship necessary to establish and maintain a reputation for superior customer service. To schedule a complimentary on-site consultation, call Aardweg Landscaping at 610-355-0703, or send an email using the website Contact Form.
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