LINKS AND DIVIDERS in Your Gardens 

PATHWAYS SHOULD BE just one part of a garden layout, not the reason for it. Imagine two identical neighboring gar- dens. One has a T-shaped path to link the key elements of the layout, leaving three little plots to infill with grass, one on either side of the path and one along the top of the T. 

The other, filled with flowers and shrubs, has a single path weaving between the masses of color and fragrance and joining every element of the design, without dominating it.

Either approach is valid, but regarding hard surfacing as just another element in a tapestry tends to produce a more versatile and less rigid layout, giving you scope to develop the garden. There are no rules which state that a path has to be such and such a width, or even that it must be straight. 

The path may take a diagonal route across a wider paved area scattered with planting, or zigzag through shrubs.

THE BEST MATERIAL FOR A PATH

The length, and therefore cost, as well as the look you are seeking are factors in your choice of path. Service paths, which lead to, say, the dustbin and are infrequent use, need to be usable at all times of the year, preferably textured, and well drained so that they do not become slippery in winter. But bear in mind that Stone paving, even when well laid, becomes slippery under trees or in shade unless you scrub it regularly.

Bricks laid lengthways emphasize

long bricks take a lot of beating as a Sur- face, Use wire-Cut pavers, which are thinner and harder than building bricks. Building bricks need to be set on edge to Expose their hardest sides, and are extravagant as pathways for that reason. The way you lay bricks influences how the eye sees the path.

+ Bands of bricks laid crossways with another material break up the length, suggesting greater width. A diagonal pattern acts like an arrow, urging walkers down the path.

Textured concrete or reconstituted stone slabs come in an enormous range, are non-slip and, where sympathetic to their surroundings, are pleasing to the eye. Eaging is not necessary when you pave with a hard surface, so long as the levels are correct on either side of it. But law either a brick-on-edge or a wooden kerb when you use a fine path medium such as consolidated gravel or, in a woodland setting, pulverized bark.

PUTTING PATHS ON SLOPES

A path on a slope needs even greater care. Crossing a slope, any walkway should be horizontal, making in fact a terrace. Ground above the path must be graded gently so that soil does not wash down – quick ground-cover plants such as periwinkle, wild strawberry, Lamium galeobdolon or Hypericum calycinum help. Alternatively, the slope needs a retaining wall to support it. This results in one of the best and most convenient of all garden features, a raised bed. The path itself must also have sound support, such as bricks set in a cement base, on its lower side.

Paths on a slope have their own problems, Lo0se gravel or stone chips are un- suitable surfaces as they move under the feet and are washed away by heavy rain, though a diagonal gutter set across the path between two boards every so often helps. Surfaces can be slippery regardless of material once the slope exceeds about one in ten. 

There is then no alternative but for the path to have a step every Stride or so.

SCREENS WITHIN THE GARDEN LINKS AND DIVIDERS

Part of the function of borders -t0 edge a word suggests, to border’ space. B But they also link and divide garden areas. Think of the border across the garden that conventionally separates lawn and flowerbeds from a vegetable garden, wild garden or just compost and storage areas bevond.

A Screen in this spot is often one of the first requirements of a new garden. but a fully living division takes several years to achieve. Some hedges are quite quick. Leyland cypress does the job wonderfully but never knows when to stop- but more satisfactory skill for immediate effect is a built divider. Walls and fences, especially if they match or harmonize with existing buildings in their Material, are seldom better.

Lighter screens are usually less ex- pensive to construct but less permanent Diamond-pattern or squared trellis has an honorable tradition- the grandest 17th-century gardens in Europe from Versailles downwards used lattice work extensively. When trellis is firmly an- chaered- perhaps as panes within a solid fence or wall trame, reducing visual Weight and cost at the same time is highly recommended. 

It provides per- tech support for climbers, the quickest of all plants to grow, making the serven be- tween garden areas raptly elective. That end-of-garden area where all Manner of unsightly objects, bits of equipment and piles of debris are stored nets to be served, but also reached A simple service path down one side of the main garden area- itself screened from general View – is one option. 

When the central awn is intended to be impeccable such enra access is essential to stop a worn track developing, though wear can also be mitigated by paving flags set into the grass at vulnerable points. But more often, you wish to take plea- sure in passing from one area to another. Where there is only a yard or two be- tween the screen and the end of the t on a

Rurden, trame an eye-catching pot pinth in the gap, giving just enough space to get a wheelbarrow to the com- post or bonfire to left and right. When there are more spacious garden areas to g0 on to, make a bolder focal point such as a statue or large architectural plant. Frame this important sight-line with the edges of a border, cut through by a path to provide access. 

Mark it with a matching pair of sentinel features, made from pairs, obelisks or simple posts or irom statuesque plants This is just the place to practice the gentle art of topiary, from a brace of simple odcisk yews to pecos and other creatures, or abstract tights of fancy.

MAKING OVERHEAD FEATURES OF LINKS

Screens and paths act as frames for the garden as well as links and dividers. To complete the frame, link a screen to left and right with an overhead section. Join the top beams of a trellis, or train topiary pillars to become an arch.

Unlike a two-dimensional picture, a garden has real depth. You can project an arch backwards or forwards to become a pergola. At once you reintroduce the link between architecture and plants that makes gardening so satisfying. Visits to large garden centers and flower shows demonstrate the range of materials from which to make garden screens, pergolas, arbors and tunnels, Stone, concrete, wood, iron and even wire constructions are offered. 

For more visit  https://numanedu.online/

Tie in your choice with existing features, what you expect its life span to be, what you expect to pay and, specifically, its job. Is the feature to be a tunnel you walk through? 

Is it to support climbers or trained plants? If so, think very carefully about height; it should be 7ft (2 m) to be sure that errant growths of climbing roses do not snatch at your hair. The width must be at least 4 ft (1.2 m) if you are not to get soaked by strands of sodden clematis, Do not choose a wire arch and expect it to support a wisteria, and be prepared for rustic poles to rot just when the plants they support are at their best. The better the quality, the more successful the tunnel will be.

SCREENS FOR PROTECTION

Pretty though a pergola is as a divider, it gives little shelter and many gardens need internal divisions that offer protection, usually from wind, sometimes from sun. Lightly clothed trellis casts a dappled shade that filters sun pleasantly but wind often takes more defeat.

Hedges or, for immediate protection, woven wattle hurdles securely fixed are better than a wall as they filter the wind and reduce its speed. High walls within a garden can block vou in and look intimi- dating unless the area is very large. Seaside gardens are often enviably frost free and many grow an almost sub- tropical range of plants. 

But taking ad- vantage of the moderating influence of a maritüme site is only possible once the sea-winds are tamed. Plant a screen of robust, wind-tolerant shrubs such as Cotoneaster simonsit, which has white flowers and orange-red berries, or the evergreen Pittosporum tenuifolium, with honey-scented, purple spring flowers, to shelter the patio or sitting-out place. Other plants will flourish in their lee, many of them from the Southern Hemisphere – 

For example, escallonias, Hebe salicifolia, H. brachysiphon and the compact H. x franciscana ‘Blue Gem’, which flowers almost all year and looks wonderful in summer with catmint.

CONCLUSION

Keep in mind the need to select plants to suit each site, rather than attempting to change the site to suit the plant. There is a plant for every place and a place (though not necessarily in every garden) for every plant. Choosing plants that are already adapted to your conditions – shade or sun. dry soil or bog – increases your sucCeSs in creating a garden.