Gardening for Amateurs 



209 



Flagged and Paved Paths 



FOR real usefulness there is no path 

 better than that made of gravel. 

 It will withstand heavy and con- 

 tinuous traffic, while being economical 

 both to lay and to maintain. Did the 

 weather conditions allow of its use at 

 all seasons, probably none would prove 

 more satisfactory than the grass path ; 

 it is delightful to feel the elastic touch of 

 well-kept turf, and the flowers look all the 

 better in its company. But a grass path 

 can only be used 

 in comfort in the 

 warmest a n d 

 driest period of 

 the year, and even 

 in summer heavy 

 rain may render 

 it impassable. At 

 other seasons it 

 is too cold and 

 damp to be pleas- 

 ant. The flagged 

 or paved pathway, 

 a return to an old 

 fashion, has be- 

 come very popular 

 during late years, 

 and now forms a 

 most attractive 

 feature in gardezu. 



It i- especially uell 

 suited to small 

 gardeas, and to 

 those devoted to 

 one kind of flower, 

 such as Roses or 

 annuals or alpine 

 plants, while it 

 lends additional 

 charm to a mixed 

 border of hardy 

 flowers, as may i.e 

 seen In. in a glance 

 at the coloured 

 frontispiece. Per- 

 haps the c h i e f 

 beauty of such a 

 ' 14 



Photo: A. If. 



Flagged path in a cottage garden. 



path lies in its subdued grey colouring 

 that associates perfectly with the brightly 

 coloured blossom, while it offers the 

 great advantage of a dry footing in all 

 weathers. Moreover, one may fill the cre- 

 vices between the stones with many attrac- 

 tive miniature plants and flowers, thus 

 rendering it additionally picturesque. 



The Best Materials. Of the materials 

 employed for pathways, hard York pave- 

 ment slabs are undoubtedly best, but they 

 are expensive, and 

 for this reason are 

 rarely used in 

 gardens in new 

 condition. An ex- 

 cellent substitute 

 is found in slabs 

 that have passed 

 out of service in 

 the streets of 

 towns and sub- 

 urbs ; for these, 

 although broken, 

 are suitable for 

 pathways of an 

 irregular charac- 

 ter, while the 

 rectangular stones 

 may, by careful 

 arrangement, be 

 used for paths 

 \\here a moder- 

 ately sharp line 

 is required along 

 the outside edges. 

 Other materials 

 used are floor-tiles 

 and 1 1.1 \ i ML: bricks, 

 which are always 

 effective in broad 

 paths. \Vh-n in- 

 troduced as panels 

 with a surround 

 <>f stone, bricks 

 may either be 

 laid Hat or on 

 edge, but the 



