Red shoes are no longer the standard of beauty: what to choose?

Naturalistic landscape trends can be reflected in the choice of external route coverage. We haven’t asphalted our yards in a long time, but we have red concrete ones pebbles they also no longer meet the beauty standard. Specialists of modern greening courses «Geltonas karutis» advise which course surface to choose.

MODERATE DESIGN

Let’s start with the beauty stuff. As with clothing, the key is not cheap sequins, but quality fabric, well cut and carefully ironed. The path in your yard should look like this: not screaming in bright colors, but well thought out shapes (curved or straight), convenient to use, quality materials.

Choose who will play the principal violin in your garden: the architecture of the house, the flowerbeds, the children’s playpens, the parking lot, the paths, the fence?… They cannot all be the principals together, just as they cannot be all the soloists in the choir. Now think about it, do you really want to have a solo path in your backyard? If you have an interesting house and beautiful plants, don’t choose a brightly colored, intricately patterned path. The course «Contemporary flower garden» was attended by a woman from Kaunas who wanted to grow lavender, but their blue color did not look very good against the background of bright red concrete pavements, so the lavender had to be moved to another place on the plot. Cement-colored floors attract less attention, so it’s best not to overdo the color. Let it be more interesting where the path will leadone pats takas.

A natural looking walkway to a modern building. photo Trakai District, author of the project. Dovilė Ivanauskienė

Clinker is a durable natural material, but it is also shiny. If you have already installed such a path, do not let other elements obscure it. For example, you can somewhat limit the color range of plants: use mainly green, white, gray and brick shades.

COMPATIBILITY WITH THE ENVIRONMENT

Moderation must manifest itself not only in aesthetic terms, but also in terms of the relationship with the surrounding environment. Hard surfaces heat up faster and release heat faster, which is why large cities are even a couple of degrees warmer than suburban or rural areas. When rainwater falls on asphalt or sidewalks, instead of being absorbed into the ground and nourishing plants and animals, it runs off hard surfaces and forms large streams. When thinking about ecology and the correct use of natural resources, we must consider alternatives to modern construction sites.

If possible, paths should be created in such a way that rainwater is not blocked, oh he would get drunk. Of course, plants perform this function better. As for the equivalent of concrete pavers, one option is concrete honeycombwhose filling is chosen to sow a lawn or, even more naturally, to plant carpet plants that are a little more resistant to trampling.

Concrete honeycomb with lawn, Vilnius.

Another way is to divert water from common routes not to rainwater collection tanks or city sewers, but to rain gardens. Rain Garden – this is still a new concept in Lithuania, but is increasingly used abroad. Rainwater from the sidewalk or parking lot is drained to the sides where water-resistant plants are planted. After rain they suck water and during the dry period they persevere until they get a new dose of water. We can see a similar option on the sides of highways or drainage ditches, where such plants have grown naturally, and you can make this rain garden very aesthetic on your plot.

OTHER ALTERNATIVES TO THE PATH

Gravel and gravel paths is back in fashion again. When it comes to ecology, the most important thing is that they pass rainwater, but aesthetics is not the last thing. There are many examples of works of foreign designers, where natural cobblestone paths fit very well into the overall style of the courtyard. They create a feeling of nature, the beauty of plants is revealed more. Paving paths or a cobbled area in a country house is definitely not the best option, but well-equipped gravel paths can be a long-term aesthetic solution that does not go beyond the laws of nature. While still unusual, such a track can also look appealing on a modern urban track. Remove the rule that the house must be surrounded by a sidewalk. Based on your needs and the current environmental situation, design main routes, secondary routes, maybe somewhere you will abandon the route altogether.

Where does the dirt road lead? photo Trakai District, author of the project. Dovilė Ivanauskienė

Installing a path or gravel site is not difficult. There is a myth that cobblestones from such paths scatter in the yard, but now there are several types of honeycombs that catch cobblestones and keep the shape of the path unchanged.

Geotextile honeycomb, installation

For example, the new generations are special geotextile honeycomb It’s a little more expensive than similar types of plastic, but it’s elastic, so bends can form as well. An ordinary geotextile is placed on the compacted soil so that the soil does not mix with pebbles over time, then a honeycomb is laid, gravel is poured (about 5 cm) on top of the honeycomb and an additional 2 cm layer of gravel is poured. Cars can drive, people can walk on such a path with high-quality honeycomb, and a parking lot can be installed.

When designing paths in the course «Designing my garden», landscape architect Vaida Vaitkutė Eidimtienė always reminds that such a path does not need to be cleaned very carefully in winter, because if you throw pebbles on the lawn together with snow, in spring you will have more work. However, this alone is the main disadvantage and, in principle, such a solution deserves to find its place in Lithuanian shipyards too.

INTERSECTIONS OF STONES IN THE MEADOW

Another beautiful solution – paved path in the meadow. Such a track, of course, is not the main one, but as a secondary track it can complement the plot design very well. An ordinary path marks and draws a clear line, and the stone slabs on the lawn mark the path of your movement like a dotted line, but at the same time they do not form the shape of the lawn. Sometimes it’s more fun to walk around the garden in slippers, and this trail will make you feel the fun.

Instead of a shade lawn, there are paving stones with sprawling perennials. Vilnius, old town courtyard.

Moreover, inclusions in stone slabs can occur not only in the lawn. If you plan to walk on stones, plant carpet plants around them. Another stem of the plant, stretched on a stone slab, will look even funnier. And you will not need to mow such a place every week – a great solution on the north side of the house if you walk there less often.

Stone slabs it may be not between plants, but between pebblessurrounded by gravel. Such a solution is particularly suitable in the shade, if you do not plan to grow plants there, or in a place where excess rainwater drains. Water flows and is absorbed between the pebbles and you can walk on the large stone slabs.

Stone slab path. photo from www.diynetwork.com

Wooden walkways can also be used instead of stone slabs. Properly impregnated and carefully chosen wooden paths will warm you with their coziness and can be suitable for both rustic and modern style gardens.