[sippinjoes]

Railing on the patio will force them to take the path. For the low cost route I would put in a flower bed with hosta and annuals. If it is in the budget, remove the sidewalk, extend patio straight out with either concrete or pavers and turn the sidewalk area into the hosta and annual flowerbed

 

[kadingas]

RE: Sidewalk ideas

Agree concrete would just be too much concrete. Cheap way is to just put down diagonal path of decorative flat stones so if they do take it, they walk on those vs. the mud. I like the idea of filling it with medium sized bushes or hostas and then surround with mulch or rock. Mulch you have to maintain but has a nice fresh look over some rock. Good luck!

 

[biggles]

mirror up some of those bushes over into there and a brick line it as the left has would keep them off it looks good as is on the left side..and keep the stoop still viewable... if you concrete it throws the front off... need green there raw lawn is a thought but short cuts again...KIDS thought:whistling2:...extend the porch out to fill it

 

[IRuehl]

Thanks guys, I don't think I am going to go with shrubs, because the porch is very narrow, and the boxwood that are now on the outside of the sidewalk were once in the area I want to fill in. And when you sat in on the porch, you were treated to a foot massage courtesy of the shrubs And even when there were shrubs in the now weed garden, the kids plowed through it, no matter how much they were told no, or no mater the bee's and spiders. That and I have to push a double stroller on that awkward and harsh turning walkway. So its a pain in my bum. Just looking for the most attractive way to make it functional.

 

[Polly003]

As a temporary measure, you could dig and remove a couple inches of dirt, lay down something to stop grass (weed block, plastic with holes for drainage, or treated plywood with drain holes, etc.), and lay in 2x8x16 concrete blocks and/or white gravel. Easy to do, would not cost much and would ease the dirt tracking but give you time to decide what you want to do as a permanent fix. If it looks too stark, you could always add a decorative fountain, statue, or planters. It would all be easily removable in the future.

 

[Thunder Chicken]

Dig it up, border it and fill it with landscaping stone (turkey stone), and put some stands on it for potted plantings. If someone walks through it, it is clean stone. If a plant is in the way, you can move it. You can put anything you want in there - ornamentals, herbs, annuals - and arrange it anyway you like.

This site has some pictures which might give you some ideas:

http://www.wildgingerfarm.com/ContainerGarden.htm

 

[AGWhitehouse]

really cheap and easy fix is to dig out the dirt and fill with pea gravel. Can be done in a few hours with no more than a shovel and a wheel barrow. That'll save you the mud fuss until you decide on what to with the entry...

If you are looking to do a final fix now, I'd recomend ripping out that concrete and install pavers from the concrete out however far you desire. That way that really skinny porch becomes a much more social and useable space. Will add that curb appeal you mentioned too.