Asphalt Trail at Jenkins Arboretum
Every time we go to gardens now we are always looking down; we are trying to decide what kind of surface we want for the main loop trail at the PGT. What are the pros and cons of the different kinds of surfaces? What will they cost? How will they hold up? Will the work well? Will they look good?

While we were at the APGA conference last week we visited several gardens and I was always aware of what I was walking on. We walked on trails made out of asphalt, concrete, wood chips, gravel, bricks, cinders, pebbles and even recycled rubber (it bounced!). One of the hot topics in urban gardens is “permeable paving“. Permeable paving allows water to percolate through it to collection areas that control runoff and protect watersheds. I can see how this would be important in areas that are undergoing development but it I’m not sure that there would be much environmental benefit for us.