I have never used 'landscape fabric' before, and I was wondering if anyone had some helpful hints. We have a small area along the side of our house where we thought we would lay some sort of stone (small loose rocks of some kind) and I only recently learned of landscape fabric for beneath.
I understand there are different types, so suggestions are welcome. We wish to make a barrier for weeds, but retain drainage.
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Landscape fabric works best for places were you will not want to be planting later - such as your path. If you have horrible weeds underneath, use the heavier cloth. Try to pack down the soil as much as possible where you plan to lay the path. Check for drainage - you don't want it turning into an unexpected river. Make sure to overlap your pieces if you need more than one width. All weed-suppressing landscape fabric breathes and allows moisture through.
If you want to stretch your budget, you can use many layers of newspaper to do the same thing. This will cause your path to be "higher" as the newspapers are much thicker than the heaviest landscape fabric.
Either way, several inches of your gravel get dumped on top. Check around your area for path possibilities. Crushed seashells, cocoa husks, peanut shells or any number of varieties of gravel are often available. Chunky bark can look good too - please don't use it to mulch your flowerbeds [it's too heavy, unless you have a woodland garden].
Whatever you think you like, take it for a test drive. Consider bare feet, dog's paws and the heat of the summer sun.