Features in your yard and around your home’s exterior can be divided into two broad categories: landscaping and hardscaping. While landscaping includes living things like grass, trees, shrubs, and flowers, hardscaping consists of non-living features like greenhouses, gazebos, retaining walls, pavers, and fire pits. If you’re interested in adding some of the latter elements to your property, use the following guide to learn more.

What You Should Know About Hardscaping

How should I go about planning a hardscaping project?

Even though you may not have the time or funds to complete all of your hardscaping vision at once, form a comprehensive design plan before you start building. This way, you can ensure that each element will complement the others as you develop the property more. Sit down and draw out your ideas—from the patio to the benches and fountains—or ask a professional to produce a 3D rendering.

How can I choose the right hardscaping features?

The individual elements you choose will mainly depend on your purpose and plans for your backyard space. For example, if you’re interested in entertaining guests on a regular basis, a wooden deck, a fire pit, or a paved patio might be excellent additions for group gatherings. If you’re planning to relax in the space privately, water features like ponds and fountains paired with benches and paved pathways will create a meditative space. If you’re most interested in beautifying your garden, retaining walls, pergolas for vines, and vertical gardens are great choices.

What are retaining walls?

Retaining walls are crucial for preventing soil erosion, which can happen when rain saturates dirt and causes it to slip away from your plants. They can also hold plants in terraced beds, adding color and charm to a feature made of stone or concrete pavers. If your property has a lot of sloped ground, talk to a contractor about installing these barriers.

Should I get professional help?

While you might have gone DIY when planting small trees or growing vegetable gardens, hardscaping requires more skill and has greater safety risks. A professional will know how to ensure your new greenhouse, gazebo, pergola, or patio has a solid foundation and the proper slope for drainage before building so that a sudden rainstorm doesn’t dislodge or tilt the structure. They’ll know how high to build retaining walls and how to install metal beams underground to support them. Once they’re done completing the project, they can recommend maintenance tips for you to carry out on your own.

If you’re interested in enhancing your outdoor space, turn to Yano’s Nursery of Omaha, NE. For over three decades, they’ve been providing high-quality trees, shrubs, and perennial plants to local property owners. They can also provide erosion control measures for your landscape and help set you up with a general contractor to carry out hardscaping projects like greenhouse building. To learn more about this company, visit the website, or call (402) 895-1535 to speak with a team member.