<p>Fragrant flowers. Flowing vines. Artistically placed ornaments. A lovely garden indeed. But, do frequently-used paths with trampled-down grass or shrubs mar the magic? Certainly, kids prancing around or curious guests wearing the lawn down are factors defying control. So, what’s the solution? Simple. Stepping-stones! <br /><br />Stepping-stones beautify your garden while leading the way to a sundial, a cluster of potted plants, a fountain or a swing. Decorative stepping-stones are wonderful landscaping aids when tastefully placed around water ponds, a gazebo or a porch. <br /><br />Functional elements too<br />Besides their aesthetic value, stepping-stones are functional too. They avoid mud being carried across your emerald lawn or the sparkling floor indoors. Plus, pets or kids using the same path everyday contribute to moth-eaten garden spaces. Trying to green an area, heavily trod upon is self-defeating. Cleverly concealing the scraggly vegetation with stepping-stones is the best solution. <br /><br />Choose from an assortment of materials — sandstone, limestone, slate, ceramic, quartzite and granite. The West loves ready-made flower-shaped stones (sunflowers, dahlias, daisies...) and stones with celtic square, gothic square or rose patterns. <br />Moss-covered stones make for interesting ornamentation. But, moss takes too long to develop. Pressing ordinary stone slabs into the soil is easy but drab. Log-slices are unique but not enduring. Coloured stone chips lend themselves to any pattern you desire. <br /><br />So, want a creative display? Try making stepping-stones yourself out of concrete with pre-readied moulds/casts or objects like saucers of plastic planters, old cake, bread pans or plastic trays that are about 2 inches thick and 16-18 inches wide. <br /><br />Remember to coat them liberally with petroleum jelly. Mix water to the concrete till the consistency is neither runny like soup nor crumbling like sand chunks. <br />Inserting a chicken-wire mesh in the middle of your mould-mix bolsters durability. <br />Allow the stones to set for 2-3 days. Turn the moulds upside down and tap them lightly till the stone pops out. <br />Fix the stones into the soil only after another week. <br />Use iron oxide powders in brick-red / ochre/brown/black/green shades for dyeing concrete. <br />Blend it in when the mix is as yet wet. You can also embed the mould with decorative items like beads, broken bits of tiles/marble, playing marbles, shells, pebbles, stones, etc. before it completely hardens. <br />Fixing concrete stones into bare soil is easy. Even if they shift with time, re-setting them isn’t arduous. Pressing them into a lawn area, however, demands more effort. <br />You can have either a straight or a winding path of stepping-stones in your garden. For a straight path, mark the route by planting stakes into the ground, connecting them with a cord. <br /><br />Use an old garden hose for the purpose if your path’s a meandering one. Space out the stones adequately to accommodate the average human stride. A distance of 24 inches between the centres of two adjacent stones is optimal. If the path’s meant particularly for kids, a smaller spacing would be appropriate. Place a few on the earth with the spacing determined and try walking on them. If you’re comfortable, begin fixing them. <br />At the chosen spots, dig two-inch-deep depressions. Line them with a half-inch layer of sand for drainage and to facilitate height-adjustments. Now, press the stones into them. They will stick their heads half an inch above the ground. This will make them visible enough to guide movement but not too high, tripping users. <br /><br />If the stone is wobbly, add or scrape out sand as required, till it settles into the depression snugly. Fill in some dirt around the edges such that it slopes down slightly from the top down to the ground. <br /><br />Stepping-stones needn’t be used merely for creating paths. They can also be strewn about the garden randomly to heighten the charm. Get started.<br /></p>
<p>Fragrant flowers. Flowing vines. Artistically placed ornaments. A lovely garden indeed. But, do frequently-used paths with trampled-down grass or shrubs mar the magic? Certainly, kids prancing around or curious guests wearing the lawn down are factors defying control. So, what’s the solution? Simple. Stepping-stones! <br /><br />Stepping-stones beautify your garden while leading the way to a sundial, a cluster of potted plants, a fountain or a swing. Decorative stepping-stones are wonderful landscaping aids when tastefully placed around water ponds, a gazebo or a porch. <br /><br />Functional elements too<br />Besides their aesthetic value, stepping-stones are functional too. They avoid mud being carried across your emerald lawn or the sparkling floor indoors. Plus, pets or kids using the same path everyday contribute to moth-eaten garden spaces. Trying to green an area, heavily trod upon is self-defeating. Cleverly concealing the scraggly vegetation with stepping-stones is the best solution. <br /><br />Choose from an assortment of materials — sandstone, limestone, slate, ceramic, quartzite and granite. The West loves ready-made flower-shaped stones (sunflowers, dahlias, daisies...) and stones with celtic square, gothic square or rose patterns. <br />Moss-covered stones make for interesting ornamentation. But, moss takes too long to develop. Pressing ordinary stone slabs into the soil is easy but drab. Log-slices are unique but not enduring. Coloured stone chips lend themselves to any pattern you desire. <br /><br />So, want a creative display? Try making stepping-stones yourself out of concrete with pre-readied moulds/casts or objects like saucers of plastic planters, old cake, bread pans or plastic trays that are about 2 inches thick and 16-18 inches wide. <br /><br />Remember to coat them liberally with petroleum jelly. Mix water to the concrete till the consistency is neither runny like soup nor crumbling like sand chunks. <br />Inserting a chicken-wire mesh in the middle of your mould-mix bolsters durability. <br />Allow the stones to set for 2-3 days. Turn the moulds upside down and tap them lightly till the stone pops out. <br />Fix the stones into the soil only after another week. <br />Use iron oxide powders in brick-red / ochre/brown/black/green shades for dyeing concrete. <br />Blend it in when the mix is as yet wet. You can also embed the mould with decorative items like beads, broken bits of tiles/marble, playing marbles, shells, pebbles, stones, etc. before it completely hardens. <br />Fixing concrete stones into bare soil is easy. Even if they shift with time, re-setting them isn’t arduous. Pressing them into a lawn area, however, demands more effort. <br />You can have either a straight or a winding path of stepping-stones in your garden. For a straight path, mark the route by planting stakes into the ground, connecting them with a cord. <br /><br />Use an old garden hose for the purpose if your path’s a meandering one. Space out the stones adequately to accommodate the average human stride. A distance of 24 inches between the centres of two adjacent stones is optimal. If the path’s meant particularly for kids, a smaller spacing would be appropriate. Place a few on the earth with the spacing determined and try walking on them. If you’re comfortable, begin fixing them. <br />At the chosen spots, dig two-inch-deep depressions. Line them with a half-inch layer of sand for drainage and to facilitate height-adjustments. Now, press the stones into them. They will stick their heads half an inch above the ground. This will make them visible enough to guide movement but not too high, tripping users. <br /><br />If the stone is wobbly, add or scrape out sand as required, till it settles into the depression snugly. Fill in some dirt around the edges such that it slopes down slightly from the top down to the ground. <br /><br />Stepping-stones needn’t be used merely for creating paths. They can also be strewn about the garden randomly to heighten the charm. Get started.<br /></p>
