Five Benefits Of Good Hardscaping

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Five Benefits Of Good Hardscaping

Hardscaping is any part of the landscaping that isn't alive, such as pathways, retaining walls, and even decorative elements like fountains. Although a green, lush landscape is attractive, with hardscaping you can add increased beauty as well as better functionality.

1. Reduce Maintenance

Hardscaping generally reduces the maintenance needs of your landscaping. The more areas that are covered in usable paving and garden paths or mulched over with gravel, the fewer areas require mowing and plant care. Hardscaping can even reduce the maintenance necessary for the living components in your yard. For example, installing low masonry walls around your border beds can raise a flower bed for easier watering and tending.

2. Enhance Accessibility

Sometimes it is difficult to get to a part of your yard due to the landscaping, mobility issues, or design flaws. You can use hardscaping to enhance the accessibility. Installing a paved garden path, for example, can make it easier to walk across areas that usually become muddy. Wider gates can allow those that use mobility aids easier entrance to the yard. When designing your hardscaping, accessibility should be at the top of your priority list.

3. Minimize Erosion

Erosion is a major concern in some yards. Proper hardscaping can reduce the problem. Retaining walls can be used to contain minor slopes or terrace major ones. Concrete curbing around garden beds creates permanent edging to block grass incursion and prevent mulch from washing out of the beds. There is even a product known as permeable pavers, which allow you to put in hardscaped paths that still allow grass to grow through, creating a stabilized but green area.

4. Foster Privacy

Privacy is an important aspect of outdoor living, especially if your yard closely borders that of your neighbors. Wood, masonry, and vinyl fences, panels, or walls can increase privacy. If you don't want a tall fence, then a strategically placed panel or a plant-covered trellis provide two hardscaping options for screening a patio or other outdoor entertaining area. There are many creative solutions that utilize hardscaping elements alone or in conjunction with plants in order to provide privacy.

5. Increase Usability

Good hardscaping doesn't just make your yard more attractive and easier to tend, it also increases the usability of the space. For example, large patios for entertaining, outdoor kitchens, and even fire pits are hardscaping options that add more function to your yard. Think about how you want to use your lawn when designing hardscaping features.

Contact a hardscape contractor near you for additional help.



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About Me

Tropical Truths: Tips For Creating Vibrant Landscapes Growing up in a tropical area, I saw a lot of green, vibrant plants and all kinds of tropical fruits. It led me to develop a real interest in creating backyard tropical fruit gardens and landscapes that really spoke to the warm weather and the tropical climate. I did a lot of research and talked with a few landscapers to find out the tips and tricks to getting things to grow and thrive. I created this site to help share what I have learned with others who want to create the same kind of tropical getaway in their own backyards.

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