Most gardens have a walkway or two—after all, if you’re continually walking a path through the lawn to get to the vegetable garden or shed, you may as well trade in the beaten down grass for something more intentional and attractive, right? The type of pathway you create needs to stay in keeping with the style of the rest of your garden area. One of these three suggestions is sure to work for you.

For casual, informal or cottage gardens, choose a simple flagstone pathway with plants that creep in around the edges. Use flagstone that is a couple of feet in diameter and at least 2 inches deep to provide comfortable base for your feet and still stand up to the weight of bodies and wheelbarrows.

Have a garden that’s neither casual nor formal? Consider adding a combination of pavers and flagstone. The cut pavers add structure, while the flagstone keeps things from being too uptight. Let the grass grow in between, and you’ve got a beautiful, clean-looking walkway to anyplace in your garden.

Gardeners with formal grounds will appreciate a more structured walkway, which can be created with pavers, brick or mortared flagstone. Use either very straight lines or create a sweeping, elegant curve. Be sure to edge your formal walkway properly (with steel edging or concrete curbing, for example) to keep the surrounding lawn or plantings from honing in.

Whichever path you take, I hope you enjoy the journey!