Michael wrote:
Hello,

My garden is aprox 70ft by 30ft which I try and keep tidy ,using a
rake to keep it looking OK after walking on it etc.

Sometimes elderly relatives visit and can't see the plants clearly
enough and for safety reasons want a walkway. There preferred
method
is compacting the soil on the garden to make a path which in the
past
has got covered in weeds, but served its purpose.

I am thinking about alternatives to this but don't want grass or
paving slabs as I haven't had much success with these methods . I
was
thinking of something that could be planted (as a path) low
maintenance,would keep to the area planted and not suffer too much
with people occasionally walking over it !

The soil is clay and not very good drainage , but gets sun all day.

Any suggestions please ?

I really can't think of anything but stepping-stones (you can use
sections of tree-trunk for a less obtrusive appearance) or grass
paths with lots of nice herbs such as creeping thyme and camomile.
These will smell good when stepped on, and don't mind being mown (not
too short).

When you say you rake after people have walked through, I assume
there's some kind of coarse mulch. But if your relatives can't see
the garden properly without walking through it, how on earth do you
see it yourself? Are you an alarming eight feet in height?

Mike.