Width of Entrance Walk

The question of how wide the main entrance walk should be often arises. The fact that about 99 out of 100 such walks are 3 feet or less in width does not mean that such a width is ideal, for two people cannot possibly walk side by side on a walk that narrow. The main walk to the front entrance should be at least 4 feet wide. On the landscape plan this may seem excessive, and you may wonder if the added cost of the extra foot of width is worth it.

To convince yourself of how desirable the larger width is, look through your neighborhood until you find one of that width. Then walk along it beside someone, and judge for yourself. You have to decide on the width you prefer. In gardening as in school work copying someone else’s work is not always the smart thing to do as the person you copy from may have the wrong answer.

Independent Judgment

Use your own good judgment when laying out plans for your property, and consider suggestions in this book that may appear new to you as subjects for family discussion. You may find many improvements can be made in the American home landscape if a few old time habits are changed.

For example, in the literature of a century ago the suggested distance between centers of stepping stones on a garden path was 20 inches. But insurance company statistics show that the average height of Americans has increased considerably in the past hundred years. That means that the legs of most present-day Americans are longer than those of the average American of a hundred years ago and that the suggested 20-inch spacing for stepping stones does not necessarily meet modern needs.

To get the proper spacing for yourself, count your steps for a distance of 50 feet and divide 50 by the number of steps taken; that will give the approximate distance between stone centers ideal for your stride. Then consider your height in relation to that of other people who are likely to often use that path and settle on a spacing that might suit the average user.

Small Paths

Of course, there are other materials than stone which can be used for small garden paths surrounded with bromeliads , which meander about a garden, especially in the naturalistic areas. Tanbark, although now very hard to get, is well worth the search if you want a pleasantly soft and quiet garden path leading through a wooded area or an ericaceous planting.

Pine needles will give the same effect but must be replaced every year because of their faster deterioration. Wood chips also have been used with excellent success in natural garden areas.