Hardscape Design Can Either Make Or Break Your Yard

| Saturday, June 1, 2013
By Rena Hudson


Now that the warmer season is here, more and more people are feeling the urge to spend more time outdoors and this includes more time in their yards. Parties are being planned here and there, barbecue grills are being rolled out and friends and family members are coming together to catch up and have fun. Because of this, you might want to look into prettifying your own outdoor area and make your hardscape design as efficient as possible for hassle-free living and enjoyment while the sun is out.

If you have no idea what hardscaping is to begin with, then you should know that it can make your yard look and work better at the same time. You might be wondering how to do this. Well, hardscape is a part of the landscape. The only difference is that it doesn't focus on the things that grow in the yard, but rather on the inanimate things that are on the yard instead.

The good news is that you will have a lot of options in terms of these inanimate objects. You can opt to put up walls or fences, for example, or use stone paths or tiled paths to move from the yard to the actual house. You can even get a swimming pool installed or a gazebo built onto it if you want.

As mentioned above, paved walkways, stone walls, wooden patios and decks, and tiled paths are all part of a yard's hardscape. In fact, any element used in a landscape that is not part of its softscape - like the plants, flowers and trees - would all be considered a hardscaping element. As such, garden decorations like water fountains would be a part of this, as well.

Hardscaping is generally used to improve a yard's aesthetics. You can add a stone path into your garden, for instance, and create a whole new look for its entire landscape. Conversely, you can also add a statue or a sculpture to create a whole new statement altogether.

It would be important to think things through very clearly here, too. After all, you don't want to add anything onto your yard that might give you a harder time with maintenance. While a gazebo may sound like a good idea at first, you will have to figure out if you will be able to clean and maintain it in the long run, too.

You will have to consider the hardscaping of your yard very carefully when thinking about what you want to do with your outdoor space, in general. You might want a space for entertainment purposes or just for pure relaxation after a hard day's work. Once you figure out what you want to do there, you can then try to think of the best features that will enhance those activities as time goes by.

You should also remind yourself that landscape elements aren't necessarily practical all the time, either. You can buy a piece of art and use it to set a certain mood in your yard, for example, just the way a painting would inside your house. Ideally, though, you should come up with some sort of hardscape design that will flow well with the rest of your home in the end, as well.




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