Creative Stone Walkways
Inexpensive Alternatives

Stone walkways add that something special to a landscape. I feel it is because there is nothing that can match natural materials in a landscape design.

Here are ideas that you might want to use for your own property. Bluestone is used, although there are other types that would make great walkways, such as fieldstone. This stone is a bit more rugged and not as flat but has a great look.

Geometric Stepping Stones

Bluestone Garden Path

This is one of the least expensive walkways and easiest to install. As you can see, plants on either side soften the design.

These geometric stones could also just be placed in an area of lawn. Simply cut out the grass beneath the stone to make sure they are level and lay them down. A mower can go right over this for ease of maintenance.

I would say a good minimum size to use would be 24" x 24", but of course you could go much larger. Since it is a casual path, 24" x 36" stones would work too.

Stepping Stones Through Lawn

Rather than installing a wide front walkway which is dry laid or set in concrete, consider using separate stones set right into the grass. Create a nice curve for a natural look. This will save you a lot of money.

Natural (Free-Form) Stones

One of my favorite types of casual walkway designs...

This stone walk is made up of bluestone stone slabs. I love using these. There are a few choices as to what to do in between the stones.

Mulch works well if the stones are placed within a planting bed. This is very simple to do as the surrounding areas will already (or should) be mulched.
River rock is another option. Use small or large ones or a combination of different sizes.
Low growing drought tolerant plants can add a lot of charm.

Large Irregular Bluestone Slabs

I love these large bluestone stepping stones. You can just leave mulch in-between, add river rock (shown here), and/or add low growing plants (here also). Use Thyme, Sedums, Camomile and other interesting steppable plants.

Creating Access Through a Garden

Sometimes you might have a very wide garden and need to get in there to take care of your plants or just meander through it for enjoyment. Here you can see how the stepping stones can be used.

You could also use loose stone which would be even less expensive. However, you should use edging to hold the stones in place so that they don't fall into the mulch making it quite messy. With separatestones, you don't have this issue.