New Footpaths Around the Stewartia Garden
Dozens of pressed red clay bricks and stone pavers I had been storing from previous homes and projects have found new purpose here at my Bedford, New York farm.
Not long ago, I decided it was time to create some new footpaths around my Stewartia garden just outside my Tenant House. For the last few weeks Pete Sherpa and Fernando Ferrari from my outdoor grounds crew have been working hard clearing the designated areas, cutting the sod, laying down stone dust, bricks, and pavers, and finally spreading a layer of nutrient-rich mulch around the garden beds to give it all a beautiful and finished appearance.
Enjoy these photos.
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- Many of our outdoor projects start with a small stake and some twine.
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- This most recent project involves making footpaths to go around this garden bordered on one side by the majestic stand of bald cypress and dotted with gorgeous perennial plantings, Cotinus, and of course Stewartias – after all, my name is Stewart.
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- On the east side of the Stewartia garden, Pete secures lines from one end of the designated path to the other, to ensure the finished path is completely straight.
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- Then, using the twine as a guide, Pete starts to detach the sod from the marked area with our new Classen Pro HSC18 sod cutter.
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- Pete rolls up the sod in sections, so it is not too heavy to transport.
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- Here are several pieces of sod neatly rolled and placed in a row for moving. It will be used in another section of the farm. Good, healthy sod is always repurposed and transplanted.
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- I have lots of these bricks left over from my previous home in East Hampton – they used to surround my swimming pool. “Pressed red” is the general term given to solid red bricks traditionally manufactured from clay, pressed into individual molds by hand, and then heated at very high temperatures. I decided we would line this path using these bricks – it’s always nice to use materials already here at the farm.
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- This is a view after a few bricks have been laid down. They will hold the path filler in nicely.
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- Once all the bricks are in place, Fernando levels a layer of stone dust in the path. Stone dust is a non-porous material, which is good to use under gravel. It will stop heavy rain water from seeping below and reduces the risk of shifting or damaging the bordering bricks.
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- Afterward, Fernando goes over it with a gravel tamper. A tamper is a tool with a long handle and a heavy, square base used for leveling and firmly packing gravel, dirt, clay, sand, and other similar materials such as the stone dust.
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- On this side, Fernando removes the sod sections from another designated path.
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- This path leads to the area next to my Basket House on the left. And on the right, a path behind my Stewartia garden.
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- Here is one side of the path all cleared. This too will be lined with red bricks and filled with the stone dust. It leads to the carriage road.
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- This is the cleared footpath in the back of my Stewartia Garden. Mature perennials are on both sides of this footpath. Among them, hostas, lady’s mantle, Thalictrum with its lacy bluish-green foliage and airy clusters of lavender-pink flowers set on tall sturdy purple stems, ferns, Syneilesis, Astilboides, and many others.
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- Here, I wanted the path made with large flagstone pavers placed several inches apart and surrounded with mulch. I have many stone materials already here at the farm and knew these would be perfect for this space.
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- Pete positioned all the pavers before securing them in the ground, so he knew he had the perfect amount for the space.
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- Meanwhile, here is the last section of path lined with bricks and ready for stone dust.
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- Here, one can see the thin layer of stone dust now along the path. It is just an inch or so thick.
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- The two paths running north-south are filled in with 3/8-inch native washed stone – the same stone used on my carriage roads.
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- Next, Pete brings in lots of mulch to place around the paths as a finishing detail for the surrounding garden beds.
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- Pete removed some more grass from the sides and added mulch. My goal is to have less lawn to save on mowing. These areas will be filled in with plants.
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- Here is the area just in front of my Basket House. What shall I plant here?
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- And here is another area where I am looking forward to planting more shade-loving specimens and spring blooming bulbs.
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- This is where two of the paths meet just outside my gym building. These paths make the area look so much more manicured.
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- Everything looks so beautiful. It’s now a favorite area for guests to walk and see all the gorgeous perennials growing in the garden. I will share more photos of this garden in an upcoming blog.
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