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Gardening with Stone

Flagstone path dilemma

11 years ago

My husband and I are doing a DIY flagstone path in the backyard. We have paths edged with landscape edging (the plastic coated flexible kind that you stake in) criss-crossing the backyard. We are laying the stone into decomposed granite. My husband says we can't use any of the small pieces (>10" diam.) because they will "flip up" and be a tripping hazard. Is this true? I see lots of pictures of paths on the web with small pieces in them.

Also, if we plant red thyme in between the pavers, will it "take over"? Will we need to set up a system for watering the thyme?

Are we over-thinking this?

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Comments (3)

patty_cakes
11 years ago
You might want to think about using landscape fabric or another alternative~~weeds are inevitable. I'm also doing a flagstone pathway, and my landscaper recommended it. I have never heard about not using 10" or less pieces because of 'flipping up', but if they're 'buried' deep enough I wouldn't imagine there could be a problem.

As far as the red thyme, it's most likely the weeds would take over before the thyme.

I'm sure you'll get some better answers than what I might be giving. ;o)
chibimimi
11 years ago
The flagstone walk I built four years ago has many pieces that are 3"x4" or even smaller. They have not flipped or shifted at all. HOWEVER, I did use polymeric sand in between the stones, so that helps keep them in place. What are you going to use between yours, to plant the thyme in?

I agree with Patty Cakes that weeds would do as well as if not better than the thyme, unless you plant a lot of thyme immediately. Even so, it could be a maintenance nightmare. How much to you like weeding?
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Alissa_M
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks for the responses! We tried out some different approaches with the stones, etc. and I'm hoping we have settled on using a larger (1/2" - 3/4") gravel that we had leftover from another project. It blends in better with the neighboring mulch than the d.g. I think it also holds the flagstones in better. When we get the whole thing laid, I'll post a photo (however, don't hold your breath - it's taken us a year just to get to this point!)

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