Large expanses of lawn can be high maintenance and require continuous weed control, fertilizer, pest control and watering. If you need a big area for football, soccer, golf practice and all that, then lawns are worth the trouble.
Large expanses of lawn can be high maintenance and require continuous weed control, fertilizer, pest control and watering. If you need a big area for football, soccer, golf practice and all that, then lawns are worth the trouble.
But did you ever feel like giving up on your lawn and paving the whole thing over?
Of course you have. But let’s face it — it’s not practical.
Your neighbors probably would tar and feather you. Not only that, but you wouldn’t be really happy even if they didn’t. Your yard would look like a desert and feel like one, too. Besides, the idea is to plant more trees, shrubs and turf to improve our environment and not pave over paradise.
If you fertilized and mowed your lawn properly, you might still have some trouble spots. Those areas that are too shady or too heavily trafficked need to be handled in some other way than turf.
Shady spots might be ideal for a small terrace or a paved area where you can sit and enjoy the cool location. If this is not practical in your landscape, then shade-loving ground covers or shrubs can be used. When it comes to heavy traffic areas, a good solution is a garden walkway. Walkways are as much a part of a garden as are grass, shrubs and trees. But, as with the rest of the garden, walkways should be carefully designed. They also must be practical.
As a general rule, a walkway should go somewhere. It should serve a purpose.
A walkway from the sidewalk to the front door is an example of a path with a purpose. However, the purpose is not served in a practical way if the walkway is designed to follow an “S” curve throughout the lawn. On the other hand, if the walkway is made to curve about a group of trees or to go around a clump of shrubbery, then the design serves a purpose. Some folks like to create an entry garden path incorporated into a water feature with fish and lilies.
A walkway from the sidewalk to the front door, from the kitchen door to the garbage can or around the house as part of a service entrance are all examples of paths that have a useful purpose.
But landscape architects sometimes design walkways that are useful in another way.
One practice is to run a walkway about the border of the lawn, separating the grass from the shrubbery along the lot line. In one corner, the walkway could bulge out into patio size for chairs and perhaps an outdoor barbecue.
A walkway can serve as a mowing strip or limit the borders of the plant beds. It can provide a comfortable way to stroll through the garden to enjoy plants from a close-up viewpoint. If there are small children, it can even provide a safe tricycle or skateboard run. In some cases, a walkway might end up going nowhere but give a sense of depth to a small garden.
When we speak about paved walkways, drives or patios, one material that usually comes to mind is concrete. It is durable and extremely versatile. Concrete comes in many textures and colors and can be designed in many ways.
For example, large steppingstones, 16-by-16 or 20-by-20 inches, often can be used very effectively for making walkways. Zoysia grass can be grown between them, or the grass used in the lawn. This discourages unwanted skateboarders. Flagstone and lava stone also are available at garden shops.
Leveling the ground where steppingstones are to be placed is very important, but if the area is filled with large roots the stones soon will be tipped one way or another by the expanding roots. Gravel, crushed lava or coral can be used to level these spots, but you don’t have to be a perfectionist. A little natural variation doesn’t hurt.
The important thing is to be creative and have fun.
For other home garden questions, call the University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources Master Gardener helpline in Hilo and Kona.