We’ve officially entered that time of year when you have trouble finding a parking spot at your favorite hardware and nursery locations. While you’re contemplating how you want to spruce up your yard or improve your curb appeal this season, we thought we’d offer some inspirational ideas for enhancing the look of your gardens with hardscapes. Patio pavers, garden wall blocks and edging stones not only add to the visual appeal of your garden but also add to the value of your home, providing lasting beauty for your outdoor living spaces.
Contrasting Paver Borders
For gardens that abut a patio, walkway or driveway, the visual appeal can be enhanced through the use of contrasting paver styles, paver colors or paver laying patterns on the border of the paved area. This works both when bordering a paver field or poured concrete.
This soldier course border offers an elegant contrasting angle to the paver field.
A double border using contrasting colors and textures makes a bold statement mirrored by the vibrant garden.
The subtle contrasting laying pattern of this border offers a tailored look.
A paver of a differing color, texture and shape creates eye-catching contrast.
This double sailor course border uses contrasting colors and laying patterns of the same paver to create a contemporary geometric design that pairs well with a low-maintenance garden.
Edgers
Edging stones can add a clean or more formal look that works both for gardens that abut paved areas and for gardens that are bordered by grassy areas. For grassy areas, edging stones also help protect the garden from encroachment from grass and weeds.
Use an edger with no paver border to create a more rustic look.
Edgers can also be used to create a slightly raised bed, adding dimension.
A tailored design of buried edgers works well with formal gardens.
Combine edgers with contrasting borders to add visual interest.
Built-in Planters and Raised Beds
Built-in planters and raised garden beds can add dimension and act as a focal point for your garden designs. This also works well for accenting trees or creating a vertical garden.
Create a dramatic focal point or accent a tree.
Border an outdoor room with raised gardens.
Create a formal design by bordering both in-ground and raised beds.
Turn a sloped landscape into a vibrant garden.
Add garden beds to porches and patios.
Entangled Borders
One of the latest trends in landscape design is to “entangle” hardscapes with nature. This can be done in a way that either makes the hardscapes look like part of the natural landscape, or it can be use to create contemporary modernistic designs, depending upon the hardscape selected.
Create a pathway that becomes a part of the garden itself.
Geometric entangled edging creates a contemporary look.
Uniformed entangled edging can create a casual look.
Entangle the driveway with gardens to create welcoming curb appeal.
Columns
Columns can be used to border a garden or create a focal point within the garden itself. For extra textural design, a planter can be built into the top of the column.
Top a column with a planter to add drama and dimension to your garden.
Add a built-in planter to a column to soften the look.
Use columns to add definition to garden walls.
Column lighting can add ambience and character to your gardens.
Christi is a professional writer who has been writing about outdoor living and design for magazines, websites and blogs since 2009. A lifelong resident of south Louisiana, she is immersed in a culture that is a gumbo of music, food and outdoor activities. With her husband Pierre, she especially enjoys spending time with their two sons in their Belgard backyard. The Simoneauxs regularly entertain guests in their outdoor kitchen where the specialties are craft cocktails, grilled meats, garlicky dressings, and Cajun and Creole creations. Thanks to the local climate, there's always something interesting in their herb garden to enhance the recipes.