Gravel pathsis a very good idea for making communication routes in the garden. They look very natural and fit perfectly into the greenery surrounding them. They are relatively easy to make and inexpensive, although in the following years they require some maintenance to keep them in good condition. Seehow to make gravel pathsin the garden, what type of gravel to choose and how to ensure the durability of the gravel paths.
Gravel is great material for paths in the garden
What gravel for the paths?
Gravel is one of the loose materials from which we can make paths in the garden. In addition to gravel, you can also use grit, wedge or crushed stone. When selectinggravel for paths , just remember that it cannot be river gravel with grains with rounded surfaces. Aggregates with sharp, irregular edges must be selected for the construction of paths. Thanks to this, they will wedge well and the path will be stable.
Gravel paths - advantages and disadvantages
Gravel as material for paths has many advantages. First of all,gravel pathscan be easily made by ourselves and are relatively cheap. They blend in nicely with other materials used in the garden, both with stone, brick, wood, and with the greenery of the lawn and surrounding plants. Therefore, they fit almost every garden, adding style and elegance to the model of gravel paths once used in palace gardens and parks. They are perfect for Japanese gardens and gardens with ponds and streams. Gravel pathswe can freely shape, easily make turns and bends. You can also use aggregates of different colors, e.g. white (marble) and black (bas alt) grit, creating a two-color composition from the path.
It is also worth noting that such a path will allow better use of rainwater. Water seeps into the soil through the gravel surface. This makes it accessible to the roots of plants growing along the path. In this way, we limit water losses in the garden. When we choose to build a path with a material that is impermeable or less absorbent than a gravel surface, a large part of the water will remain on the path, forming puddles and evaporating, especially if the path is not properly contoured.
When deciding ongravel paths , however, we must also remember about the disadvantages of this solution. The durability of such paths is limited, gravel can crumble and it is necessary to refill and compact aggregate from time to time. We will also have to remember to periodically remove weeds overgrowing the path.In rainy periods, such paths get soaked easily, and in times of drought they can become dusty. However, by properly preparing such a path, and by making it from the appropriate material, we can avoid or eliminate the imperfections mentioned here.
How to make gravel paths
Starting with the last disadvantage - the top layer must be made of appropriate aggregate so that the path does not dust. Soft rock aggregates such as dolomite or marble are not suitable for the top layer of the path. They cannot be crushed bricks either, as they also dust easily.
We deal with wetting the path by giving it a convex transverse profile in such a way that the edges of the path are slightly lowered in relation to the center. It is assumed that for every 60 cm of the track width, the slope should be 2.5 cm. Thanks to this, we will ensure drainage of water and avoid the formation of ruts.
Gravel paths help bring the atmosphere of elegant gardens and palace parks to the garden
Another factor that influences the wetting of the path and its durability is its arrangement in several layers. The general rule is that the more compact and waterproof the ground, the more layers there should be. For the next deeper layers, we use increasingly thicker aggregate. This deepest layer of coarse aggregate acts as a stabilizing and drainage layer.
On light, sandy ground, the walking path may consist of just one or two layers, and for car driving - three layers.
On very compact clay soils, there must be an additional layer of coarse aggregate. For a walking path, there must be a 10 to 15 cm layer of fine gravel under the top 5-10 cm layer of gravel or crushed stone with a larger grain size (approximately 3 to 4 cm).
The path for driving a car, however, must consist of as many as 4 layers, made as follows:
- the deepest layer, 10 to 20 cm thick, filled with gravel or crushed stone with a grain cross-section of approximately 3 to 4 cm,
- next layer about 10 cm thick, filled with gravel or grit with a grain size of about 1 to 1.5 cm,
- next 2-5 cm layer of gravel or grit with a grain diameter of 0.5 to 1 cm,
- top layer of stone dust, 2-3 cm.
The path durability depends to a large extent on the correct arrangement and careful compaction of the successive layers. Therefore, each subsequent layer, after laying, is sprayed with water and carefully tamped, preferably with a vibrating compactor (often such devices can be simply rented). We tamp from the edge of the path towards its axis.
For the construction of garden paths, choose aggregates with sharp, irregular edges. Thanks to this, they will wedge well and the path will be stable
There is still the problem of scatteringgravel from the pathWe will avoid this by making edgings or curbs.We can use lawn edges, stone or concrete cubes, wooden pegs or railway sleepers. In order for the curbs to be stable, it is necessary to make a ballast under them made of a mixture of sand and cement.
We perform the works on the construction of the path in the following order:
- determining the course of the path (you can e.g. use pins and a string),
- digging for gravel layers and curbs,
- bedding and laying curbs,
- laying and compacting subsequent layers of gravel.
Finally, I want to draw attention to the use of the top layer of soil removed from the excavation for the path in the garden. The top layer of soil is the most fertile and humus-rich. It is therefore worth planning the work so that this layer of soil can be used in garden beds.
