Developing a path to the back side of the garden

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The area behind the tree is a place that I originally called "the Outback" - mostly neglected, and an area that I really didn't consider to be part of the garden. But over the years it's changed, and since I walk there every day, since that's where the pooper scooper is, I decided to make it more "walking friendly" (although still not as refined as the rest of the garden), and am laying in some flagstone.

The ground back there is typical Arizona hardpan, which is just about as hard as concrete - essentially clay, so it's difficult to dig in it unless it's wet, but I can do it now since the ground is still kinda mushy from the rain that we had recently. So with the ground being kinda mushy, and my pouring water, it's workable, and I'm doing the best I can around the root of the tree. This won't be permanent, because the tree will continue to grow, but it will be "semi-permanent", and will give me a better place to walk, and besides it just looks nicer than dirt. My plan is to fill in the area around the path with river rocks, which will take some time.

Luckily, I live here, and I can do a little bit, and refine it over a period of time. It isn't as if I were doing a construction job where I had to go in and get it all done in a matter of hours, I can refine it as it settles in, which it will do.

In the meantime the path isn't grouted together, and will only be held in place by gravity, so I have to be careful not to kick it. Once it seems to be settled in, I'll grout it together with some flexible adhesive, like I did elsewhere in the garden. Watch your step!

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