The last project we took on in March, before I briefly returned to America, was to extend our walkway with gravel on either sides. The grass and mud had buried our path to the house and we wanted it to appear tidier and be more functional. Now we are able to keep our bins out of the dirt and along the hedges, and the other side can be decorated with garden pots or anything else. 😍 The gravel has made a huge difference in keeping our walkway clean, as well as giving the garden a little more structure!

You’ll notice I chose not to lay down landscaping fabric for this. After a lot of thought and research I really don’t find it to be worth it. For one, I didn’t want to be adding more plastic into the garden. In cleaning the back garden especially, I have seen how garden plastics break down into small pieces in the soil and it’s been a job trying to remove as much as possible. And any eco friendly alternative will just turn into dirt in a few years anyway-why pay for it? As for lining with free newspapers or cardboard, it’s still not worth the effort. This won’t be a garden bed in need of filler substance and they won’t keep weeds out for long. Even with a plastic liner weed seeds will just sit on top of the gravel and still thrive, or worse break through from under the plastic and be impossible to remove. For all of the DIY eco-friendly weed killers I have looked into, it seems to me the #1 most effective and budget friendly option is to pull them out as they grow in. Obviously that’s not accessible for everyone, but I’ve got plenty of time to kill at present! Pouring boiling water over them is the only other trick I would do for something like this. I think in the end, when I’m old and can’t get down to garden anymore, I’ll be glad I spent the time pulling them by hand.

Anyway, we love our stoney bits and might top up as they settle in a bit more. I never thought I’d love gravel so much!

Katy