[wiltonlawn]

Picture is from end of driveway that partially wraps around the garage. I often walk to the shed or haul materials to/from there on a wheel barrow, ect. It is about 100-125ft. This view faces mostly north. The grass on the edge gets its sun in the afternoon when temps are highest. No real irrigation so it struggles. The Patchysandra took a beating this summer with the drought, so I could easily part with some. And there are some roots from the trees.

So, what should I do? I don't think grass will thrive given the conditions and traffic. How challenging would it be to make a rustic irregular stone pathway? I can probably find fieldstone for free on craigslist or whatever. I could do it over time and work around the roots. Or might it be nicer/easier to just do a mulch bed with some edging and walk on that?

Suggestions welcome!

 

[Mightyquinn]

I would make a path out of pressure treated 4x4’s as the borders and then lay landscape fabric down and cover it all with crushed gravel or crush and run. The lumber will keep everything contained and the gravel will keep it from getting muddy.

 

[xberto]

I've used a variety path materials in a single view here. I wanted to do a more natural path going out to the shed. If you can get flagstone, I think it would make a great natural path in your situation. In this image, the path beyond the grass is still under construction. I just dug a shallow hole for each stone and added layer of gravel/sand under each one for easier leveling and stability. I then backfilled around the stone will good soil and did a lawn restoration in the area. I'm curious how the grass will fill in and thrive around the stones and wonder if the sun on the stones will warm the ground too much for healthy lawn.

 

[wiltonlawn]

I've used a variety path materials in a single view here. I wanted to do a more natural path going out to the shed. If you can get flagstone, I think it would make a great natural path in your situation. In this image, the path beyond the grass is still under construction. I just dug a shallow hole for each stone and added layer of gravel/sand under each one for easier leveling and stability. I then backfilled around the stone will good soil and did a lawn restoration in the area.

That looks nice! I'm leaning towards this approach, especially since there is already some stone in the path and I have a large flat stone near the cedar that I want to try and break/move.

I'm curious how the grass will fill in and thrive around the stones and wonder if the sun on the stones will warm the ground too much for healthy lawn.

For what it is worth, I had some washout from my frontyard overseed that ended up on the bluestone path to the front door. It was in full sun with some house reflection, maybe a 1/8" of soil on top of the stone and it grew/survived despite the heat transfer. Virginia in July might be a different story.

 

[Goodseed]

I have gravitated towards using some kind of stone on top of a gravel or sand bed without any type of small surface rocks, bark chips, or wood chips. Anything loose will ultimately get spread around, get stuck to your boots and wheelbarrow tires and get tracked around the property or in the house, and requires constant upkeep to look nice. You can mow right over the top of a stone pathway without worry of the lawnmower throwing it around. Consider the cleanup of your leaves, anything loose will make that difficult as well. I have little kids and any kind of loose stuff gets kicked around and makes a mess. With a stone-type pathway, you have many options with borders, flagstone, pavers, etc. Just my two cents!