I love a walk in the garden and a walk of stone sets everything off well.
Finding the right stone can be a difficult choice. I wanted to find something that was enough of a contrast with other stone on the property but yet in the same family. The paths through the West Garden had been long established yet deciding on just the right stone took some serious time and I had been undecided for two years. I myself had not found the right stone but my buddy Tim did. He discovered what the local building supply called Pocono Gold.
A couple of years before a local lumber yard had closed it doors and had stacks of rail road ties throughout the grounds — they had used them effectively to keep stock off the ground. They wanted them removed and I just wanted them – after a short time we had come to an agreement. Id stack em – they would load and deliver them – and be rid of them. A hell of a deal at $1 each.
The very next day about 40 real railroad ties were delivered. Each 8′ tie was probably a couple of hundered pounds some measured over 12 inches on each side. Perfect material for building steps through out the property.
About eighteen 8′ ties were used as steps to the lower meadow and the pocono gold stone was used between each step and throughout the paths. the rest of the ties have been cut to four foot lengths providing just enough material for various steps through the woodland gardens.
The paths were dug — this is back-breaking work and Tim and I took turns on doing that – to a depth of six inches. We filled in the paths with crushed stone to create a base for the slabs of stone and modified was used as a final fill. Next he placed stones to get the general design and I followed behind and set them in place.
So far a number of paths four feet wide have been laid with stone. I believe that the paths through the woods should just be bark.
The meadow garden steps were already in place and dug out for the most part — adding the stone to them was not as difficult as digging the walk in the upper gardens. however the stones used on the steps were more of wall stone that flat walk. That made things a bit difficult — again Tim placed stones – configured them amongst the step and I dug them in.
The from the steps to the center of the meadow the general wind of the path had been established a couple of years ago but had never been formalized with any path material. Tim began to dig out and place stone in the path – the same Pocono gold as used in the upper gardens and the steps. I believe that the rest of the meadow path will be laid before the end of summer and I believe Tim wants to continue the stone path beyond the platform. Fine by me — he did a nice job of laying and arranging stone on other paths.
The path leads to a small platform in the meadow garden on which there are some temporary chairs. It would be very cool to make some twig chairs and tables. Id have to have both enough willow stockpiled and the time to do it. There is plenty of willow to harvest out at the farm but the problem with willow is it just doesn’t last out in the weather well. Redwood or teak chairs would be nice — but awfully expensive.
From this simple platform a path at the opposite end will meander to the far end of the meadow and enter a fern garden at the edge of the woods. The woodland garden 
path will then step down and swing to the pond and a water garden before continuing on around the property.
