Another home improvement project, another surprise — it feels like about every corner, under every board and supporting every wall, the little fixer-upper home my husband and I share includes a surprise waiting for us to unearth.
After our most recent job, transitioning from overhead to underground power, we were left with an unsightly surprise: a 75-foot-long stretch of bare ground smack-dab in the center of our yard. What are a few budget-minded DIYers to do? Turn lemons to landscape-ade, needless to say.
We added some visual interest and landscaping detail to a otherwise drab yard by creating a budget-friendly meandering pea gravel pathway. Even with no bare strip of ground, you also can add a route like this to your lawn for about $100.
Meg Padgett
Materials (amounts will vary based on length of course ):
ShovelRakeTamper toolLawn edgingLawn-edging stakes Landscaping fabric and pinsPea gravelBegin by mapping out the pathway. We utilized the yard edging, but you might also use a flexible garden hose. We kept the route about 3 feet wide to allow for the landscaping fabric and a good deal of traveling space. Once you have your preferred design, you can mark each side. Spray paint or chalk powder works nicely for this.
Meg Padgett
Next, remove any sod from involving the guidelines. To reuse the cut sod elsewhere in your lawn, rent a sod cutter. Then dig a 6-inch trench on all sides of the path, following your outline.
Put the yard edging within the trench. If you’re using plastic edging, as we did, place the curled-up”V” at the bottom, facing the interior of the path. Don’t forget to insert a lawn-edging stake during the trim at a 40-degree angle every 4 to 6 feet to keep the edging in place along with the twisting shape intact.
Not a lover of black plastic sheeting? Additional colors can be found. Cosmetic choices include bamboo, wrought iron and natural timber.
Meg Padgett
Together with the trench dug along with the yard edging in place, pack the ground back around the edging. Level out everything and compress it using a tamper tool.
The ground on the outside should be near the surface of the lawn edging, and the ground on the interior, about a inch lower. The outside depth helps prevent cutting the edging while mowing, and the interior depth gives a solid foundation for and substantial protection of the landscaping material.
While the 1-inch layer of pea gravel has functioned nicely for us, with regard to covering the landscaping fabric and supplying a sturdy enough layer to journey on, you may want to choose a deeper depth. Seek help on particular depths of each layer at the local garden supply center or a hardware shop where rock is offered. A sublayer of another size of rock or sand might be necessary to help with stability.
Meg Padgett
Next, roll out the landscaping fabric and spread the gravel. We worked in phases — roll out fabric, spread rock, roll out fabric — to keep the fabric from blowing out of location. Fabric pins keep the fabric secure under the rock foundation.
The fabric won’t comply with the pathway exactly, but it will offer a fantastic barrier against weeds, plus it keeps the gravel foundation from sinking to the floor. You can overlap the fabric to make a full barrier from side to side.
After the gravel is spread, rake the path smooth and compress the gravel using a tamper tool. Add rock, as settling occurs.
Meg Padgett
Finally, spray down the pathway using a garden hose to wash off the layer of grime that accompanies the pea gravel. The water will even help with settling. Now have a step back and admire your work.
Create a more finished look by incorporating paving bricks or river rocks along the border for a more natural appearance.
Because we were left with a larger path of destruction in our electric work, we spread grass seed in the bare areas. Other fantastic options are floor cover and perennial flowering plants along the border to help hide the plastic lawn edging.
For the finishing touch, add provincial walkway lights along the road.
Meg Padgett
We have been enjoying our pathway to three weeks, and it is held up quite nicely to our rainy and windy coastal weather. With a small upkeep — raking debris out and pulling any weeds that are sour — it should continue to look great for several years.
Next: Another DIY job at the end of this path