My cousin spent 2 hours convincing me gravel was better than mulch for garden paths back in 2021

I used to think mulch was the only way to go for garden paths, because it's cheap and looks natural. Then my cousin came over last summer and showed me her yard with decomposed granite paths that looked amazing and never washed out after rain. She said 'mulch just rots and you have to replace it every year, try this once and you'll never go back.' I finally gave in and did a 50 foot path with crushed gravel for $80, and honestly it's held up way better after two winters now. Has anyone else switched from one garden material to another and been surprised it worked out?

3 comments

3 Comments

valw3619d ago

The thing nobody mentions is that gravel actually changes how your soil drains (which can be good or bad depending what you're growing near it). I switched my path to crushed stone and suddenly the flower beds next to it stopped getting waterlogged after storms because the path acts like a French drain. It's one of those weird side effects that makes you realize you solved two problems instead of just the one you were aiming for.

reesemiller19d ago

Is it just me or does it feel like everything in life is actually this way? You stick with what you know for years, finally try the other option, and realize you've been doing it wrong the whole time.

faithwalker19d ago

Oh man, I feel this in my soul. I spent a whole weekend laying down mulch last spring and then watched it wash into my neighbor's yard after one good storm. I'm pretty sure my garden path is held together with wishful thinking and spite at this point lol.