Most people think of paths and drives as simply a means of reaching the house or crossing the garden; in design term there is far more potential in the way you can use them. Access for pedestrians and vehicles is, of course, one of the prime considerations when planning a garden; but don’t think of paths and drives as something to overlay your basic pattern. They should be an inherent part of the garden structure and you should choose the materials carefully so they blend with the rest of the composition. Paths and drives should form design lines which will help to make the garden look larger, wider or longer; take this into the account and use it to your advantage.

Designing paths
The essence of good design is the ability to understand the potential of a feature and use it to your advantage in a variety of ways. The folly of dividing a long, narrow garden with a path down the middle should be obvious. In this case the pats is fulfilling the requirement of access at the problem and compounds it by chopping the available space into even narrower section. If you lay the path in a zig-zag fashion or from side to side of the garden, the area will be divided into more managable proportions and will allow you to give each section its own theme and make better use of the available space.

In basic terms, in a garden of average size you should have an area close to the house which has an architectural theme; this area will link the garden with the building. As you move further away from the house, the composition should be looser and softer. This arrangement will create a feeling of depth, space and movement and your paths should act as links between the different areas. In this case the path should lead eyes and feet in a predetermined direction.

Although paths should provide the type of access you require, they need not be a continuous surface. Stepping stones offer a more delicate design, while a solid path will give better access for wheelbarrows, bicycles and children’s toys.

Your path can also be used as a mowing edge to separate a lawn from softly planted border. Set the hard surface just below the level of the turf so the mower can run smoothly over; this eliminates tiresome hand-edging. If necessary you can neaten the line between path and lawn with an edging iron. A path laid in this way also prevent the mower snipping off overhanging blooms and shrub branches.

Designing drives
Drives are on a different scale to paths since they provide vehicle as well as pedestrian access; they therefore work differently in design terms since one is so much larger and heavier. There is, however, considerable overlap in the types of materials you can use for both paths and drives.

The main problem is to blend such a large and obvious feature into the overall composition of your house and garden; you will probably want a feeling of intimacy rather than that of a racetrack. In all but the largest garden, where the drive can be delightful feature winding through shrubs or even woodland, the distance between the road and house is small. This means the front garden can often only be looked upon as a way in; if you do think of it as a garden with a lawn, trees and planting, this could lead to hopeless overcomplication and an inevitable mess. It is far better to plan the drive and the associated hardstanding areas as a complete entity, link them to the house so they blend in and avoid complex planting; plants should be kept as a soft background.

The design problem with a front approach as just described is to prevent the area becoming boring. A straight drive should be at least 2 3/4m (9ft) wide – 3 3/4m (12ft) is a sensible width which allows vehicle doors to be opened without hanging a wall on one side or damaging plants on the other. This type of straight drive is attractive in financial terms; but it involves backing vehicles out into the road, which can be dangerous even in the quietest street.

Such a drive also has a tendency to incorporate a separate gate and path to the front door; this could leave you with a series of narrow strips in various material which have no design cohesion. It is far better to allow the drive to extend into the garden area, giving room for a vehicle to turn round or park, and incorporate an integrated path to the front door. In this case you could have a wide drive entrance and a wide gate such as a five-bar type, giving access to pedestrians and vehicles alike.

Choosing materials
The materials you can use for paths and drives are broadly similar; the size of the latter will probably mean cost is an important factor to consider when making your choice. To lay a path in York stone would be a reasonable proportion, but to surface a drive in this material would be prohibitively expensive. Look for a material for the drive which is hard-wearing and realistically priced; the simpler the laying operation, the more attractive the price will become. To lay a drive in brick paving involves a large amount of labour; using concrete or gravel is much easier. Concrete, gravel, tarmac, precast concrete slabs and chippings of various sizes are all relatively inexpensive and involve only minimal labour.

Concrete This is the most versatile drive surface since you can lay it in panels of various sizes and patterns. By using aggregates or brushing the surface as it dries, you can also provide a non-slip surface and give different finishes. As you lay the material, you can easily incorporate curved shapes to follow the sweep of a vehicle turning circle or to bend along the drive.

Tarmac As a material for drives, tarmac has many of the advantages of concrete; if necessary, you could lay it on top of a concrete base. However, the life of a tarmac is not indefinite and after some years it will need resurfacing. Don’t attempt to dress up plain tarmac using white or coloured chipping or overall colours; this can look garish in a domestic setting. Make sure you retain the edges to prevent the tarmac crumbling and water undermining the surface.

Gravel If concrete and tarmac are essentially for urban use, then gravel is basically for rural setting. Washed 9mm (3/8in) pea shingle is the best to use and should be laid on a base of well-prepared hoggin (a mixture of sand and gravel); hoggin acts as a binder and makes a durable and attractive surface. Avoid the problem of loose gravel being brought into the house by rolling the surface properly as it is laid; the loose gravel will then serve only as a top dressing.

Gravel is really only suitable on a relatively flat surface since on a slope it tends to fall to the lowest point. Where lawn and gravel join you can make a definite edge by positioning large stones; this will prevent vehicles damaging the grass. Paint them white so they will be clearly visible in car headlights after dark.

Paving modules These modules, or blocks, are available in natural stone, precast concrete and brick versions. The smaller the module you choose, the more expensive and time consuming the path or drive will be to lay. You could use the modules in conjunction with a background surface of gravel, tarmac or concrete; this will add visual appeal and interest to drive. If one section of the modules becomes damaged, you can easily replace it. One type is pierced so grass can grow up through it and give the impression of a lawn.