With summer knocking at our doors, now is the time to imagine the grandest vision for our landscape. The lush life outside has us in the mood to soak up the outdoors, and with the whole summer ahead of us, we have no shortage of time to create our ideal “staycation” spot. But with so many possibilities, where do we begin?
Hardscapes are not just the static pathways, edges, patios, or rocks in your landscape. When integrated into the living tapestry of your property, they enhance and harmonize the beauty of your gardens.
Curves give the eye something to follow. They reveal some views and create mystery by withholding others from sight. Mother nature works in curves, not straight lines. They lend intrigue and harmony to our landscapes and give us a break from right angles and rigid lines.
Centerpieces give a focal point to your yard. Whether a small hill, a central garden, a statue, fireplace, pond, stream, or birdbath, a centerpiece gives you a place to rest your attention and unites your landscape. It doesn’t necessarily have to grab your attention; it just has to be in the right spot.
Green Edges make our hardscapes part of our living landscapes. By populating our edges with plants, we can cool down the stone, retain water in our beds, and make our outdoor nooks more inviting. In some areas of the Southwest, you see landscapes with sparse vegetation and a lot of stone—necessary in this region due to water scarcity. We live in a lush climate and can take advantage of it by edging our hardscapes with plants.
Bring Your Rocks to Life by cultivating a ground cover on or around them, or even a layer of moss. As with green edges, the latest trends are to create an abundance of flourishing plant life. That doesn’t mean we have to downplay our hardscaping, but it inspires us to fill in the nooks and crannies with flowers and greenery.
Tropicals flourish in the summer season. While we technically live in a subtropical climate, you’ll find many well-adapted tropicals to lend wonder to your yard. They make a great centerpiece to your garden or bring attention to areas you want to highlight. From Birds of Paradise, to Mandevilla or Caladium—our garden centers give you many options.
Greenwalls bring your walls to life. Instead of a flat surface, your walls can be living, breathing, layers of herbs, vegetables, or flowers trailing gently in the breeze. They also don’t require much maintenance. In fact, they can help you out because you won’t have to bend down and strain your knees and back to maintain them. Greenwalls are one of our specialties—we install them for both indoors and outdoors, and they’re available for a variety of spaces.
Rewilding asks you to imagine a landscape that maintains itself. That’s part of the inspiration behind this eco-friendly trend, in which some or part of your garden is dedicated to native perennials, shrubs, and trees. It doesn’t mean letting your place go into disarray, but planning for an organized disorder and using more wildlife-friendly plants. Naturalized gardens have been trending for years. They’re one of the best ways to attract native pollinators and bees, beneficial insects, wild birds, and reduce the environmental impact of your landscape.
So you have the stone infrastructure and the living flora, now you just need to add yourself to the garden. What do you need to flourish outdoors?
Outdoor Rooms: We’ve already written about greening your indoor spaces, but with summer upon us, you can now make your green spaces more comfortable. Imagine an outdoor living room, kitchen, or office. With more comfortable furniture, lighting, shelves, or bug screens, they go above and beyond the typical patio or porch to create a true oasis. I mean—who wouldn’t want to spend more time outside if they could?
Outdoor Decor: Natural materials continue to dominate the outdoor decor trends for 2020. Opt for macrame art and hanging planters in covered areas like gazebos and covered decks, and choose natural-fiber fabrics like rattan rugs or poufs. This modern-bohemian style shows no sign of slowing down this year!
Our garden centers in Alexandria and Lothian offer a full suite of landscape design, maintenance, and installation. We can help inspire you with a creative vision and help turn that vision into a reality. We’d love to hear from you!
At Greenstreet Gardens, we take pride in the fact that our number one goal is to make our customers successful.
Equipped with a diverse wealth of information and a knowledgeable staff, we are confident that we are able to provide all of the right tools and plant material necessary to help make your gardening ideas become reality.
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