Pathway Help Needed

[alp]

Lovely day and the sun is shining. A path like this should solve the problem.

 

[SQWIB]

You say it gets a lot of water @SQWIB but does it drain well or stay soggy?
Chamomile is lovely and loves sun but needs a well draining area.

https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=chamomile+lawn&qpvt=chamomile+lawn&FORM=IGRE

It's a hard clay do water runs right over it with average to minimal ground absorption.

 

[alp]

Hard clay - you will have a perpetual pond and be very careful after prolonged rain as the surface will be very slippery. You could work in a lot of grit. Wish I could give you some. I have some. If you want slabs, bigger ones like nicer and neater rather than peasy size of fragments.

 

[Mockingbird]

Hi SQWIB- I feel your dilemma here- I have a similar situation outside my back door and this is what I decided to due (I am in NY with clay soil and drainage issue form snow) I laid down landscape fabric and covered it with pea gravel not expensive at all- and picked up some large pallets that were for free and bolted them together to make a small platform. Took a piece or board and stapled indoor out door remnant from my porch and I have a deck for potted plants and to step out on I hold the pea gravel in with large stones and pots. Honestly the hardest part was getting someone to help me get the pallets home.

You seems to have enough room you could run one down the front of the shed. Maybe set a few garden chairs or a display of some sort, You might want to check with local code- mine was okay as long as I flip the pallets up over winter which is fine its not heavy and I had to run an aluminum guard between the house wall and back of the pallet to deter rodents which was not a hard thing. Bought a roll from Home depot

 

[Upsy Daisy]

Sounds good @Mockingbird .....perhaps you could post a pic please

 

[alp]

@Mockingbird : Love your avatar! We once saw a pigeon with a whole piece of bread on its back, ready to fly off! Well, the bread slipped so the takeaway was left behind by the pigeon's bad manoeuvre. Wish I had captured it!

 

[Gail_68]

laid down landscape fabric and covered it with pea gravel not expensive at all- and picked up some large pallets that were for free and bolted them together to make a small platform. Took a piece or board and stapled indoor out door remnant from my porch and I have a deck for potted plants and to step out on I hold the pea gravel in with large stones and pots. Honestly the hardest part was getting someone to help me get the pallets home.

Hi Mockingbird...we did similar here for doing our decking, we didn't have drainage trouble at all ….was yours done the same as ours

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[DirtMechanic]

First let me show you what I am up against then I'll post my questions.

This is one part of the yard that I have never been happy with, the garden path to the playhouse.
This path also has a secondary function. During heavier rains the water runs down this path to the yard drain, so putting down a mulch or wood chips is out. I definitely want to work on this project early spring.

I thought of a crushed stone but dont want it to get all over the yard and fight stuff growing up through the crushed stone and walking stones, plus I want to keep it more Permaculture friendly.

I tried white clover but it did not do well.
I was very interested in a extremely low ground cover like moss but not sure if moss would do good in this area.
The area gets a lot of water and and sun from early noon till end of day.
The dogs may occasionally pee on it too...dam dogs
I am in Zone 7a

It doesn't need to be an edible or flowering but those would definitely be bonuses, especially if it flowered.

I like this look

I checked out Steppables.com but want advice from you folks.



Steppables

This is our little path and it has chosen to grow dwarf mondo up top, moss in the middle and mondo down low. If I knew why I would be rich. I think it has more to do with various trees that have come and gone on the right side which is to the south and west, and is the winter sun source. In deep summer it is really dense shade in that area, save very late in the day.

 

[SQWIB]

Great advice guys thanks
I like the deck idea but anything I do needs to be flush with the rest of the yard. The grass grows pretty good in the spring but by the summer I get crabgrass that smothers out the grass and looks like crap. I was hoping to grow something that would smother out the crabgrass. I really dont care if it completely covers the rocks or I have to cut it every week.
I also am not worried about drainage because the water channels over the rocks into my yard drain.
The stone path and the wood path are the only parts of the yard that isn't mush when its been raining a few days.

I did this as a path by my garden on the other side of the yard.

 

[NancyMcQ]

These are just concrete round slabs that I painted with acrylic paint and finished with 4 coats of outdoor Varathane.

 

[DirtMechanic]

From the top down this late afternoon

 

[Sheal]

Sedums perhaps Sqwib?

 

[SQWIB]

seedums,I like that, I had some out front years ago, but this is a high traffic area.

 

[Sheal]

Hmmm... the Sedums would probably work if the stepping stones you have were closer together. Or make a complete change to something like this below which could be sunk into the ground. If you're happy with grass in between it would be possible to mow straight over the slabs providing they are smooth topped - so not to ruin the blade on your mower. If not there would be little damage to Sedums or similar from foot fall.

 

[DrCase]

I made my low patio with a plastic walk maker mold
You just mix your ready mix concrete thick and keep moving the mold
It’s easy and lasts