Not every Maryland property in our service area resembles a standard suburban lot. Many properties in Cecil County back up to open water rather than a fence line and a neighbor’s yard because towns like North East and Chesapeake City sit directly along the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. That significantly alters the conversation about landscaping.
A typical inland lot would never have to take erosion, runoff, and shoreline conditions into account when hiring landscaping services in Maryland for a waterfront property. When drainage decisions send runoff directly toward the water rather than managing it on-site, a planting plan or hardscape layout that works flawlessly on a typical suburban property can actively work against a waterfront one.
Why Do Waterfront Properties Need a Different Landscaping Approach?
A property next to the Bay or any of its tributaries has to handle soil saturation and flooding issues that an inland property doesn’t have to worry about. The vegetation that is chosen should be able to survive in wet conditions in the area next to the shoreline for some time, but shouldn’t have any trouble surviving during the remainder of the year. If hardscape is installed too close to the shoreline, it could be subject to erosion from changing water levels or future erosion.
None of these factors prevent a grandiose design concept, but the concept must first account for how the property actually works near the shoreline.
How Native Plantings Help Control Erosion Near Water?
Shoreline erosion is a real problem for homeowners, and landscaping is an integral part of addressing it. Certain measures can make more sense than others:
- Planting deep-rooted native grasses and shrubs near the shoreline to protect soil from erosion
- Creating buffer zones of uncut native plants between a lawn and the water’s edge to cleanse the runoff before it enters the Bay
- Avoid creating hard surfaces and grading near the water’s edge, where it can lead to erosion.
- Go with the flow and not against the drainage pattern of the landscape, instead of channeling water into one point of collection
These measures serve two purposes: protecting the property and keeping the water clean. The latter is particularly important for many homeowners who decided to build their houses by the Bay in the first place.
Building Runoff Management Into Luxury Landscape Design
When working on a waterfront property, a luxury landscaping company must consider runoff differently than they would on a typical inland lot. If drainage isn’t carefully planned, fertilizer, mulch, and soil disturbed during construction can all end up in nearby water. Depending on the property’s proximity to the shoreline, this can be a regulatory issue as well as an environmental one.
Instead of letting water flow toward the water as the path of least resistance, grading decisions during the design phase should direct water away from the shoreline and through vegetated areas that can filter it.
Luxury Landscaping Services Built Around Your Property’s Conditions
Clean hardscape execution, careful plant selection, and a unified design from the house to the water’s edge are just a few of the craftsmanship standards that apply to luxury landscaping services on a waterfront estate. The distinction is that, instead of being applied in the same manner as a typical inland property, each of those decisions must be filtered through the property’s unique relationship to the water.
A waterfront design can still include a fire feature, an outdoor kitchen, or a stone patio. They need to be graded and positioned with the shoreline’s behavior in mind, not as independent additions unconnected to the nearby water.
Let Your Property’s Location Guide Your Landscape Design
A waterfront lot is a completely different type of site with its own soil behavior, drainage needs, and long-term maintenance considerations that a generic landscaping plan just isn’t designed to handle. It’s not a suburban property with a better view. Erosion issues, unsuccessful plantings, and drainage complaints can appear a year or two after a project that looked flawless on installation day if you treat them the same way.
If your Maryland property is near water rather than on a typical inland lot, Field of Dreams Outdoor Living and Landscaping considers those circumstances from the start, not after the fact. To arrange a consultation and discuss what your shoreline truly needs, get in touch with us right now.