Landscape Blog

Plants, Ponds, Patios, Pavers

Lush lawns and beautiful gardens account for only a portion of today’s residential landscaping palette. Many landscapes now include patios, pathways, walls, and water to create rooms in an outdoor living space.

Lush lawns and beautiful gardens account for only a portion of today’s residential landscaping palette. Many landscapes now include patios, pathways, walls, and water to create rooms in an outdoor living space.

Pathways and Walls

Professional “hardscaping” has gained popularity in recent years due to its ability to tie the architecture of a home to the landscape surrounding it. By blending components of hardscaping with traditional landscaping components, landscape professionals can help you create a serene outdoor environment for your entire family to enjoy.

Hardscaping materials are available in a wide range of colors, textures, and patterns. If you’re striving for a more natural look, you may want to consider using limestone, sandstone, or granite for walls, walks, and patios. Concrete pavers allow for a more modern, tailored look for your patio, path, or driveway. Also, they are often stronger than typical concrete and allow for the freezing and thawing typical of Minnesota winters. If you’re building a retaining wall, you may want to consider the common modular concrete block.

Water Features

Homeowners may choose to introduce a pond for the quiet meditative qualities or for the variety it offers in the landscape. Whatever the reason, water gardening is quickly gaining popularity. A pond does require some seasonal maintenance, but a properly created pond environment is a balanced ecosystem requiring limited attention. One way to avoid some pond maintenance issues is to install a “pondless” waterfall.

Hardscape and pond components in a landscape are often installed first due to construction needs and the equipment necessary to install them. Plant material and spatial arrangement are then layered on. Elements of hardscaping, water features, and landscaping ultimately work together to create a balanced outdoor living space.