Creating A Lush and Welcoming Landscape

Are you so very tired of cold winter days that you can hardly stand it? Perhaps you're itching to be in your backyard, maybe even spending time in your swimming pool. Even if cold weather might still be hitting your area of the United States, at least you can now count the short months until you can entertain in your home's outdoor area, right? If you want to speed things up a bit, consider planning your landscape now so you'll be ready to work come springtime. From arranging for brick work in a new patio area of your backyard to adding a hardscape to your front yard, here are some ideas that might help you.

A New Patio For Your Backyard - Is this the year that you're finally going to add a patio to your backyard? Perhaps you have been postponing this large project because it was too costly. With the nice Christmas bonus you or your spouse received to you saving money for the new patio, maybe you decided that the new patio would be your largest expense this year. Even if you're not a gifted artist, consider drawing out a plan on paper before you proceed with the actual work on your patio.

Have you considered what kind of a foundation you will want for the patio? For example, brick or flagstone would both be great. They are both very easy to maintain and will last for a very long time. You might want a wooden foundation. While that would be truly attractive, it may not last as long as brick or flagstone. However, you could still have that wooden plank look in your patio if you decided to have a cement floor and have it faux painted to look like wood. Cement floors aren't just affordable, like brick or flagstone, they'll be easy to maintain and will withstand harsh weather.

A New Hardscape For Your Front Yard - Creating a hardscape for your front yard won't just add interest and beauty to the front yard landscape, it will more than likely cut down on your utility bill. Consider having fancy brick work done for the hardscape. Besides having brick as the foundation for your new hardscape, consider the addition of stone work in strategic areas of the hardscape.

For example, while brick might be the greatest part of the foundation for your hardscape, consider the placement of large stones that will be the focal point for pots of different sizes and shapes. When warm weather arrives, things like flowering plants will add color to the hardscape. Contact local stone services for more help.