Another path to choose

I have been working on the garden next to the new path,

and have created a link between it and the circle around the silver birch.

I was leaning towards wooly thyme as the lawn substitute in the circle.  I like the greyness of it, but maybe it is a bit shady in there. 

An internet search provided quite a list including, pennyroyal*, chamomile, native violet*, and kidney weed*.  *good in shade.

 You have to imagine the garden planted with shrubs.  You will only be able to see the edge of the bench from this spot.  Likewise below, in that space to the right of the pots will be a shrub.  All very secretive.

Purpose AND pleasure

A path serves a purpose - to get people from A to B.  Practicality, most often dictates a straight, or slightly curvy path.  This path in the front garden was one of the latter - a bit curvy and linking the drive with the other side of the house. It was narrow, tree-roots had moved the bricks, making them trip-hazards, and the weeds were colonising it.

Here it is after I convinced the Cook to take up the bricks.  You can see from this shot that it leads to the outdoor kitchen and soon to be outdoor living area.
I also wanted to screen this area from the drive.

I fantasized about a path that would invite you to explore.  

'Come on down here. Can you see what's at the end? 

Can you guess what is around the corner?' 

So last spring I began to dig...and that is about as far as I got!

Now I finally have a lovely new garden path, which curves gently around the weeping cherry to the seat you can just see (above), then curves back upon itself, before straightening again to lead to the outdoor living area.  

There will be a seat at the far end, where it turns to the left....
a reason to venture down the path in the first place.



It looks a bit silly because you can see both ends of it at the same time and the curve seems ridiculous and unnecessary.  But a bit of judicial planting will soon fix that.
The pic below is looking back the other way.
There will be a garden between the path and those pine logs.

  I am so pleased and excited by my new bit of landscaping and it has only taken me 14 months to get this far!

The new garden beds have created a circular space around the silver birch.  You can sort of see it in the last photo.   I am going to put a sneak path through the garden bed from the new path to the circle. I would like to remove the grass and plant something that can be walked on, occasionally, preferably with a nice smell. 

Any ideas? 

Do you think I could also plant daffodils and other bulbs in this circle to become naturalised as well?

The garden path up.

No, it isn't a typo...

it is NOT meant to read, 'Up the garden path'.

Here is the said path....

Overgrown and uneven due to roots of trees.

I want to widen and realign the path.

The new path will be gravel with a brick edge.

It will lead from the arch to the outdoor living area.

Here is the path...well, here is where the path was.

 

This is looking the other way from the arch to the outdoor kitchen.

The new path will be wider, curved differently,

and plantings along its edges

will obscure this view of the ODK...

a little treat to be discovered as you walk the walk.

Now who ripped up this path...

FOO DID!

The Cook and I (mainly the Cook)
moved and stacked 288 bricks.
Unfortunately, I will have to pay for her help
by putting up with her moans about
her sore muscles for the next few days!

Small price!