Stepping Stones in Flower Bed

In Your Flower Garden, Stay on the Path

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Stepping stones set in a garden allow you easy access. Photo: ediblelandscapingmadeeasy.com

It’s best not to put your feet in your flower beds. Not on the soil there at any rate. Yes, I know you’ve just lost 20 pounds and are as light as a feather, but walking or standing on soil compacts it, causing it to harden if it contains any clay particles at all and, even it if doesn’t, reducing the space available for oxygen and water to reach plant roots. The more you walk through a garden, the worse the soil becomes. And this, of course, impacts the plants that grow there: they do much better in well-aerated, uncompacted soil.

Since there will be times when you’ll have to get into any flower bed (to plant, weed, chase that darn groundhog, etc.), the simple solution is to provide stepping stones: flat stones or slabs where you always put your feet when you’re in the garden. Each should be large enough for two of your feet (guys with size 14 feet will need rather large stones!), as you may need to put both feet on them when you’re crouching down to weed. The stepping stones don’t have to form an in-your-face path or even lead anywhere in particular: they just need to be placed where they can allow access to the bed, everywhere in the bed. 

Stepping stones are handy in lawns too, as regular foot traffic will seriously damage them. Photo: http://www.familyhandyman.com

In most flower beds, your stepping stone path will quickly be hidden by dense plant growth, but the important thing is that you, the gardener, know where the steps are and can stick to them whenever you need to set your feet in the garden!

From now on, then, don’t tiptoe through the tulips, but place your feet on something solid!

Adapted from an article published on March 7, 2015.

Don’t Tiptoe Through the Tulips!

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Memorable song, bad idea! You should try not to tiptoe, stride, walk, salsa, or even creep through a flower bed. Yes, I know you’ve just lost 20 pounds and are as light as a feather, but walking or standing on soil compacts it, causing it to harden if it contains any clay particles at all and, even it if doesn’t, reducing the space available for oxygen and water to reach plant roots. The more you walk through a garden, the worse the soil gets. And this of course impacts the plants that grow there: they do much better in well-aerated, non compacted soil.

Since there will be times when you’ll have to get into a flower bed (to plant, weed, chase that damn groundhog, etc.), the simple solution is to provide stepping stones: flat stones or slabs where you always put your feet when you’re in the garden. Each should be large enough for two of your feet (size 14s will need rather large stones!), as you may need to put both feet on them when you’re crouching down to weed. The stepping stones don’t have to form an in-your-face path or even lead anywhere in particular: they just need to be placed where they can allow access to the bed, everywhere in the bed. In most flower beds, your stepping stone path will quickly be hidden by dense plant growth, but the important thing is that you, the gardener, know where the steps are and stick to them whenever you need to set your feet in the garden!

From now on, then, try steppy-stoning through the tulips!