Garden pathway re-do: handyman / hardscape person / gardener?
Hi,
We are giving up on the sections of walkway in our yard that we originally had done in decomposed granite. They really did look nice for a while, but are now IMPOSSIBLE to keep clear of weeds - and the weeds are not easy to pull.
We are looking for a recommendation for someone who can re-do 3 garden paths, fairly short ones, in something that is impervious to weeds. Do you have a material in your paths that does the job? And/or a recommendation for someone who could get the job done?
Many thanks!
Aug 21, 2024
Parent Replies
Guillermo Garcia helped us with our landscaping - both when we needed extensive work and for somewhat smaller jobs. He's easy to work with, friendly, and does very high quality work. You can reach him at +1 (510) 860-0594. He made excellent paths/walkways for us throughout our yard and knows how to build something that'll last and look appealing.
As for materials, I think you can get a good sense of what's available by checking out somewhere like Home Depot for the lower-cost / paver end of the spectrum and American Soil and Stone in Richmond (https://www.americansoil.com/) for more of the flagstone look.
I hear you on the DG situation. We did a major re-do of our front and back yards & pathways 10 months ago and have been ridiculously happy with the results. To implement the designs, we worked with a super knowledgeable, helpful, friendly, responsible, professional landscape contractor (and East Bay native) named Josh Kemp of Headwaters Landscape Design. He and his team were on-time, respectful, tidy, thoughtful, and have continued to be available as questions and (small) issues have arisen since installation. Reach out/learn more at headwaterslandscape dot com or kemp.hardscape [at] gmail.com (kemp[dot]hardscape[at]gmail[dot]com)
Due to budge constraints, we kept our front walkway (randomly shaped concrete stepping "stones" created by the former homeowners) but Josh and team removed the grass & weeds growing in between and replaced it with creeping thyme (lovely!) and tiny bark with soaker-irrigation-lines below. It took plenty of additional watering on our part to get the thyme (which has very shallow roots) to establish, but we've had few issues with weeds (and they have been easily removed by my fingers). In time, the creeping thyme will fill in all the cracks, which should eliminate the vast majority of wanna-be weeds.
While you sort out what to do, find a nursery/garden shop that has horticultural vinegar and spray it on those tough-to-pull-out weeds growing in the DG. Trust me, I've been in your exact shoes, and the vinegar did the trick--and fast--and is a lot less harmful to wildlife/pets/you (though do wear gloves when applying) than Roundup or other toxic pesticides.