Walkway ideas on a slope
Backyard Slope Landscaping Ideas - 10 Things To Do
Break Out in Tiers
1/11
Creating several tiers on a sloped property can help manage erosion and give you the opportunity to layer different plants and landscaping elements for a cohesive design. Whether you use railroad ties, stone pavers, or concrete to form the tiers, they will make a dramatic impact on the overall look of your property.
Related: 9 Clever Landscaping Hacks for Your Best-Ever Yard
istockphoto.com
Build Some Stairs
2/11
If you choose to let vegetation cover your sloping property in glorious abandon, impose a little order by building a set of stairs leading up to flatter ground. Whether you opt for a wooden staircase or concrete steps, this garden feature will blend into the landscape far better if it’s surrounded by plantings on either side.
Related: 12 Perfect Plants for Lining Your Pathway
istockphoto. com
Make a Natural Staircase
3/11
Use a natural material like stone to create a stepped pathway through your sloping property. A stone stairway will complement surrounding plantings and help anchor your landscaping design.
Related: 7 Thrifty Designs for a DIY Walkway
istockphoto.com
Advertisement
Design a Waterfall
4/11
If you’re ambitious, use the height that your hilly backyard provides to your advantage, and build a sensational water feature. The soothing sound of water will bring a relaxing air to your outdoor space, turning it into your own private oasis.
Related: 10 Outdoor Living Ideas to Steal from California
istockphoto.com
Lay a Winding Path
5/11
A winding or switchback path can make it much easier—and safer—to explore a sloped piece of property. A meandering pathway also provides an attractive focal point and draws the eye through the landscape.
Related: 10 Inspiring Ideas for Your Side Yard
istockphoto.com
Erect a Retaining Wall
6/11
You can make a sloping property more functional by cutting away a portion of a hill and installing a retaining wall to hold back the soil. This is a great opportunity to create a dedicated planting area behind and along the retaining wall, while reclaiming a portion of your yard for an expanse of grass on level ground.
Related: Edge Your Beds: 11 Easy Ideas for Landscape Borders
istockphoto.com
Advertisement
Cultivate a Rock Garden
7/11
Hillsides can pose a landscaping challenge for plants, which can suffer from the soil erosion or poor drainage typical of sloping properties. When you arrange rocks of varying shapes and sizes on your hillside, you create a stable base for rock-loving plants like stonecrop, ornamental grasses, and creeping ground covers.
A rock garden looks lush and satisfying to the eye, and reduces your maintenance load in the yard.
Related: 25 Plants for Your Easiest Garden Ever
istockphoto.com
Devise a Destination Fire Pit
8/11
Building hardscapes into a sloping property is a common and rewarding landscaping practice. When a design culminates in an alluring destination like a fire pit, you’ll draw visitors through your yard and transform what might otherwise be neglected space into the place to be.
Related: No Money to Burn? 9 Fire Pits You Can Afford
istockphoto.com
Install Veggie Beds
9/11
You can take advantage of unused real estate on a slope that gets full sun by installing raised beds for vegetables. Deeper sections of the beds can be used for root vegetables that require more soil, and the shallower portions will be perfect for herbs and vining plants.
Related: 13 Creative Designs for Easy DIY Planters
istockphoto.
com
Advertisement
Rely on Native Plants
10/11
Festooning a hillside with plants that are native to your area can help make maintenance easier in a spot that would be difficult to mow and landscape. With native plants, you can be fairly certain that they’ll be successful without much help from you, and they will help reduce erosion by providing a network of roots to hold soil in place.
Related: 25 Amazing Plants That Are Native to North America
istockphoto.com
How to Cope with a Slope
11/11
With the right plan, even a steeply sloped backyard can be useable and enjoyable.
bobvila.com
Don't Miss!
If you have the money to hire a handyman for every household woe, go ahead. But if you want to hang on to your cash and exercise some self-sufficiency, check out these clever products that solve a million and one little problems around the house.
Go now!
Affordable Walkway and Garden Path Ideas
Our favorite walkway ideas for your landscape: Paths you can build in a weekend without breaking the bank or your back.
1 / 15
Family HandymanFamily Handyman
Affordable Garden Path Ideas
Instead of an expensive, labor-intensive formal path, save money and time with one of these casual garden paths. These walkway ideas will blend in better and will look like they’ve been in your garden forever.
2 / 15
Family Handyman
Required Tools for these Walkway Ideas
Have the necessary tools for this DIY project lined up before you start—you’ll save time and frustration.
- Bucket
- Drywall saw
- Garden rake
- Spade
- Wheelbarrow/Dolly
- Tamper
- Garden trowel
3 / 15
Family Handyman
Informal Garden Paths and Rock Walkways
This winding gravel path reflects the informality and ease of maintenance of the garden.
Mulch and gravel are the cheapest pathway materials you can buy for rock walkways, and they make construction simple, too, making them two of our favorite walkway ideas. All you have to do is remove the sod, roll out landscape fabric and spread the mulch or gravel.
Mulch and gravel paths can be meandering, wood chip–covered trails or carefully planned designs, and they range from casual to formal depending on the design and edging material. You can choose from a wide variety of loose materials including coarse bark, decorative mulch, washed stones and crushed gravel or shells.
4 / 15
Family Handyman
Mulch Walkways
As stated above, the three common types of mulch suitable for garden paths are wood chips, cocoa bean and cypress bark. Since these path materials are lighter than stone, they’re easier to haul and spread. Mulch is also a bit cheaper than gravel or stone pebbles. Remember, though, that organic paths decompose over time, so you’ll have to rejuvenate them every two to five years with new material.
Also, don’t use bark, wood chips or mulch for paths that run through areas with poor drainage or that are wet. It’ll lead to a soggy path.
You’ll find bags of mulch at home centers, but for the best selection of organic materials for a path, check your local nursery or landscape supplier. Depending on how big your path is, it may be cheaper to have bulk material delivered than to buy bags. Plan on a 3-in.-deep layer of mulch about 3 ft. wide as an alternative to grass. Call the public works department at your city hall or check with local tree trimming services. They often have piles of wood chips or mulch that are free for the hauling.
5 / 15
Family Handyman
Gravel Walkways
Several types of inexpensive gravel are available for paths. Common types are: crushed gravel, crushed limestone and pea rock. For a path that’s more formal or longer lasting than a mulch path, consider washed gravel, crushed stone or crushed shells.
These materials last indefinitely and only need occasional weeding to look their best. If you want to run a wheelbarrow or lawn mower along the path, choose crushed stone rather than smooth pebbles. The jagged edges of crushed stone lock together to form a firm surface. Crushed stone is also less likely to get kicked out into the yard.
Gravel for paths is sold by type and size. Smaller stones, averaging under 1/2 in., are best for paths because they offer more comfort underfoot and pack together better. Visit your local nursery or landscape supply specialist to see what’s available in your area. Gravel is usually sold by the ton. Measure the length and width of the path. Take these measurements to the supplier and ask for help to figure out the quantity of gravel you need. Unless your path is very short, it usually makes sense to have the material delivered. Gravel for a path 3 in. deep and 3 ft. wide will cost about the same as mulch.
Gravel paths do have a few limitations, though.
The stones can get tracked into the house, so don’t use them near entries. And gravel paths are a bad choice in areas where you have to shovel snow off them. The gravel can end up in your lawn or flower beds.
6 / 15
Family HandymanFamily Handyman
Walkway Ideas: Tips for Building Mulch and Gravel Paths
- Rent a gas-powered sod cutter to remove grass if the path is long. For short paths, use a garden spade to slice off the sod.
- Set edging so it ends up about an inch above the fill material.
- Use a spacer stick cut to the width of the garden path as a guide when you set the edging or border. You won’t have to keep pulling out the tape measure to make sure the edges run parallel.
- Cover the soil with landscape fabric to deter weeds and prevent the fill material from mixing with the soil. Don’t use plastic. It’ll catch water and create a soggy path.
- Have gravel delivered, especially if you need more than a half ton.
- If you want a path that’s firm enough to roll a wheelbarrow on, use crushed stone and tamp it after leveling it. (Pea rock or other rounded stone won’t compact.) Use a hand tamper for short paths. Rent a vibrating-plate tamper for long paths.
7 / 15
Family Handyman
Borders and Edging for Walkway Landscaping
Gravel or mulch paths require edging to keep the material from spreading out onto your lawn or flower bed. You can also add a border or an edge as a design element. Here are some common types of edging you can use for walkway landscaping:
- Plastic landscape edging is cheap. And it’s fast and easy to install. If you object to the look of the rounded top edge, hide it with a border of plants.
- Steel or aluminum edging forms a crisp edge that gives the path a neat appearance. It costs more than plastic, though, and is less forgiving on sloped terrain.
- Brick and stone borders are attractive and versatile, but they’re more expensive and a lot more work to install.
- Concrete edging is less expensive than brick or stone but has the same advantages. Newer types that look like random pieces of tumbled stone are a great lower-cost alternative to a real stone border.
- Landscape timbers are an economical alternative to stone or brick borders. They’re especially useful for building shallow steps on gradually sloping terrain.
8 / 15
Family Handyman
Metal Edging
Metal edging is a must for mulch or gravel walkway ideas because it keeps gravel or mulch from overflowing into the yard or garden.
9 / 15
Brick Edging
Brick or pavers create an attractive edge treatment, though they’re more expensive and labor intensive to install.
10 / 15
Family Handyman
Stepping-Stone Paths with Yard Stones
Stepping-stones are the fastest, easiest way to build a path, and another one of our favorite walkway ideas.
There’s very little digging involved. And although the stone is heavy, a little goes a long way. Since there’s distance between the stones, you don’t have to worry about leveling them with one another. Stepping-stone paths also cost less because you’ll cover more distance with less stone. Stones that are flat and about 18 in. across and 2 in. thick are ideal. Check your local landscape supplier or quarry to see what’s available. If you’re building a short stepping-stone path, you can usually pick the stones you want from the pallet or pile of stones on hand at the supplier. For longer paths, ask for help to figure out the quantity and have the stone delivered. If you’re lucky enough to live in an area with naturally occurring outcroppings of stone, you may find stepping-stones free for the hauling.
You can also make attractive stepping-stone paths using 12-in. square or round concrete patio blocks. These are available in a wide selection of colors and textures from home centers, landscape suppliers and masonry dealers.
Search online for “patio blocks” to see the variety.
11 / 15
Family Handyman
Trace the Stone
Place the flagstone where you want it, then cut the outline in the grass.
12 / 15
Family Handyman
Remove the Sod
Pry up the sod, then set the yard stone. Use sand to level it, if necessary.
13 / 15
Family Handyman
Tips for Building a Stepping-Stone Path
- Arrange stones so the distance from the center of one to the center of the next one is 20 to 24 in.
- Set the stones in place and cut around them with a spade or rock saw. Then lift the stone and dig out the grass and a little soil.
- Spread a 1/2- to 1-in.-thick layer of sand under the stone if you want to make leveling the stones easier. Sand is easier to work with than soil.
A 60-lb. bag of sand is enough for about four to six stones. - Set the top of the stepping-stones about 1 in. above the soil level. This will give you a dry place to step while still allowing you to run a lawn mower over the path.
14 / 15
Family Handyman
Planted Paths with Yard Stones
Ground cover attractively fills the space around and between pieces of yard stones such as flagstone. Including ground cover plants in your garden path makes a stone walkway easier in two ways: First, you can skip the thick, compacted gravel base underneath. That eliminates the backbreaking digging, plus the hauling and compacting of gravel. Without the solid base, the stones will shift and become uneven, but the plants will hide that. The second advantage is that you don’t have to spend extra time laying the stones perfectly. The plants will hide wide gaps.
There are quite a few perennial plants that can withstand foot traffic and will grow between stones.
Check with your local nursery to see what’s available that will grow in your area. Here are some ground cover plants that can tolerate some foot traffic: Creeping Thyme, Blue Star Creeper, Brass Buttons, Creeping Mazus and Sedum.
Try adding some more features like a sub-irrigated planter system, shown in this video:
15 / 15
Family Handyman
Paver Walkway Ideas: Tips for Building a Planted Path
- Arrange the stones along the walkway, leaving at least 4 in. between them for plants. Then cut along the edge of the stones with a flat spade to outline the path.
- Slice off a layer of sod and soil about 1-1/2 in. deep.
- Spread a 1/2-in. layer of sand. This will allow the stones to settle in slightly and keep them from rocking.
- Choose plants that will stand up to traffic and grow in the available light and soil type.
- Water the new plants frequently for the first few months until the plants are well-established.
- Pull weeds and grass from between the stones every few weeks to prevent them from overrunning the plants.
Originally Published: April 26, 2019
Steps and Paver Walkway with Border, Landscape Boulders
THE KING'S MASONS
The client had planned on a patio but had no way to get to it! A steep slope was converted to an impressive stairway to access the walkway and patio we installed. We also handpicked and installed boulders to retain the earth on the hill, provide planting areas, and add visual interest.
Hillside Landscape Sanctuary in Northern California
Dig Your Garden Landscape Design
Besides offering seating for several visitors, the Sonoma fieldstone and blue stone curved bench in the upper paatio also serves as a retaining wall. And softened by the colorful plantings on the slope above. This summer display of salvias, succulents and other flowering plants create a natural environment for the birds, bees and butterflies and a welcoming and a tranquil sitting area for the homeowner and guests to enjoy.
Decomposed granite patio pathways. The majestic oak is a primary focal point in this setting and opens up to the distance hillsides and a bay view. A sustainable landscape design that respects nature. Design and Photo: © Eileen Kelly, Dig Your Garden Landscape Design http://www.digyourgarden.com
Elevated Sky Garden Walk
Rosemarie Allaire Lighting Design
Steve Lerum
A fresh design idea: a huge sunny regular garden on a modern style slope with a garden path or gate, good lighting and decking - great interior photo
Petaluma Hillside Garden
FDC Design Build
A fresh design idea: a small, sunny, autumnal, drought-tolerant rustic hillside garden with a garden path or gate, good lighting, and gravel cover - great interior photo
New Canaan Carriage House
Spring Lake Garden Design
Fieldstone steps to the back yard are accented with hostas, ferns, and various boxwood cultivars.
Original design example of a contemporary style shady and sloped garden with garden path or gate and stone paving
Stone & Garden Details
Minglewood, LLC
Angela Kearney, Minglewood Designs
Original design example of a small sunny , summer plot and garden on a slope in fusion style with a garden path or a gate, good lighting and stone paving
Cairn at the Cliffs
DabneyCollins
Recently installed cairn at the Cliffs of Glassy. There are 3 of these rock formations in the residents side meditation garden. In modern times, cairns are often erected as landmarks, a use they have had since ancient times. Since prehistory, they have also been built as sepulchral monuments, or used for defensive, hunting, ceremonial, astronomical and other purposes.
Crystal Cove
Richard Krantz Architecture Inc
Fresh design idea: Mediterranean-style hillside lot and garden with garden path or gate - great interior photo
Modern Oceanfront Landscape - Cohasset
User
The goal of this landscape design and build project was to enhance a newly renovated modern residence in Cohasset, MA.
It features thermal true blue bluestone pavers, beach stones, and large bluestone steps surrounded by a completely beach adapted and drought tolerant planting palette. This design is also on a steep hillside and incorporates a butterfly garden and New England native plants. Designed and built by Skyline Landscapes LLC. Hardscape Materials: Bluestone Pavers, Bluestone Steps, Beach Stone, Landscape Lighting, Irrigation Planting Palette: Butterfly Garden, Beach Grasses, Beach Roses, Low Maintenance, Drought Tollerant
Beverly Hills
SUBU Design Architecture
Modern Southwest addition and renovation project in Beverly Hills
Fresh design idea: a large fusion summer regular slope garden with a garden path or gate, midday shade and gravel - great interior photo
EVOKE garden path or gate, good lighting and stone paving with
Hilltop Modern
Urban Oasis Landscape Design
The clients' mailbox and address are incorporated into this CorTen Steel installation.
Home Inspiration: Large Plot and Modernist Slope Garden with Garden Path or Gate, Midday Shade and Mulching
Sundance Landscapes
Sundance Landscaping
Stylish Design: Medium-Sized, Regular, Shaded Classic Slope Garden with a garden path or gate and paving stones - the latest trend
Woodside garden
Sycamore Design
An elegant hillside landscape that embraces the native oaks, opening up to a meadow that overlooks the pool and patio.
Inspiration for homeliness: large sunny spring lot and hillside garden in modern style with garden path or gate, good lighting and paving
Newton, MA front yard renovation
Sallie Hill Design, Landscape Architect
Newton, MA front yard renovation. - Redesigned, and replanted, steep hillside with plantings and grasses that tolerate shade and partial sun. Added repurposed, reclaimed granite steps for access to lower lawn.
- Sallie Hill Design | landscape architecture | 339-970-9058 | salliehilldesign.com | photo ©2013 Brian Hill
Do-it-yourself garden paths: 20 economical options
In a short video, we listed the 8 most economical options for garden paths
Garden paths play both a decorative role in the appearance of the entire summer cottage, and a functional one. Therefore, they should be not only neat and beautiful, but also comfortable and durable. And in order to decorate your garden with them, it is not at all necessary to hire expensive specialists - you can make them yourself.
Wooden garden paths
A wooden garden path is a versatile solution, as it blends with lawn and garden beds, and is also environmentally friendly and easy to install. The cost depends on the selected type of wood, the most economical option would be to use boards left over from construction work.
There are two types of wooden garden paths: laid and dug in. Larch is considered the best material for them, but oak, aspen and conifers are also suitable.
Laminated wooden paths
In this case, the wooden canvas will be located above the ground, forming a kind of wooden sidewalk. Thanks to this, the tree will be ventilated and will last longer.
Photo: Instagram thermodecking
The basis for such a path are logs - rectangular bars made of building types of wood. The logs will be in the ground, so they are covered with protective materials, such as mastic, before use.
In the place where the path will pass, a layer of earth of 20-30 cm is removed, and the bottom is compacted. The length and shape of the future track is selected based on the wishes of the owner of the site, and it is better to make the width at least 80-100 cm, for free and comfortable movement along it. Then wet sand is poured onto the ground and compacted. A thin layer of fine gravel is laid on top of it. Such preparation will make the track more durable, as it will remove moisture.
Photo: Instagram thermodecking
Boards with a thickness of 2.
5-5 cm are used as flooring. From the wrong side, they are also treated with mastic. Then the flooring is attached to the logs using self-tapping screws and nails. It is important to make sure that their hats do not stick out of the tree and do not hurt anyone.
Photo: Instagram leskhimprom
Drive-in wooden paths
Both planks and cut logs are suitable for such paths. The track material will be in the ground flush with the ground or slightly protruding.
Since the tree will be in contact with the ground, it must first be prepared. To do this, the material is soaked in an antiseptic solution, and then covered with bitumen. The upper part of the flooring is varnished or waxed.
Photo: Instagram drova_ugol_briket_msk
Photo: Instagram drova_ugol_briket_msk
Photo: Instagram gorodu_net
For such paths, the same thorough preparation of the soil will be required as for laying, in order to remove excess moisture.
Stone garden paths
Stone garden paths are more durable than wooden ones and also fit well into the garden landscape.
Natural stone garden path
Natural stone is a very durable material, and it will not only harmoniously fit into the landscape, but also serve for a long time. It is suitable for those who often carry heavy cars around their summer cottage.
Wheelbarrow BELAMOS 4562Р
The stone can be laid on sand (and gaps cemented together) or cement-sand mortar.
Photo: Instagram ambito_happyfarm
Photo: Instagram ambito_happyfarm
Photo: Instagram ambito_happyfarm
The paths look very beautiful, where fertile soil was laid out between the stones and seeds for the lawn were planted.
Photo: Instagram dacha_blog
Gravel garden path
The easiest way is to make an artificial gravel path. For this, preliminary preparation of the site is carried out: stumps, bushes and stones are removed. Then the contour of the future path is outlined and a layer of soil 20-25 cm deep is removed.
The edges of the pit are leveled, and a layer of large crushed stone 5 cm thick is laid on the bottom. Wooden boards treated with bitumen are laid on top of this layer. Every meter along the edges of the track, spacers are stuck - bars that allow you to navigate without a tape measure. The last step is laying a layer of gravel.
Photo: Instagram construction_company_garmoniya
Photo: Instagram construction_company_garmoniya
Photo: Instagram gorodu_net
Pebble garden path
A patterned pebble path looks very creative. It is quite simple to create, but requires some painstaking work. To begin with, pebbles suitable for the intended pattern are collected and selected. They are usually easy to find near rivers and lakes.
Photo: Instagram ambito_happyfarm
Photo: Instagram barhan_minsk
Photo: Instagram dizozelenenie
Then a mixture of cement, sand and gravel is laid out on the trench dug for the track. Pebbles are fixed in it, as in this photo.
To consolidate the result, it is better not to walk along the path for several days so that it has time to harden.
Photo: Instagram hand.made.rus
Tiled garden path
There is an opinion that to create a beautiful tile garden path, it is necessary to use a complex and expensive technology, including cementing and other operations. But you can also lay tiles on a sandy base.
Mallet Harden 590417
To do this, with the help of pegs and a rope, the outline of the path is outlined, all obstacles are removed and a trench is dug. The depth of the trench should be 2-4 cm more than the height of the tile. To lay out the tiles, so as not to split them, a rubber mallet is used. The space between the tiles is filled with sand, and the edges of the path are reinforced with rammed earth. Even beginners can make such styling with their own hands.
Photo: Instagram terrabotanica.
