As spring approaches, now is the perfect time to start planning patio and landscape projects to enhance your backyard. Read on for landscaping ideas, popular design trends, and tips on hiring a professional landscape design company.
Patio Landscaping Ideas
A beautifully designed patio expands your home’s livable space outdoors. When landscaping your patio, consider how you want to use the space. Entertaining? Relaxing? Adding visual interest? Once you determine the patio’s purpose, use these key landscaping elements to create your ideal space:
Hardscaping
Hardscaping refers to non-plant materials like stone, concrete, tiles, and pavers. Hardscape choices set the foundation for the rest of your patio’s design. Go with permeable pavers if drainage is an issue. Use neutral tones for a relaxed look or vibrant colors and patterns for drama.
Planting Beds
Strategically placed planting beds soften hard surfaces and give color, texture, and aesthetic appeal. Opt for low-maintenance, drought-tolerant plants native to your region. For variety, intersperse ornamental grasses, vibrant annuals like petunias or marigolds, and small trees or shrubs.
Seating Areas
Create intimate spaces for conversation by incorporating small seating nooks on your patio. Position clusters of weather-resistant chairs, chaise lounges, or benches around a fire pit or side table to promote social interaction. Use coordinating fabrics and materials to visually unify distinct sitting areas.
Ambient Lighting
As days grow shorter in fall, extend patio enjoyment into the evenings with landscape lighting. Outline steps and pathways with low-voltage lights to prevent tripping hazards. Hang attractive lanterns and up-lights from tree branches. Place flameless candles or small spotlights strategically to highlight garden features and trees.
Ideas for Pool Landscaping
When designed thoughtfully, poolside plantings enhance safety, comfort, and beauty. Follow these tips for creating an inviting landscape around your pool area:
Define Separate Activity Zones
Maximize poolside function by creating designated areas for active play and quiet relaxation. Plant screening trees or shrubs to define separate spaces. Use groundcover plantings, large potted plants, or changes in paver style to distinguish different zones visually.
Select Pool-Friendly Plants
Carefully research planting options to choose pool-friendly varieties. Avoid thorny plants or those that shed messy flowers, seed pods, or excessive leaves. Select species that tolerate wet soil, full sun, and splash from chemicals.
Provide Comfortable Shade
Mature trees with spreading canopies filter harsh sunlight to create cool, shaded areas ideal for lounging poolside. Space trees far enough from the pool’s edge to prevent excessive leaf litter but close enough to provide relief from the heat.
Landscape Design Company
Creating a visually stunning and functional outdoor living space requires expertise beyond most DIYers. Landscape design encompasses a wide range of specialized skills – gardening knowledge, materials expertise, lighting techniques, and more.
Rather than going it alone, consider the advantages of partnering with seasoned landscape pros:
- Save Money: Professional designers maximize your budget by specifying the right materials and plants the first time.
- Save Time: Contractors complete hardscaping and installation work much faster than you can alone. And you avoid the tedious grunt work!
- Increase Property Value: Beautiful, sustainable landscapes designed by a pro demonstrably boost home prices at resale.
When vetting potential landscape companies, clarify exactly what’s included. Full-service companies handle everything from concept to completion: design consultations, 3D renderings, plant selection, hardscapes, lighting, irrigation, garden maintenance, and more. Ideally, they also support eco-initiatives like native plants, drip irrigation, stormwater capture, etc.
Be wary of vague bids or quotes. Get detailed project pricing tied to specific materials and plant species before approving work. Ask to see previous project photographs and check credentials.
Investing in breathtaking outdoor living spaces designed by landscape pros pays dividends for years through increased functionality, visual appeal, and property value enhancement.
Reinvent Your Outdoor Living Space
This spring, turn lackluster areas of grass into functional, aesthetically pleasing extensions of your living space. Use the patio and poolside landscaping ideas above to guide your design process. Partnering with Field of Dreams, a professional landscape design company, saves time and frustration while achieving a polished result. Refresh your backyard oasis and enjoy leisurely days outdoors.
Reach out if Field of Dreams can help bring your landscape dreams to life! We look forward to making your outdoor vision a reality.