The paths which lead visitors through the Garden of St Erth blend beautifully into the surrounding landscape. They are a generous width and accommodate many visitors comfortably. When making a path, consideration should be given to the style, where it should lead and the material appropriate to the desired style or to the environment.

The paths at the Garden of St Erth are made from decomposed sand or in some areas it is referred to as granitic packing sand. This material is placed into the defining framework of sleepers and compacted using a ramming plate or ‘whacker’ resulting in a smooth, natural looking pathway which will last for a very long time. The continuous edging is broken up with moss-covered granite pieces.

The path material can be colour coordinated to suit other landscaping features by using different colours of decomposed granite. It will suit almost any theme including Tuscan, Spanish or native depending on the colour used.

Path procedure

To build a path like the rammed granite paths at St Erth you should:

mark out the area where you want the path to go. A garden hose is useful when deciding this as it can be easily curved and moved until the desired lines are found.
dig down approximately 100mm (4″).
place your edging pieces in position. Sleepers have been used in this garden with pieces of granite placed between the sleepers to break up the linear look.
place some of the decomposed granite into the defined area, smooth out the material (the back of a flat metal rake is good for this). Spray gently with water.
pack granite down using the plate compacter.
place some more decomposed granite material on top of the first layer and again pack down with the plate compacter.
repeat the filling and packing until the path is level with the path edges. On average, this filter pack procedure is done three times.

Availability

Granitic sand (or decomposed granite) is available from landscape and building suppliers for approximately $48 per tonne.

Rammer plate compactors (commonly called ‘whackers’) are available from handyman equipment hire companies. They cost around $56 for four hours hire.