Installing a gravel path

Weed barrier fabric keeps soil & gravel separate

Let the oak grow!

Making a gravel path takes a bit more planning than just laying out some headers and dumping some gravel between them. Especially one like this, where we decided not to “color between the lines”. Instead of removing certain plants in the path area, we decided just to let them grow through the path – a volunteer Valley Oak, some irises, some sedges all jump their bounds and grow on the path side of the header.

The first step is laying out the header boards – in this case, flexible recycled plastic. It’s easy to work with, won’t rot, and does something useful with all that waste. The headers are leveled and attached to stakes to hold them in position.

After the headers, filter fabric gets laid down. It would ideally go under the header boards, but sometimes it needs to turn up inside the header to contain the gravel. Alternatively, strips could be used to contain the gravel while the remainder went under the headers to keep weeds from coming up between the header and the gravel.

If you have plants in the path area that you wish to keep for some reason (or due to simple insanity), wrap the fabric around the base of the plant and let it grow up through the gravel. Some plants might not like this and will communicate their displeasure by dieing. Others will grow as if nothing happened, coming out of the gravel.

Once the headers are happily installed, it’s time for the gravel. Start dumping at the farthest point from your gravel pile, since it’s not easy to push a loaded wheelbarrow over gravel.

Once the gravel is in, you can decorate it by adding flagstones, pavers, broken up concrete or an artistic mix of all these things.

Finally, wash the gravel down to remove small particles of clay and dirt. This will let the individual stones show off their true colors.

Weed barrier fabric under gravel paths not only suppresses weeds, but more importantly keeps the gravel from mixing with the soil. It also allows easier removal of the gravel, in case repairs or modifications need to be done in the landscape.