10 Ways Natural Stone Can Be Incorporated Into Your Landscape Design
When it comes to natural stones, the options are endless when using them to add character to your home. The beauty of natural stone landscape designs is obvious when you look at the exterior appearance of many houses. Many homeowners have used them in creative ways, so it’s no wonder that natural stones are often used for decorative enhancements.
Not only are natural stones aesthetically pleasing to the eye, but they also evoke a calm atmosphere that is inviting and relaxes people. Along with its pleasant appearance and serene elements, natural stone comes in different colours and forms, making them a versatile decorative
From the contractors at Peel Exterior Maintenance in Georgetown, here are 10 ways that natural stone can be incorporated into your landscape design.
1. Walkways
Let’s face it, the front of your house is the most important place to make an attractive landscape design with a stone walkway. Natural stone walkways are cost-effective because even though it’s a part of the house that gets the most foot traffic, you won’t have to replace it often because of their durability in all seasons.
Natural stone walkways can be at the front of the driveway leading up to the front door, part of a walkway into the backyard, or out to a pool or pond. If you have your own landscape design in mind, natural stones are versatile. For a contemporary look, place natural stones close together and side by side. For a rustic appeal, place them with spaces in between to let natural grass grow and fill in the gaps.
2. Gardens
Enhance the surrounding area of your garden with a natural stone design. If you have a flower garden, placing a pathway with natural stones can be a beautiful garden path. Depending on the kind of flowers you have, the natural stones you choose for your garden path can be organized in different patterns to match the colours of your flowers.
3. Retaining Walls
Retaining walls are natural stone structures that hold soil behind them. By adding retaining walls to your property, you achieve a quaint-looking design that will add character and value to your home. The benefit of having a retaining wall made with natural stone is that it helps blend a naturistic scenery with a timeless design on your property. Along with its pleasant appearance, retaining walls work well in gardens and yards that contain uneven ground. By placing a retaining wall on uneven ground, these rigid structures won’t change due to climate changes.
4. Replace Mulch
Many homeowners use mulch on planting beds to make them look appealing and to help retain moisture in the soil to prevent weeds from growing. However, natural stone is another ground cover material that can replace mulch for good reason. While natural stone might seem like a more expensive investment than mulch, it’s better in the long term because natural stone is more durable than mulch. Therefore, it requires very little maintenance and doesn’t need to be replaced every season.
5. Outdoor Stairs
Stairs made of natural stone are practical landscape designs that are pleasing to look at and help lead you to other outdoor spaces on your property. Stone ledge rock steps are a very popular choice for replacing concrete stairs. They are attractive and sturdy, making them an inviting way for your family to easily move around the exterior space of your house. Using natural stone to create a network of steps can lead to a patio and paths that tie yard spaces together beautifully.
6. Patios
If your home has a lot of backyard space, then consider adding a patio made out of natural stone. Having a patio is your very own space for eating outside during the summer and barbequing, so a paved patio that is made out of unique natural stones can only enhance its appearance. Flagstone is a popular type of natural stone for an outdoor patio because you can choose a variety of stones ranging from light to dark shades of gray and brown. If you have your very own design ideas, then you can mix and match the stones to create your own masterpiece to give your patio a unique look.
7. Fire Pits and Fireplaces
When patio season comes to an end, spark up your fire pit or fireplace made out of natural stone. By adding fire pits or one main fireplace to your patio or yard space, you get to enjoy a crackling fire during those cool autumn nights. When it comes to the design of natural stone fire pits and fireplaces, there are different shapes and colours to create your own design. Since stone is a good conductor of heat, you can place stone boulders as an optional seating area around the fireplace.
8. Water Fountains
If your landscape idea is to create a focal point on the grounds of your house or garden, then surround a statuesque fountain of water with natural stone. The relaxing sounds of water from a stone-on-stone water fountain near flowered plants bring on relaxing vibes. By blending elements of water, natural stone, and plants together, you can create your own oasis in your backyard.
9. Swimming Pool
If you have a swimming pool, then travertine is the best natural stone to create a design on a swimming deck. Travertine tiles are suitable for designing a pool deck because it is easy to maintain and naturally porous, which keeps the deck cool on hot days. As well, travertine tiles provide an elegant design around the swimming pool.
10. Garden Lawn Accessories
The beauty behind natural stones is that you can undertake a handful of DIY projects and create your very own garden lawn accessories. An easy-to-do garden lawn accessory is to create a bench out of one very large stone. Or, you can take hundreds of stones in different sizes and colours and put up a stone fence with a wooded landscape in your garden. You can even make a centerpiece out of a large boulder and place it in the front of your house as an eye-catching focal point.
At Peel Exterior Maintenance, we offer natural stone design installation in Georgetown, Ontario to enhance your home’s exterior. Contact us today to learn more on how we can make your landscape design ideas come to life and to receive a free program evaluation. Call us at 1-888-290-1216 or contact us here.