By early summer, most landscaping projects are in full swing. But it’s not too late to get inspired for projects you can accomplish in late summer and early fall. Here are 6 timely landscaping tips that will improve your landscape design in Grosse Ile, MI.
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1. Incorporate raised beds into a retaining wall. If you’re adding a retaining wall to hold back soil, why not take advantage of the opportunity to place flower beds at a convenient height? Raised beds reduce weeds, protect your plants from pet damage, and they give a retaining wall a beautiful organic look. If a retaining wall is close to an outdoor kitchen, you could plant culinary herbs and vegetables that will enhance any dish.
2. Build stairs on any area of your landscape that is sloped. If you’ve ever slid awkwardly on wet grass, you know that even a slight slope is an accident waiting to happen. Take the opportunity to enhance your sloped areas with rustic steps using large stone slabs, or a more formal staircase using concrete pavers. Even if you only need two steps, you’re making your landscape safer and more usable.
3. Expand your patio in zones. A huge modern trend is toward outdoor living spaces with zoned areas that let people enjoy being outdoors however they want, without getting in each other’s way. For example, the main patio could house an outdoor kitchen and dining area, which is the hub of entertaining. Outlying areas - whether they are the far corners of the patio, or separate patios connected with walkways - are for quieter activities such as a fire pit gathering spot, and a lounge for relaxing with a good book. This ensures that the flow of traffic doesn’t make the quieter zones too busy, and that nobody is tripping over each other to access these quieter zones.
4. Reduce the size of your lawn in favor of native landscaping. In most households, a lawn is barely used. Unless there are kids and pets, a lawn is strictly an ornamental feature that takes a huge amount of time, money, and resources to care for. Instead, why not create a more visually interesting landscape by increasing the areas that are planted with natives, rather than thirsty and chemically-dependent lawns? Surround a patio with shrubs and trees rather than grass, and you will immediately feel more connected with nature and benefit from additional shade and privacy as well.
5. Use permeable pavers in your hardscapes. Permeable pavers are available in a wide range of styles, but they have one feature that traditional hardscapes do not: they allow water to seep into the ground slowly rather than running off. You could install a driveway heating system under the pavers on your driveway, walkway, and patio and never have to worry about winter ice and snow buildup again.
6. Update your landscape lighting to follow a zoned approach (like your patio). The zoned approach delivers just the right amount of light to each activity zone. For example, brighter task lighting around the cooking area, soft ambient lighting in sitting areas, and low-lying path lighting to safely illuminate steps and walkways. Lighting can also be incorporated into masonry features throughout the landscape including the walls of an outdoor kitchen, retaining walls, steps, or pillars.
Related: 7 OUTDOOR LIGHTING TRENDS FOR THIS SPRING IN TRENTON AND GROSSE ILE, MI
