The Perfect Garden Path, Step by Step

Designing the right pedestrian circulation pattern on your property can enhance your experience in the garden and help plants flourish.

The design of a path influences the efficiency of circulation. Install serpentine or meandering paths in areas where you want to wander and admire the garden as you walk through it, like the back yard. A curved line, or offset sections of paving, slows movement, inviting you to notice your surroundings. This style would be appropriate for perennial, sculpture, water or other gardens that deserve more than a quick glance.

Curves should look as if they are supposed to be there. Place a large plant, rock or sculptural feature so that you must walk around the object. Otherwise, human nature takes over, and people will not stay on a curved walk. We tend to walk a direct route whenever possible.

Most designers and architects treat front walks as utilitarian and install them as straight lines. But if a garden has been integrated with an entrance walk, lightly curved paths work nicely.

When designing circulation patterns to accomplish chores, such as taking out trash, tending the garden, walking the dog or getting firewood, stick with a straight line.

Walkway Widths

Walkways should be designed for comfort and accessibility.

Walks that lead to main entrances and exits should be wide. Large homes can have walkways six to 10 feet wide to fit the proportion of the building. A path 30 feet or longer should be five to six feet wide to make it fit the space more comfortably.

The minimum width of a walkway is determined by basic needs. Average human shoulder width is 18 inches. Allowing an extra six inches, the walk should be a minimum of 24 inches wide for one person. It must be twice that wide, 48 inches, to accommodate people walking in opposite directions at the same time.

The minimum path width for people in wheelchairs is at least six inches wider than the vehicle, for a total of 36 inches. However, 60 inches is sufficient for two-way traffic. At entries and gates, wheelchair paths should be a minimum of 32 inches wide.

Another important issue for wheelchair accessibility is the grade or slope. According to the Americans with Disabilities Act, maximum grade for wheelchair accessibility on walks and ramps is 5 percent. That means a wheelchair-accessible walkway should rise or drop no more than six inches for each 10 feet in length. At entrances, steps and tops of curbs, the grade should be reduced to a maximum of 2 percent.

Protective Paving

Paving should also be designed to protect plants, keeping people out of planting beds and off roots. A path will begin to form after only one person walks over the land. You may have noticed this phenomenon where the mailman crosses your property or schoolchildren take a shortcut over your lawn. If such paths are taken regularly, plants grow smaller; those that are less dense can eventually become nonexistent.

Foot traffic destroys the friable, aerated, well-drained soil that plants require to thrive. It causes soil compaction, which is conducive to pedestrian use but not plant growth.