A walkway that strides through grass will certainly get you from point A to point B. But that same path becomes a delightful sensory experience when lined with beautiful plantings. Check out this gallery of images for various sidewalk garden ideas and planting suggestions that range from edibles to alpine perennials to fragrant shrubs. Heidi's Lifestyle Gardens 1. Edibles

Your first thought for sidewalk plantings probably doesn't include vegetables and herbs, but there's good reason to add them into the mix. In addition to broadening your plant choices, they provide rich texture and an element of surprise. Layer in edible flowers like nasturtiums and pansies for a sidewalk smorgasbord. Jocelyn H. Chilvers Generally overlooked as potential bedding plants, herbs deliver threefold with their curly, spiky or variegated foliage, delightful fragrance, and flavorful leaves. Excellent candidates include parsley, rosemary, garden chives, purple or tricolor sage (shown), and taller, more wispy fennel and dill. Jocelyn H. Chilvers Likewise, veggies bring a sense of intrigue. Use lettuces, cabbages and kale as cool-season foliage plants. Tuck in a few bell peppers or tomatoes for tasteful color in summer. Ann Kearsley Design 2. Spillers

Give a straight walkway graceful curves by planting perennials that gently tiptoe onto the surface. Here, catmint sprawls at regular intervals to create a sense of rhythm and repetition. Lankford Associates Landscape Architects Creeping mother of thyme is a favorite low spreader and can even withstand foot traffic. Other plants that gracefully sprawl include lamb's ears, dianthus and cranesbill geranium. Liquidscapes To enhance the experience of walking amid vegetation, mingle spreaders with plants of different heights, growth habits, textures and colors. Don't overlook the possibility of small shrubs and ornamental grasses to emphasize the curves. Exteriorscapes llc 3. Rock lovers

Plants can slip just about anywhere they have access to soil and water. Here, black mondo grass, coral bells, sedum and low-growing evergreens thrive between a rock and a hard place. Jocelyn H. Chilvers Soften stone steps and their surroundings with low alpine perennials like candytuft (shown). Other excellent choices include ajuga, creeping phlox, forget me nots, hens and chicks, Missouri primrose, snow in summer, sweet alyssum, soapwort and bellfowers. Here, sweet alyssum and santolina naturally charm a rocky setting with shades of silver and white. Maria Hickey & Associates Landscapes 4. Fragrance givers

Add another dimension to a garden path with aromatic flowers. Visitors will love brushing up against tobacco flower, old-fashioned petunias, lavender, spicy dianthus and heliotrope with its vanilla or cherry pie scent. Powell Gardens, Kansas City's Botanical Garden Sweet-scented shrubs and small trees can also perfume the walkway. Excellent candidates include mock orange, lilac, gardenia and star magnolia (shown). Jeffrey Gordon Smith Landscape Architecture 5. Arid options

A hot, dry location needn't torch your enthusiasm for pathway plantings. Fortunately some specimens can withstand the sizzling heat radiating from a sidewalk even in arid regions. The Plant Man Nursery Among the most reliable choices are aloes, penstemons, yucca, agave, cactus and many of the perennial salvias and euphorbias. (Agave parryi and Euphorbia tirucalli 'Sticks on Fire' are shown here.)

Browse great succulents for landscapes Matthew Cunningham Landscape Design LLC 6. Shade brighteners

Shady pathways may not have as many planting choices as sunny sites, yet classics like astilbe, lady's mantle, coral bells, foamflower and hostas will ensure you never feel deprived. Barenz Builders Alongside paths and steps on challenging shady slopes, consider rugged groundcovers like lily-of-the-valley, ginger, sweet woodruff, spotted lungwort and cinquefoil. The Carter Rohrer Co. Complement the casual, natural feel of a woodland path with old-fashioned choices like ferns and pachysandra, an evergreen groundcover that thrives beneath trees. Ag-Trac Enterprises LC 7. All of a kind

Make a bold statement by sticking with one plant up and down the walkway. Here, 'Little Trudy' catmint adds a semi-formal air and a swath of color. For maximum impact, choose long-blooming plants like lavender or daylilies. (In colder climates, make sure your perennial choice can withstand snow shoveling and any salt treatment tossed on a walkway in winter.) Stout Design-Build Here, the uniform presence of lamb's ear creates the sense of a low hedge. Boxwoods, dwarf shrubs and short ornamental grasses could create a similar effect.