Have you ever walked through a meditation garden? A winding path makes its way through beautiful, often fragrant foliage. Create your own leisurely garden path as a backyard getaway.

The Path

In this instance, the old adage "It's not the destination, it's the journey," is true. The path is the focal point of your garden design, so give it special attention. Start by deciding on the kind of paving you want. Natural stone blends best into the landscape, but concrete pavers can be made to resemble almost any material.

The path should meander. This is possible even in smaller gardens by adding curves to the walkway. Use the pavers and even low garden walls that wind around the space. For a more natural-looking path, space the pavers to a natural stride. However, a sturdy walkway is just as attractive.

Landscape Design

Your landscaping helps create that feeling of meandering, even in smaller spaces. Design the path so that it goes around attractive bushes, such as mock orange or hydrangea. Use a low wall to further guide passersby around the foliage.

Add color and interest with other flower choices. For a rustic look, plant a variety of wildflowers along the way. Alternatively, channel an old-fashioned cottage with flowers such as iris, peony and coralbell. For a more manicured look, create an even spacing with tall plants such as daylilies and garden phlox, and intersperse filler plants such as hosta.

Adding fragrance with landscaping also makes for a meditation-worthy walkway. Include large fragrant plants such as lavender and bay laurel, allowing them to creep over just enough so that passerby brush their foliage. Likewise, thyme is a hardy creeper that you can use as scented groundcover between pavers.

Water Feature

As Home Garden TV points out, successful hardscaping incorporates a focal point. Many items can serve as a focal point, including a stone birdbath or garden sculpture. However, adding a water feature also adds sound and light to your landscape design.

One possibility is a sunken garden. In this case, a fountain is installed in the center of a pool that's slightly lower than the rest of the yard. The pool doesn't have to be big – it can be only slightly wider than the fountain itself. The point is to create the serenity of water trickling with sunlight playing off the droplets.

The goal of your garden path is to encourage pedestrians to wander around. As you plan the walkway, look for ways to encourage people to linger and perhaps become lost in thought. Fragrance, sound and, of course, a lovely view all work to this end.

Contact a professional landscaping company, like Waynesboro Nurseries Inc, to discuss your options for creating a leisurely garden path.