A couple of questions regarding your idea about using medium sized river stones; will these be laid over gravel base or decomposed granite, or grouted? Also, anything much over 2 to 3 inches in diameter that doesn't have a flatter side that you can lay facing up will be an uncomfortable walking surface and catch dirt, and I wouldn't consider this as the best choice for a comfortable/safe well used entry walk. If it is mostly decorative and most people will use the driveway, maybe it doesn't matter to you. I love the look of a river washed pebble surface, but I always use pebbles more the size of 2 to 3 inches and press them into a dry sand/mortar mix packed together and laid vertically on edge, similar to what you see in Spain, Portugal or Brazil. I'm linking to a photo of a garden I designed with this size pebbles. Here is a link that might be useful: Inlaid pebble work

Actually, designing a swale or even a rain garden is a good idea for many gardens, even quite small ones. And it really doesn't make too much difference with the dryness - or not - of the climate. Unless already existing as a low lying, water accumulating area (i.e. a bog or swamp, perhaps only seasonally), a swale will simply catch and retain rainfall and allow it to be gradually absorbed into the soil. Among the reasons for this is to avoid seasonal flooding of the landscape, to reabsorb pollutants that are present in storm run-off before they can reach streams and groundwater or simply to retain and re-use infrequent rainfall. In your case, the latter seems most appropriate although when it does rain in SoCal, that rain can come fast and furious, so the other two reasons may be equally as valid as well, at least on a now-and-again basis. A swale is just a low lying area......when rainfall does occur, the water will flow to the lowest point, the swale, so it does need to be constructed to be lower than current grade. If any slope to the yard at all, the swale should be located at the low point. If not, you need to grade your new "lasagna" planting to slope away from the structure and toward to the designated swale site. And you will need to excavate the swale to some degree, depending on the thickness you can manage with your lasagna method. I doubt constructing swales was devised with a lasagna method of bed construction in mind. It does involve some work to do it correctly. Grading and directing water runoff to the correct area is critical. And you want something that slows water penetration yet provides good drainage at the bottom of the swale, not just soil - coarse sand and river rocks or coarse drainage gravel are common. And yes, this is much more of a landscape design issue than just a soil question ;-) Do some research online to see how to construct an effective swale. Even check out rain garden sites - they are a wealth of information for this sort of activity if for a slightly different purpose. One other thing you may want to do is investigate dry stream beds as a landscape feature. Not only do these make an attractive focal point to a drought tolerant garden, they will help to direct any rainwater runoff (even irrigation run-off) to the appropriate swale location where it can be dissipated evenly through the soil profile. Where moisture accumulates surrounding the swale and along its sides is where you can locate more thirsty plants. If you don't already have a landscape designer, you might want to consider hiring one. They could be a huge help in the layout, design and construction of this kind of feature, as well as offering suitable planting suggestions.

Sharon I can't find the pictures of your path. I just started my adventure into gardening last year with vegetables. I was dared by my husband and that was all I needed. With the help of my dear fiend, (a master gardner and mentor) I cut down the necessary trees the next day and had the veggies & planted within the next 3days..so much for challenges in my family. I just made new beds and paths for my new perineal garden....a work in progress since it is just me and limited funds. For my paths, I called my tree man and asked if he would bring tree clipping from his jobs. To my surprise I ended up with 3 huge loads that I made my paths, saving the rest to season. Maybe not the best material for a path, but it was free and it fades into my landscape nicely. Now I am adding plants as I can afford. Love this site.

perforated pipe in a trench with a slight pitch toward the back yard, covered with landscape cloth that can be penetrated by water, then covered with pea gravel, road base, or the like. right along the fence line. the rest of the concrete walk just break up and replace with new, but slope just slightly from the house (up side) out to the place where the pipe lies so water will run away from the house rather than pool and run down the sides of the foundation. you may need to do something like a French drain at the back where the water from the pipe will flow. if you don't like the look of regular concrete sidewalks you can get them molded or stamped to look like almost any surface, get them stained, imbed things in the concrete, etc. best wishes