Gardening for Amateurs 



Section of path showing three layers of 

 material. 



Path section with drain at side. 



Path having solid second layer and surfaced 

 with cement. 



Showing a good foundation and asphalt 

 surface. 



Brick laid path on a layer of sand above 

 a firm foundation. 



layer ; in this case a good foundation, as 

 described, is laid, then the second layer of 

 stones is mixed with sand, lime and water, 

 so that, when placed in position, the whole 

 coheres into one mass of impenetrable and 

 lasting hardness ; the surface of this layer 

 naturally should be almost perfectly level, 

 minor inequalities being disregarded. When 

 this second layer, which should be at least 

 4 inches thick, has been left for a day to 

 harden, a 2-inch layer of rough sand is then 

 spread on top and the final surface laid in 

 the form of bricks, tiles, etc. Where these 

 finishing materials are not available, a thin 

 coating of cement, asphalt or some hard 

 substance ought to be placed on top and 

 made smooth. 



Ordinary bricks are occasionally laid 

 neatly as a finished surface on top of the 

 second layer of the core, but tiles can now 

 be obtained of a better quality for the purpose 

 and suitable for laying in neat designs ; light 

 coloured, gaudy tiles should by all means 

 be avoided, for the charm of a path lies not 

 in its gorgeous tints but in its unobtrusive 

 effectiveness. Large flagstones are chiefly 

 used in a rockery or little formal garden 

 where tiny flowers are grown in soil in the 

 joints. I have also seen wooden bricks used, 

 but cannot recommend them. Within the 

 last few years a reversion has taken place to 

 old practices, and cobbles or rounded stones 

 about the size of a tennis ball have come 

 into use. Unobtrusive designs may be 

 worked out to lend a pleasing note to the 

 work, and when the bricks or tiles or stones 

 are firmly laid in sand, thin mortar should 

 be brushed over the path to sink into the 

 joints and consolidate the whole. 



The most lasting w^alks are finished by 

 adding a thin layer of some substance in the 

 form of a thick paste and allowing it to dry 

 into a firm mass. The foundation of large 

 stones is again essential ; the second layer 

 may be omitted altogether if a thick stratum 

 of the soft material is used, but the best 

 plan is to have a good second layer, either 

 with or without mortar or cement, and then 

 to place a comparatively thin layer of the 

 material on top of this, to give a smooth, 

 unbending, unbreakable surface. The sur- 

 face of the path should always have a gentle 

 curve to cast water, and if a solid edging is 



