Garden Photo of the Day

Blurring the boundary

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Photo/Illustration: Michelle Gervais

Nope, we’re not done with Scott Endres quite yet! Today, check out how he eased the transition between the stepping stone path in his side garden to the concrete path leading to the sidewalk. Instead of ending the stepping stones abruptly at the concrete, he extended them a few feet, just resting them on the surface. It blurs the lines between the private and public areas of his garden in an interesting way.

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Comments

  1. gottagarden 09/06/2010

    While it's an interesting look, it seems quite impractical. Uneven, loose stones jutting up at different heights would be very hard to navigate without tripping. Quite a hazard, and on a walkway too! It's nice to try to be artsy, but not at the expense of functionality.

  2. ncgardener 09/06/2010

    I have to agree with the above comment. Maybe if they were mortared into place. It really is beautiful but I usually do the the dog test. Anything that my two cocker spaniels will not walk on or walk around is just not usable. Beautiful view though.

  3. margaritaelena 09/06/2010

    good looking path and transition but totally impractical with the loose stones

  4. breadandroses 09/06/2010

    A lovely effect but I have to agree with the three comments above. I hope anyone inclined to follow this example readS them first (I like the dog test)!
    I do quite a bit of stonework and "path-ing". My first impression was that it looked exactly like one of my projects in mid-completion. I agree the visual effect of the staggered stones at the end is very nice and a great transitional touch. You could eliminate the considerable safety hazard but keep the same effect by matching a mortar to the walk color and texture and then cementing the stones in place just as they are situated now. Good luck!

  5. Vespasia 09/06/2010

    I have to agree with the other posts. Love the effect, it's beautiful. I especially like that amazing pot but would add that apart from dogs this path would also be a challenge to the elderly and small children. Lots of luck shoveling in the winter too!

  6. Qorki 09/06/2010

    This is an accident waiting to happen, with loose stones that could tilt when walked on, and deep recesses between them. I had to make a similar transition, and using concrete stain, made a gradient tint in the concrete so that the last two feet were the reddish color of the stepping stone. A staining artist could probably duplicate the stepping stone pattern in the concrete.

  7. gnomette 09/06/2010

    have to agree looks lovely but accident waiting to happen. Quik fix - not positive it would work but applying a polymer sand to remove space could be effective - also fast to do

  8. BuckeyeJane 09/15/2010

    Get a grip, folks! It's his side yard. Probably not his main
    access to his back yard. I can see that he steps on three of these stones so they are probably very steady. Don't know about dogs (although I don't imagine this would slow any of them down) but my cats wouldn't even notice. I can't believe that he is shoveling snow off this walk, either. Besides, it's his walk. Wish I could duplicate this in my garden.

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