Thursday, August 8, 2013

WAYS TO USE STONE FOR LANDSCAPING

There are so many ways to use stone in your landscaping design that we can’t hope to cover it all in this short article. The best option is really to look through a lot of designs and magazines and do a lot of dreaming out in your yard. There are so many things to do it will take you a fair bit of time to just work out all the options in your mind. But we’ve put together a few ideas to get you started on your quest.

Mix Mediums
You wouldn’t plant all your flowers in one color, would you? So why would you feel constrained to one type of stone? Mixing types or stone, or even mixing in gravel or concrete, is a great way to add interest in a subtle way. You can experiment with patterns, textures, or both! Hardscape is an enduring investment, so you won’t want to feel bored with it after a few years.

Connect With the Landscape
Nearly every yard will have some element of the landscape that you can play up. Maybe it’s a stunning view, a slightly rolling lawn, or numerous shady nooks. Whatever feature defines your landscape, be sure to highlight it, and design to show it off to its best potential, whether that’s paths, walls, raised beds or anything else.

Create Cozy Enclosures
A garden without a place to sit might as well be a hallway — there’s no reason to linger. One of the best places to use stone and other hardscape materials is to pave or otherwise create cozy little nooks that contain a bench or a bistro table. You could just leave these to grass, but then they become a real pain to maintain, what with all those tight corners.

Solve Drainage Problems
One of the perennial issues in Virginia is managing the sheer volume of rain. Gutters and downspouts are a start, but many a gardener has been dismayed to see a flower bed nearly drowned after a week of rainy weather, or a trench gouged out by a torrent. Many types of stone, from pea gravel right up to river stones, can be used to channel water, without becoming soggy and unattractive doing so. You can even dig a deep pit to fill with stones that will function as a catchment and slowly release moisture into your yard on hot days.
One of our favorite ideas is that of a “dry creek bed.” Using stones of different sizes, over weedproof underlayment, use the lay of your land to create a “stream” leading somewhere safe. This feature is equally attractive dry as it is wet, and your yard will never again suffer from lack of drainage.
Be sure to stop by JK Enterprises for a catalog or two to prime the pump of your imagination. And when the time comes, we’ll be happy to help make your dream a reality.

No comments:

Post a Comment