Do you have a beautiful garden or a cottage? Then take a look at these garden paths that can enrich the landscape of any space, give it a twist, romantic old park or the mystery of the wild. The tracks on your site can and should cause emotions, tell stories, encourage inspiring walks. Therefore, in this article we collected 35 photos of different types of garden paths - in form, material, size and design. Just scroll down, look at the beautiful gardens and save yourself the best ideas!

Also read: We are planning a garden design - the best ideas for 2016

Choose a shape for the garden path

When you are going to make a garden path with your own hands, you need to take into account a lot of factors: from the cost and quality of the material to the time required for the work. But nothing affects the result as much as the design of garden paths - that is, their shape and material. It is they who decide whether the site will eventually please your eyes, and we will discuss them further.

Clear geometric lines and angles create a contrast with the soft outlines of plants and give the garden a modern chic. Large stones and beams of trees create an organic connection with the earth, and naturally winding paths entice and light the imagination. Let's take a look at the most common forms of garden paths:

1. Serpentine The serpentine lines of the roads create a sense of tranquility, because this form is natural and organic to them. Such paths are especially good in the country, among the big trees and lush bushes, where they literally attract, creating curiosity about what is behind the next turn. Choose this form of trails if your garden is large enough and divided into sections that are not intended to be viewed all at once.

2. A straight line. This version of the track is designed to quickly and effectively send visitors to the garden area from one place to another. They are practical for a dacha or garden, but may seem too ordinary in the garden area intended for recreation. To soften their excessive "straightness", such garden paths are left without a border and adorned with lush plants. Another option is to break the path into sections, between which the moss or grass will grow.

3. The labyrinth. What can be more interesting than beautiful garden paths that cross each other with a certain rhythm? This way of decorating the garden area slows down walking, creating visual barriers, conveniently splits the landscape into sections and gives it a well-groomed look in the spirit of classical gardens. How are you?

4. Zigzag. Such laying of garden paths does not suit everyone, but if you have a fairly large area and are a fan of Feng Shui and Zen - then this is 100% your option. According to Japanese traditions, evil spirits can not move at an angle of 90 degrees, so the paths laid out in this way provide security. In addition, this form of garden paths gives the site a meditative mood and, like the labyrinth, slows down the step of the garden visitor, allowing him to enjoy nature. The best option for landscape design in modern or Japanese style!

Below, we present one more photo of the garden paths laid in a zigzag. This time they are made of wood and a little raised above the ground, like a bridge. This option is not so easy to manufacture as the rest, but it perfectly solves the problem of the site located under the slope. And how it looks!

Ideal track sizes in the garden or in the country

Traditionally, most of the pedestrian paths in the garden have a width of 1.2 m, allowing two average adults to walk or stroll around the garden side by side. In order for a group of people to walk and talk freely on the site, the width of the path should reach 1.5-2.4 m. Approximately the same size should be the path that you are going to decorate with a vase or other garden decor.

At the same time, the paths in the country or a small plot of land can be much narrower - from 60 to 95 cm. However, when decorating paths in the country, do not forget to take into account the fact that here you may need quite wide paths - for example, when you will be transporting something on the wheelbarrow or move around with garden tools in hand. For this use, the track must not only be spacious, but also more reliable.

Also read: Children's playgrounds and garden houses

Materials and design of paths (+ 29 photos of garden paths)

Consider the top-7 materials from which the garden paths are made:

1. Concrete. The most popular and "flexible" material for garden paths. It is safe and unassuming in service. You can simply pour trails with concrete, lay them with cement tiles, concrete blocks or use a special shape to create garden paths with your own hands (as shown in the next photo). For a more unusual design, concrete garden paths are painted in contrast with the greenery, broken into sections or artificially create cracks, from which the grass will grow.

2. Stone and paving stones. A stone can give both a classic and a modern look to the landscape, depending on its shape, color and texture. As a rule, cheap stone rocks, such as sandstone and limestone, are used for paths in the country. But even with them your paths will acquire a chic and harmonious with nature at the same time. And how amazing is the mosaic of stone ...

3. Tile. Tiles are much easier to lay garden paths than stone or brick, but can quite successfully simulate their appearance.

And sometimes tiles — it's fun. With a wide choice of paving and cement tiles in stores, any imagination of a landscape designer can be realized!

1. Gravel. What could be easier, rather than how to make a garden path with your own hands from gravel? It looks good, is comfortable both on flat terrain, and on steep slopes, and besides - pleasantly crunches underfoot. Before buying gravel or rubble for the tracks, try to pick the perfect color and size of the pebbles that will decorate your garden. The following garden paths in the photo show how their color can affect landscape design.

5. Brick. This material for the tracks is especially loved in the western corners of Europe. He does not have natural natural charm, like a stone, but is also able to give the site a unique spirit of antiquity. With the correct installation (which, by the way, can be quite painstaking), the brick garden paths are one of the most durable. We also note that the red brick perfectly emphasizes the greenery, but for an ideal composition it must be combined with white elements of facades, fence or other details of the site.

6. The tree. Lumber, whether it is an array of wood or pressed boards such as MDF, is a good choice for paths in the garden that will not have direct contact with the soil. As a rule, they are made on the semblance of bridges (see photo below), or they are laid on pebbles that perform the function of drainage - that is, Well passes the water, not allowing the wood to soak it.

7. Mulch. Mulching of soil is widespread in the West, but today you can buy mulch for making tracks. Mulch may include straw, tree bark, dry leaves, sawdust and even paper. Like gravel, mulch is easily laid on the ground, pleasantly rustling and available in different shades. But unlike it, it has a positive effect on the soil, while simultaneously protecting and enriching it.

Also read: Transfiguration of the courtyard and facade - 18 photos of the plots before and after

Garden paths from combined materials

For creative landscape design, different materials of garden paths are often combined. The key to creating a successful combination lies in the correct comparison of different shapes, sizes, shades and textures. If at least one of these characteristics of materials does not match, the garden will look confused and incoherent.

Of the most win-win combinations, the first to think of wood and stone. Usually they are chosen rather close in color (light stone + light wood, and vice versa), tk. The sharp contrast between them is not particularly characteristic of nature.

Here, tile and gravel form a terrific transition from house to garden, do you think?

A very interesting view of your garden can give the tracks from stone slabs with grass or moss between them. 100% sure way to give the antique charm of the site!

And of course, the stone can be perfectly combined with gravel, which is close to it in color. In this case, the emphasis is not on the beautiful combination of textures, but on how small stones emphasize the expressive irregular shape of large stones.

Also read: 45 fabulous ideas for your garden

Thank you for reading Dekorin! And, as always, we look forward to your comments! What design do you like most of the garden paths?