This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.
Slate chipping
Dippy Karen
Posts: 3
in Talkback
Hi, I'm helping a friend who is new to gardening work out a design for her small garden. She wants a paved area with surrounding ground which she would like to cover in slate chips. I haven't used this myself and have no experience of walking on slate chips but feel it might not be that good underfoot. I would hate for us to make an expensive mistake. Feedback most welcome.
0
Posts
I've always thought of slate chippings as decorative rather than for use as paths. Slate can be pretty slippery when wet so I'd be doubtful.
Certainly not slippery in my experience.
we've got slate chippings on paths here ( here before us ) and they're no problem at all.
They kinda bed down and you don't really realise it's a loose surface.
The family across the back from me have them all over most of their back garden. Despite the amount of rain we get, it doesn't seem to make it slippy for the darling cherubs ( and their other cherub friends) playing ...unfortunately
It gets a lot of shade too.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
It's not slippery at all, but it is a really good substrate for weeds. I put it down on top of a membrane, but soil gets on to the paths and weeds spring up all over it. Bit like gravel, really.
I have plum slate as an ornamental covering in between my roses, its on pea gravel, with a weed vapoir barrier under the pea gravel. I have to say, its never let weeds thru and it looks good.. But its not cheap..I think in a path situation this type offlat shaped aggregate might be a hazard under footm particularly in icy or snowy situations..It might work if you have side frames..
Thank you all for your comments. They've given me a lot to mull over.