Any landscaping project will not be complete without the addition of a few beautiful yet functional fixtures such as decks and patios. While grass, plants, flower beds, and trees certainly beautify a home and add a touch of nature to a field of concrete structures, hardscapes are what make your outdoor space more useful. 

In this article, we’ll talk about what hardscapes are, how to choose the right ones for your property, and how these can add value to your real estate.

What are hardscapes?

Essentially, hardscapes are the more permanent features of your outdoor areas, since these are commonly made with concrete, brick, stone, wood, and metal. These structures are not just decorative, but functional, too, and therefore a practical and worthy investment for any homeowner.

Hardscapes are a critical aspect of landscape design, which really dispels the notion that landscaping only has to do with plants and flower placements. These structures define and organize areas of your outdoors into usable sections, creating different zones for different purposes.

Some examples of hardscapes are patios, decks, pools, fountains, retaining walls, fences, arbors and gazebos, pathways and driveways, steps, and pergolas.

Choosing the right hardscapes

Any kind of hardscape element can be quite costly, time consuming, and labor intensive to build, which is why it’s best to carefully plan what structure you need most and would work best on your property, before diving into your landscaping project.

When deciding what hardscape to install on your property, take a few things into consideration:

• How do you want to utilize and enhance your outdoor areas?
• What is the climate and topography of your location?
• How much budget can you allocate on the project?
• How much time or money can you realistically spend on maintenance and upkeep?

 For example, there is no use for a driveway if you don’t own a car and garage, and a small backyard may not be able to fit a patio. While a fountain can definitely make your lawn look more stately, the constant running water and sheer amount of maintenance required can be off putting and make a heavy dent on your finances.

On the other hand, a sloping land and an area subject to harsh climates can benefit from a retaining wall, a nice outdoor fire pit can be a nice way to enjoy the evenings with family and friends, and some fences can give you added privacy.

How hardscapes add value to property

If you have a discerning eye, it can be quite easy to tell if a hardscape element is value adding, practical, and actually useful, rather than a waste of money to display lavishness and status. Given that, these things are what you should be looking for (as a buyer) or aiming towards (as a homeowner).

Outdoor lighting should not only set the mood and create an inviting atmosphere, but actually illuminate an area adequately so that it’s safe to stay outdoors in the evening

• Driveways and walkways should not be bumpy and cluttered, but instead are wide enough and are well lit
• Patios, decks, and other open outdoor areas should be big enough to accommodate a few individuals, and are best for locations that see a lot of sunlight and not as much rain
• Outdoor fire pits and swimming pools are not practical in locations that see a lot of snow and long, cold winters when it’s too cold to stay outside
• Ponds and fountains are not as suitable in warmer climates where it can be a breeding ground for insects, nor for high altitude locations which have low water pressure
• Fences, if decorative, should look breathable rather than suffocating or imposing, or, if for privacy and safety, should actually do what it’s designed for
• Retaining walls should not only be decorative, but be placed in strategic areas, such as sloping lands and erosion prone soils

Having said these things, there are many ways that hardscapes add value to your piece of real estate, and not just for a monetary return on investment if ever you want to sell your home. Hardscape elements enhance your curb appeal, make your outdoor areas more usable, and provides added safety and privacy.

Creating the perfect landscape takes a lot of tie, hard work, and money- but once you see that beautiful, luscious greenery that simply feels like heaven (not to mention one that your neighbors will be envious of), you know that it’s all worth it.

However, your lovely lawn won’t take care of itself. If you don’t give it the right time and attention it needs, it won’t stay beautiful on its own.

This is why, for all homeowners, regular lawn care and maintenance is important to keep everything in great condition- healthy and moist soil, lush and vibrant grass, and a clean and litter free facade, you get the picture.

If you’re new to the game, don’t you worry. We’ve got you covered- read on further to know about the best tips and tricks to taking care of your lawn the right way, so you can keep the weeds out and the grass as green as it should be.

Pluck out weeds

This is really just lawn care 101, but a lot of times, it’s easy to get lazy to do it, especially on a regular basis. Plus, not all weeds are ugly- some of them bloom into cute little flowers in many different colors.

The thing is, ugly or not, weed is harmful to your lawn because it has the capacity to prevent air and nutrients to reach the grassroots, which can lead to your lawn looking a little dehydrated and dull- or worse, even withered and dead.

Sadly, it’s close to impossible in preventing weeds from growing on your lawn, but removing them is definitely doable. You can either pluck the weeds out by your hand or by using a hand tool (making sure to remove everything including the roots), or you can spray the whole lawn with a low toxicity herbicide, especially if the problem is a bit too much to handle the good old fashioned way, or you don’t have enough time on your hands.

Clear out thatch

If you find a good layer of organic matter on your lawn, such as dead leaves, dried grass and root stems, clippings, and so on, then it’s a good sign that you need to do something. This buildup of matter in between the soil and grass leaves can easily block moisture and nutrients from getting into the soil and the grassroots.

Sometimes, this may not be as visible, but you can quickly identify whether it’s there by feeling the ground. It should feel spongy, and the area look duller than the rest of the lawn. This can be dealt with by raking the layer of mulch using any scarification tool available.

Remove the moss

If you live in an area that gets a lot of rainfall, your property is an unfortunate recipient of regular runoff, your property layout has plenty of slopes and dips, or you water your grass and plants a bit too often or too much, extreme moisture or pools of water can build up in certain areas of your lawn.

These wet areas, especially those that get a lot of shade throughout the day, has a layer of organic mulch, is prone to poor drainage, and has a high clay content in the soil, can create a buildup of moss, which can cause a host of problems.

To successfully clear up this moss, it’s not enough to dig it up. The reason behind the moss buildup must be identified so that the problem doesn’t persist.

Improve drainage and air circulation

While it’s true that your lawn must be watered often, and the soil must always be adequately moist, overwatering and pools of water is also problematic. If you believe that you are not watering your lawn too much, and still see a lot of water pools, the issue could lie with drainage.

In order to improve the situation, the cause of the issue must be identified, whether it’s your soil composition, landscaping, and so on, a.k.a. The soil permeability and the topography of your garden.

And, while you’re doing that, enhancing the air circulation on your lawn by aerating it is also beneficial for your grass and soil, because these need both water and air to grow properly.

Who doesn’t love a great looking backyard? Maybe you’re a new homeowner eager to design the perfect landscape of your dreams, or maybe you are thinking, it’s time to revitalize your sad looking lawn.

Well, either way, don’t fall victim to these common landscaping mistakes. You may have the best intentions for your property, but if you don’t do things the right way, you’re really just doing yourself a disservice.

Take a look at the most common landscaping mistakes and how you can avoid them:

Planning

• Not having a plan– this is perhaps the most dreadful mistake you can commit in the name of landscaping. Having a good and thorough plan accounts for pretty much everything else on this list, such as how much of everything you need and where to place them, when and where you should start your work, and how to make everything look seamless.
• Not setting a budget– if you have a plan, then you have a rough idea of what you’ll need, and you can prepare accordingly. Taking up a landscaping project can be costly, and without a strict budget, you may either find yourself overspending on things you won’t be using, or having to stop in the middle and ending up with a half finished, hideous looking backyard.
• Not hiring a landscaper– really, the best decision you can possibly make is to hire an expert landscape contractor (a landscape designer or architect, if you may) because they know all the right things on how to best make use of your space, and what works and what goes well together. They don’t only give you a nice looking backyard, but one that will keep looking nice for a long time.

Building

• Not identifying erosion prone areas– one of the most important things that you need to consider for a functional and sustainable (not to mention safe) backyard, is knowing which areas are prone to erosion and runoff. From here, you can figure out what fixtures you need, such as retaining walls, what plants to go with that help prevent erosion, and how to deal with the inevitable runoff.
• Not starting with the hardscapes– plants are easy to, well, plant, and to relocate. Hardscapes are not. The first thing you need to build before planting trees, shrubs, and flowers, are your driveway, pathway, deck, patio, pool, treehouse, and whatever else you want on your backyard. This is to ensure that they are in the right locations, and are adequately sized to actually be functional. Then, you can proceed with the rest of the landscape in a way that will nicely complement these fixtures. Even your fence affects how your backyard will look like.
• Not installing an irrigation system– you can’t make the irrigation as an afterthought after planting everything- otherwise, you’ll have to dig everything up. Besides, different plants have different watering needs, and you need to account for those as well, if you want your plants to live a long, healthy life.

Planting

• Planting the wrong plants– your backyard is only as sustainable as to whether you are planting the type of fauna that is suitable to your geography and climate, as well as your property’s soil condition and the wildlife in your area. There is also the issue of choosing between annuals and perennials, as well as taking into account the plant’s size at maturity, and the color palettes that you are aiming for.
• Planting in the wrong spots– different plants have different sunlight and water needs, and that must be taken into consideration, lest you want them to wither and die. Moreover, plants, trees, and shrubs shouldn’t be too close to fixtures such as your house, pool, patio, and so on. Where you plant also affects whether your space can remain functional, as well as how you section and add privacy to your property.
• Planting too much, or not enough– overcrowding and overdecoration can easily make your property look like a hot mess that resembles a secluded forest rather than a family friendly backyard, while not having enough greenery makes it look bare and unkempt.

Maintenance

• Not accounting for maintenance and upkeep– your backyard will only keep looking good if you are willing to put in the effort to regularly maintain it. Otherwise, you are wasting your money on nothing. Only invest in a backyard that you will be able to keep in good condition. For example, a symmetrical layout means more effort in trimming to preserve the symmetry.
• Too much cutting, trimming, and pruning– on the other hand, you may be over eager in maintaining your backyard, hence you cut the grass to a mere inch of its life, or you prune the trees and hedge the shrubs so much that it won’t grow back. Again, different plants have different needs, and if you want them to grow healthily, you must account for these needs.
• Neglecting the front yard– finally, while your backyard may be your pride and joy, it is important to remember that your front lawn is the first thing that people see whenever they look at your property (aside from your home front, that is), which is why it is also deserving of great care and attention so that it always looks its best.

Having a lovely, beautiful yet functional backyard is the dream of any homeowner, and when you keep these things in mind, you can be well on your way to making that dream into a blissful reality.