Bailey Van Tassel

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02 Jan 2023
Garden Design

Why Pea Gravel Won in Our Trial of 7 Garden Pathways

Spoiler alert: after exploring seven ideas, and implementing three (yes, three!) comparative trials, we went with pea gravel. Choosing the right material for our garden pathways was like choosing a tattoo. It felt so permanent because the cost can be exorbitant and the permanence overwhelming. It was a journey, to say the least, but here are the details of it for you so that you can choose wisely. I wish I had read an article like this!

The pea gravel and flagstone final look.

How To Choose A Garden Pathway

When considering garden pathways, there is a lot to think about. Here is what I find helpful to consider:

  • The feeling under your feet (if you’re barefoot, this is crucial)
  • The amount of potential mess that can be drug inside or about your yard
  • The cost
  • The amount of water needed (if at all)
  • The aesthetic compared to your home style
  • The overall feeling you’re trying to achieve with the space.
Here’s the DG and flagstone – it photographed well, but felt off and was a mess, and hurt underfoot.

The Path to Pea Gravel Started with DG

After a lot of discussion and deliberation, we actually first chose and fully invested in Decomposed Granite (DG). We had it installed with flagstone stepping stones throughout to create a cute pathway. Immediately we regretted it because we didn’t realize how orange the color would look. We live in a bit of a desert climate and wanted to avoid more of that desolate look. Additionally, it was so so uncomfortable to walk on, which we had never tried out before (note that!).

Some of the photos look great, but it was just not the vibe we wanted after all. We were considering living with it until we had a contractor friend come out and explain how easy it would be to cover with something else.

After months of DG, a new backyard project was underway for us and we had old grass turf laying around. My husband loves the look of grass in a raised bed garden, so we thought we’d give it a try. My gut was a hard “no”, but compromise is in my blood.

We had the turf laid around the garden and it did look great, however, it felt horrible. Part of my resistance was to the microplastics that are sent into the soil with heat exposure and time, so I don’t like that. Also, it felt so much like carpet. That very night after it was laid out I woke up in a bit of an actual panic attack feeling like I couldn’t breathe. Around 3:15 am our backyard camera caught footage of me walking around barefoot on the turf, trying to convince myself that it was no big deal. I didn’t sleep the rest of the night and then explained to my husband (trying to not sound totally unhinged) how it was making me suffocate.

Enter The Pea Gravel

After the panic attack turf episode, I recommended we try pea gravel. It was my original instinct and love, and after pricing it out, realized that it was a $400 fix. We would keep the flagstone, spread that out, and could have some turf accents, especially by our doorway, to keep the mess down and add that green look my husband loves.

I went to a landscape supplier and brought home three bags of pea gravel – all smooth varieties with mixed tones that would complement some warmth, but not add to the desert vibe we were avoiding. We settled on ‘Yosemite’ 3/4 – 1/2″ stones.

The end result was INCREDIBLE. We literally said, “this is what it should feel like to love the way something looks and feels”. Gah, the process was turbulent, but we got there.

So, let’s dive into the details in case you want more background.

What We Compared

We explored seven pathway options, three of which we actually tried out, and some of which we had experience with. Eventually, and finally, we tried out pea gravel, getting three samples of rock, but the exploration process was what led us there.

Here is what we evaluated:

  • Mulch
  • Moss
  • DG
  • Pea Gravel
  • Turf/ Grass
  • Stone

I’ll break down each of these in detail, and then we can have a big symphony of excitement around why the pea gravel is so great!

  1. Mulch was the material pre-existing in the garden and though it can look tidy and be great for soil, it was messy and constantly drug into the house by way of the dog’s fur. We removed that early on in our garden renovation, never to be seen again.
  2. Moss is what I wanted initially, with flagstone pavers as stepping stones. I was picturing a centuries-old verdant Irish garden. However, we live in Southern California in a drought with zero soil health, so that would require a ton of irrigation, and we also have wooden raised beds, so that much water on the beds will rapidly increase rot.
  3. Decomposed granite (DG) is what I was most familiar with seeing and seemed the lowest maintenance. The only con relevant at the time seemed to be the mess when it rains, but it rarely rains here. Eventually, I realized the color was a no for us as well (you can see it pictured here looking less orange than it was in person. Another con that we realized was how dusty it was all the time, with little tiny rocks that stuck in your feet and scratched the floor when drug inside. It was more of a muddy mess whenever wet, and then turns into a sort of gluey orange headache. I have toddlers, so they explored the extent of muddy DG thrown onto walls – that was fun.
  4. Pea gravel is what I pinned the most on Pinterest (as cringe as that sounds) because it most resembles a french potager. However, we were worried (and ill-advised) that it would move a lot. We also had a hard time picturing the coloring working with the warm tones of our brick home. We also were worried about the barefoot effect, and then found that we can get different textures. Some pea gravel is smooth (which we chose).
  5. Grass was a big yes from my husband. He wanted Bermuda grass (like a gold course), but we realized quickly with research that that was too high maintenance and not water-wise at all. Again, the excessive watering around the raised beds was an issue too.
  6. Stone was a fun idea, as we have brick on the front of the house. But, that felt too hard-scape to me and it’s quite costly. Plus, that is really really permanent and takes away some of the life of the garden to me. We did add some flagstone pavers throughout, which we loved from the get-go.
  7. Turf was the last option, an alternative to grass, but still giving that green effect. It was much too stifling to me, unsustainable, and felt so so wrong beneath my feet in a space that is about life and nature.
Here is the turf, looking green, but feeling like a carpet.

Overall, as you read, pea gravel is what we chose. We love the look of it (there are dozens of options), the feel of the more polished stone (again, there are options on texture), and the look of something natural, yet still tidy. The rocks are not sliding, not being brought into the house (there is a buffer area by the door of turf and flagstone that keeps it at bay for us), and really look a good mixture of traditional, yet fresh.

I hope this breakdown is helpful, as we really went all-in on exploring this one with some failed attempts and wasted money. Good luck on your garden pathway adventure!

TAGS:garden designgarden pathwaysgarden renovationpea gravelraised bed garden
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Hi I’m Bailey

Hi I’m Bailey

Teaching you how to grow veggies in any space while show you how to live a garden-inspired life.

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There is no better strategy than to get to know your own garden, seasons, weather, and microclimate. No reading, no influencer, no tv show knows better. 

To start, deep dive into your specific zip code’s US hardiness zone. If you’re international, Google your city with “hardiness zone” tacked on and see where that gets you. 

Next, get to know your zip code’s monthly weather averages, which is even better than the broad hardiness zone info. A zone 9 in Southern California versus South Carolina is very different because of humidity, storms, pests, etc. 

Frost dates are cool to know as well, but with time, *you* will be able to tell if it’s going to be a cold March or a mild one, and if planting after Mother’s Day has ever led you wrong or instead always been the perfect timing. 

What you’re looking to know is this: when will my seeds/seedlings germinate or thrive best for the time they’re outside? Will there be enough sun and heat for my spring/summer crops, or enough cool but not too cold for my fall/winter veg? It’s about 90 days that you need, and then if you’re starting seeds inside, that can get you a bonus 2 month head start. All seeds are different but these are good generalizations. 

There is simply nothing that can beat your experience, and that my friends is what makes gardening so beautiful, so intuitive, so humbling, and also so confidence building. 

Lean in.
baileyvantassel
baileyvantassel
•
Follow

There is no better strategy than to get to know your own garden, seasons, weather, and microclimate. No reading, no influencer, no tv show knows better.

To start, deep dive into your specific zip code’s US hardiness zone. If you’re international, Google your city with “hardiness zone” tacked on and see where that gets you.

Next, get to know your zip code’s monthly weather averages, which is even better than the broad hardiness zone info. A zone 9 in Southern California versus South Carolina is very different because of humidity, storms, pests, etc.

Frost dates are cool to know as well, but with time, *you* will be able to tell if it’s going to be a cold March or a mild one, and if planting after Mother’s Day has ever led you wrong or instead always been the perfect timing.

What you’re looking to know is this: when will my seeds/seedlings germinate or thrive best for the time they’re outside? Will there be enough sun and heat for my spring/summer crops, or enough cool but not too cold for my fall/winter veg? It’s about 90 days that you need, and then if you’re starting seeds inside, that can get you a bonus 2 month head start. All seeds are different but these are good generalizations.

There is simply nothing that can beat your experience, and that my friends is what makes gardening so beautiful, so intuitive, so humbling, and also so confidence building.

Lean in.

4 days ago
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1/4
Goes to the beach to play, comes home with driftwood branches for the garden✨. 

Apparently it was the highest tide in 35+ years causing all this debris to be washed up on the beach. I saw the perfect 5’ curved branches and just had to whip up some pea trellises! 

There’s nothing like the feeling of hard work done by your own hands.
baileyvantassel
baileyvantassel
•
Follow

Goes to the beach to play, comes home with driftwood branches for the garden✨.

Apparently it was the highest tide in 35+ years causing all this debris to be washed up on the beach. I saw the perfect 5’ curved branches and just had to whip up some pea trellises!

There’s nothing like the feeling of hard work done by your own hands.

5 days ago
View on Instagram |
2/4
House hunting priorities went from ‘open floor plan’ to ‘open land’ after I started gardening. I didn’t have this passion when we got married - my poor husband. 

It’s a tall order in Southern California and arguably not a thing unless you’re the multi-millionaire kind of wealthy (we’re not). So, I wanted to leave the state. Also not a thing when you own a business here. So, I wanted just enough space for a few garden boxes. 

On the listing for this house, there was no shown space for a garden. But we came anyways, and found this empty patch of mulch. 

Time, vision, and a dedication to the dream ☁️. I also had like three other versions of this space before this one, just to keep me gardening well before I had raised beds. Who was around when I built berms?? 

Any garden design questions? Leave them here and I’ll answer them all 👇🏼

#gardendesign #raisedbeds #kitchengarden
baileyvantassel
baileyvantassel
•
Follow

House hunting priorities went from ‘open floor plan’ to ‘open land’ after I started gardening. I didn’t have this passion when we got married – my poor husband.

It’s a tall order in Southern California and arguably not a thing unless you’re the multi-millionaire kind of wealthy (we’re not). So, I wanted to leave the state. Also not a thing when you own a business here. So, I wanted just enough space for a few garden boxes.

On the listing for this house, there was no shown space for a garden. But we came anyways, and found this empty patch of mulch.

Time, vision, and a dedication to the dream ☁️. I also had like three other versions of this space before this one, just to keep me gardening well before I had raised beds. Who was around when I built berms??

Any garden design questions? Leave them here and I’ll answer them all 👇🏼

#gardendesign #raisedbeds #kitchengarden

2 weeks ago
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3/4
Virginia Woolf talked about having a room of her own (for writing of course). 

But I too believe that every woman should have a room of her very own - a space for her dream to be worked at. 

I didn’t even know I was building mine the first time around, and ever since that first garden have fought to keep one.  For me, the garden is where I can impose however much or little of myself. 
It can be wild or kept, and often I have to dance with factors far outside myself just to keep it going. 

I realize too that I live in a place in my own mind often, and then bits of real life replicate that dreamy space. Tiny present moments that create the feelings of contentment and peace will match up with the little world I’m striving to create externally. 

And I have come to realize that our rooms - whether indoors or outside, or within a journal, are vessels. We enter with our changing moods, coloring the walls with our predispositions. 

Each day, with these little ones by my side, I hope to showcase more and more of a world where we can build houses by our own hands and hearts - solidly on foundations of hope, perseverance, resilience, optimism, joy, commitment, authenticity, and boundary-less love. 

The world begs for your youness, and that is it. For you to create out here what is also in there. 

Beautiful outfit: @thisisthegreat_ 💘
Virginia Woolf talked about having a room of her own (for writing of course). 

But I too believe that every woman should have a room of her very own - a space for her dream to be worked at. 

I didn’t even know I was building mine the first time around, and ever since that first garden have fought to keep one.  For me, the garden is where I can impose however much or little of myself. 
It can be wild or kept, and often I have to dance with factors far outside myself just to keep it going. 

I realize too that I live in a place in my own mind often, and then bits of real life replicate that dreamy space. Tiny present moments that create the feelings of contentment and peace will match up with the little world I’m striving to create externally. 

And I have come to realize that our rooms - whether indoors or outside, or within a journal, are vessels. We enter with our changing moods, coloring the walls with our predispositions. 

Each day, with these little ones by my side, I hope to showcase more and more of a world where we can build houses by our own hands and hearts - solidly on foundations of hope, perseverance, resilience, optimism, joy, commitment, authenticity, and boundary-less love. 

The world begs for your youness, and that is it. For you to create out here what is also in there. 

Beautiful outfit: @thisisthegreat_ 💘
Virginia Woolf talked about having a room of her own (for writing of course). 

But I too believe that every woman should have a room of her very own - a space for her dream to be worked at. 

I didn’t even know I was building mine the first time around, and ever since that first garden have fought to keep one.  For me, the garden is where I can impose however much or little of myself. 
It can be wild or kept, and often I have to dance with factors far outside myself just to keep it going. 

I realize too that I live in a place in my own mind often, and then bits of real life replicate that dreamy space. Tiny present moments that create the feelings of contentment and peace will match up with the little world I’m striving to create externally. 

And I have come to realize that our rooms - whether indoors or outside, or within a journal, are vessels. We enter with our changing moods, coloring the walls with our predispositions. 

Each day, with these little ones by my side, I hope to showcase more and more of a world where we can build houses by our own hands and hearts - solidly on foundations of hope, perseverance, resilience, optimism, joy, commitment, authenticity, and boundary-less love. 

The world begs for your youness, and that is it. For you to create out here what is also in there. 

Beautiful outfit: @thisisthegreat_ 💘
baileyvantassel
baileyvantassel
•
Follow

Virginia Woolf talked about having a room of her own (for writing of course).

But I too believe that every woman should have a room of her very own – a space for her dream to be worked at.

I didn’t even know I was building mine the first time around, and ever since that first garden have fought to keep one. For me, the garden is where I can impose however much or little of myself.
It can be wild or kept, and often I have to dance with factors far outside myself just to keep it going.

I realize too that I live in a place in my own mind often, and then bits of real life replicate that dreamy space. Tiny present moments that create the feelings of contentment and peace will match up with the little world I’m striving to create externally.

And I have come to realize that our rooms – whether indoors or outside, or within a journal, are vessels. We enter with our changing moods, coloring the walls with our predispositions.

Each day, with these little ones by my side, I hope to showcase more and more of a world where we can build houses by our own hands and hearts – solidly on foundations of hope, perseverance, resilience, optimism, joy, commitment, authenticity, and boundary-less love.

The world begs for your youness, and that is it. For you to create out here what is also in there.

Beautiful outfit: @thisisthegreat_ 💘

2 weeks ago
View on Instagram |
4/4

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