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If you're upgrading your yard's landscape, you're probably focused on the same things that most people focus on: trees, shrubs, flowers, grass, and other plants. While these are obviously very vital parts of your landscape, many people neglect the hardscape design elements that can truly upgrade and beautify a yard. But perhaps most important of all, hardscapes add utility to a yard that would otherwise be overwhelmed by plant life. So while you're planning your new backyard design, consider the following hardscape elements and how you can incorporate them into your yard. Patio A patio is perhaps the most useful hardscape element that anyone can have in their yard. It is a gathering and entertaining place, a space where you can relax on a warm day, and a place where you can cook up a meal on the grill. Because of all the use that it gets, your patio deserves a lot of attention doing your landscape planning. First, you must consider the kind of foundation it will have. Will it have a solid concrete slab? Or will you dress it up more with bricks or natural stones? Or will you go the natural route and use wood for your patio? Beyond that, you have a lot more decisions to make. Consider the following elements that you could add to your patio to give it even more beauty and utility: - Fire pit or fireplace
- Awning, pergola, or other patio covering
- Built-in benches
- Outdoor kitchen space
- Built-in planter boxes
- And more
All of these options are great things to consider for dressing up your patio and making it the focal point of your yard. Walkways When you need to get from Point A to Point B in your yard, do you just take a stroll across the grass? While this may be fine upon occasion, if you have an area of your yard that is often walked over, it can kill the grass and leave you with an unattractive dead area in your lawn. For those well-trod areas, you should consider putting in some kind of walkway to protect your grass and provide a clear path for those walking through your yard. Your options for doing this are numerous. You can use simple stepping stones, lay a brick pathway, use a concrete stamp to imitate a stone walkway, or actually use natural stones. Which one you choose will depend largely on the overall look you're going for as well as your budget. Edging and Retaining Walls If you're designing your backyard landscape, you probably have it in your mind that you will have several areas for plants, whether it be shrubs, flowers, or a vegetable garden. But how can you set these areas off from the lawn in a way that is both effective and attractive? The simple answer is to install some sort of edging around the outside of the planting areas. To do this, you can use a concrete mold, bricks, stones, or special trims designed for edging garden areas. This creates a clearly defined space, adds some beauty and variety to your yard, and helps to keep grass from growing into the spaces where you don't want it. Another option is to use retaining walls, which are usually preferred for yards with steep inclines. This type of hardscaping creates tiered planting areas that are clearly set off from the yard and make use of the sloped space. So when you're planning out your backyard landscape, remember to look beyond the plants you'll be putting in and consider what elements of hardscape design will work best in your new yard.
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