Enhancing Your Gardens with Hardscapes

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.

Terraced Landscape

A sloped yard can be converted into a terraced landscape using retaining walls, creating an elegant multi-dimensional garden.

Stair-steping the slope can add an interesting look.
Terraced garden beds soften the look of taller retaining walls.
Using walls with stone-like texture can enhance the natural look of a garden landscape.
Multi-dimensional planters can turn a slope into a lush vertical garden.
A terraced garden can turn a sloped walkway into a welcoming grand entrance.