My dad laid out stepping stones and put very fine pea gravel under and around the stones. You can put mulch over it it if you wanted but I think once you water it the gravel stays in place.

One idea that comes to mind would be to model your ‘paths’ after the streets of Paris or Washington DC. That is, where the Roundabouts are you would place a stone in the center. You could even have stones that are not flat, just pleasing to the eye in shape and/or color, with a path around them.

To stop the small stones from sinking you can first put down a layer of sand that you have mixed with cement. Just a little cement will go a long ways so don’t get carried away. After laying the sand mix down make sure you tamp and smooth it down real good. Place you small stones of top of the sand. The moisture over time will cause the sand to harden into a strong layer that will repel the stones from sinking.

Around the trunks of the crape myrtles trees you could design stars, circles, etc with the small stones.

Thank you, boncrow. That is what I am thinking.

Natalie, your picture is great. I want to follow a pattern like you have shown us throughout my entire yard. When I put the stones next to each other, I am afraid that it will appear as a safe walkway. I only want to keep my feet dry, and keep from having to walk in dirt. This is exactly what I want. In fact we have already purchsed some steel frames to get started.

Toolbelt, a great idea! Do you happen to know if that will work with dirt instead of sand? Thanks for your suggestions.

Sammy

Never tried it with dirt but it may work if the dirt has some sand in it. Do a test in an out of the way spot. If you have the pathways lower than the surrounding beds then water is going to collect in them.

Have you considered installing SOD for your pathways? That would give you instant grass. Just make sure your lawn mower can cut them in one pass thru.

Oh, my pathways have no grass. Actually my yard has no grass except our side yard for the dogs. I use Round Up to keep it out. The dirt paths are boring, and it is expensive to try to fill areas with rocks. I love the idea of using rocks and mulch. Landscape fabric was my mistake. It is ok for the mulch to wash off leaving dirt, but leaving landscape fabric is tacky ---to me in my garden.

Sammy I asked my dad about his walking path, he said he used sand under and around the stones to keep them level and then added the pea gravel around and between the pavers. I wish I had a picture to show you. It sounds like you are off to a good start. Post pics when you finish!

If you have a stone yard nearby, you can get a lot more river pebbles for a lot less money than a big box store.

I did find my pebbles sink in dirt and I needed to replenish. But I have traveled some and the ground in Illinois is quite different from the ground in Oklahoma.

I would also say that sand works best under the flagstone to keep the stones from wobbling. I didn't use it in this application because I was too lazy to get sand. I had to "fluff" up the dirt and really work them in to get the stones to lay properly. The gravel I used was a medium-sized gravel that isn't sinking much into the dirt. I'm also in a very dry climate for the most part. Sammy, I think mulch around the stones will create a softer, more natural look and feel to your garden.

Sammy,

Thinking about it crushed gravel should work as it has fine pieces and flat ones that interlock together. The only draw back with it would be that the fine stuff tends to stick to your feet and can be tracked into the house. Don’t know if it would support your stones on top of it but it should as you can really pack it down. Worth a try.
I have to agree with towandaaz that mulch around the stones would look much softer/natural in the garden.

Could you post a picture of the area you are talking about????