Tough plants for paths
Along with grass, there are quite a number of
perennial plants that can be grown between stones
in a path. These plants can all tolerate some foot
traffic: Creeping Thyme/Mother-of-Thyme, Woolly Thyme,
Carpet Bugleweed/Ajuga Reptans, Creeping Jenny/Creeping
Charlie/Moneywort, Dead Nettle/Creeping Lamium, Blue
Star Creeper, Brass Buttons, Mazus Reptans and Sedum.
To help you select the best ground cover, consider:
- The amount of sunlight reaching your path (full sun, partial
shade, full shade), because different plants thrive
under different conditions.
- The amount of traffic the plants will need to endure. Light
traffic means the plants will be stepped on once or twice a
week. Moderate traffic is once a day. And heavy traffic is
similar to walking on your lawn several times a day.
- The type of soil (poor or rich) and moisture conditions
(wet or dry).
- Appearance—plant height, texture and color. If the path is
heavily traveled, keep the plant height extremely low to
prevent tripping.
Then take your list to a local nursery specialist to walk
you through the options best suited for your area. Also note
how the plants grow and spread—to determine plant spacing
and the number of plants you need to buy. Be sure to
avoid plants that are considered invasive species in your
area, like Creeping Jenny (Moneywort),which is listed as
an invasive species in Tennessee, Wisconsin and the Northeast.
You can find this list by visiting plants.usda.gov
(click on “Invasive & Noxious”), or ask your local nursery
specialist.
Improve the growing conditions when you carve out the
soil for your new stone path. It’s difficult
to grow anything in a trampled area. The soil gets so compacted
that roots cannot deliver water and nutrients to the
plant. Add good drainage as well as a layer of topsoil at least
1 in. deep around the stones so your ground cover can
thrive.
Finally, help your new ground cover prosper with a
weekly soaking (the plants need to stay moist) and a weekly
hand weeding. And if you’d like to keep the plants short
between the stones, consider varieties that tolerate mowing,
such as thyme and ajuga.
Here are four common examples.
Creeping Thyme
(Mother-of-Thyme)
Thymus serpyllum
Zones: 4 through 9 (most of U.S.)
Height: 2 to 4 in.
Plant spreads 12 in.
Full sun to shade
Withstands heavy traffic
Carpet Bugleweed
(Ajuga)
Ajuga reptans
Zones: 3 through 9
Height: 4 to 6 in.
Plant spreads 12 to 18 in.
Full sun to partial shade
Withstands moderate traffic
Creeping Jenny
(Creeping Charlie, Moneywort)
Lysimachia nummularia
Zones: 4 through 8
Height: 2 to 4 in.
Plant spreads 18 to 23 in.
Partial shade
Withstands moderate traffic
Dead Nettle
(Creeping Lamium)
Lamium maculatum
Zones: 4 through 8
Height: 6 to 8 in.
Plant spreads 12 to 23 in.
Partial to full shade
Withstands moderate traffic
Flagstone Garden Path
Plant plugs of your desired plants between the stones and they’ll fill in the gaps within a few years.
