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Notice I do use sod material, but very little. The use of
turf in small amounts can bring life to a hardscape design and give you a lawn
that is beautiful and easy to care for (and cheap to repair or replace).
Landscape lighting is another
great investment and addition to a hardscape design as the soft lighting
illuminates key focal points at night.Resort style living at home! To see more on landscape lighting,
Click Here
This is an example of a subdued lighting
effect. Notice the lights are aimed at the wall behind the
water feature. This will create a silhouette of the rock waterfall.
Aiming a spotlight at the front will highlight the water course.
Above is great use of rubber mulch. This
product is expensive, but very effective and colorful in a hardscape
design. The stone next to the lights are grave stones for my beloved dogs
that have passed (notice the collar around a limb of the tree in the picture
below) My wife Angie and I adopted them from Doberman Rescue. This is
my tribute to them. Like their memories, this design will live forever (or until
bulldozed)! Some of my clients have had me do similar projects like this
to remember their lost pets. A hardscape design is perfect for this.
This was my first concrete pond project.
It is a very special place. I say this because it requires no maintenance!
That's right ...You read correct. NO MAINTENANCE! ...NO JOKE. Months
after it was complete, I threw in a few fish to see how long it could sustain
life ...that was September 1998. Since then it has been home to hundreds
of wild minnows, tree frogs, a couple of toads and a turtle. It is a world
of peace and harmony. The residents of pond respect one another and work
together to keep the peace. If only that could be said of our world!
I don't feed them, I don't treat the
water. If the mosquitoes try to lay their eggs in there, its an
all-you-can-eat special for the fish. Ponds like this one are also a great
addition to a hardscape design.
Pavers are also a great use of hardscape as they
can connect one area to another. This paver is called "Nature
Walk". I like it most for its irregular shape and pattern. It
also blends well with Flagstone and other colorful materials. The dollar
weeds you see in the picture are there because I wanted to show the extent of
care needed to maintain a rock garden. A little chemical herbicide and its
done.
The use of plants also liven up a hardscape
design. Little pockets of colorful mulch with life!
This is another place to use rubber mulch.
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