Late Winter and Early Spring Landscaping Tips

Spring Landscaping Ideas with Mulch and Stone

Mulch and stone are a winning combination for Spring landscaping.

Mulch most likely comes to mind when you think of making your garden look pristine and pleasing to the eye.

Using it to cover the soil of your flowerbeds or to fill up empty space in your yard are classic ideas, but there are so many creative and original options in landscaping that will make the outside of any home look professionally designed.

Mulch isn’t the only great looking material you can add to your yard; stone adds a touch of sophistication when paired alongside it. The best thing about stone is that there are so many textures, colors, and shapes. Pebbles, river rocks, flagstones, and boulders accent mulch of all types especially when you’re able to find a unique way to beautify your yard with them. One of the hardest parts of landscaping is creating an amazing and personal style for your house, taking your gardening skills to the next level, and making your neighbors jealous. We’re here to make all of that a lot easier.

Paths

If you prefer to keep your stone use minimal, perhaps adding a path of pebbles through a larger mulch patch would assist in guiding the eyes (and feet) to the most pleasing parts of your landscaping. A simple detail like this gives the area character and even a sense of organization in your design. If your backyard is more elaborate, mostly covered in vegetation, or densely wooded, additional paths would nicely accentuate the ground between the densest areas.

If the maintenance of pebbles seems much too exhausting, slabs of stone lay nicely on flat land, and they arrange into simple yet delightful patterns. There are endless colors and cuts to choose from that complement the traits of your space.

Maybe you would rather stick to walking on grass, but you still notice plain, empty areas between your flowerbeds. An easy idea for giving any green path a bit of a facelift is to line the edges with river rocks or any stone with a consistent color. Decorating this way will give your eyes a breath of fresh air, for it is the simplicity in this design that reduces any attention towards the rough edges.

Borders

If you have a large strip of garden that lays around the outside perimeter of your house or sidewalk, you have a great opportunity to give these areas a bit more style. Close the gap between the grass and mulch with an even border of stone. Slabs or bricks work brilliantly and even help to keep the mulch from spilling out all over your lawn. If your driveway or walkway is lined with plants or mulch, bordering those sections is a good idea as well.

Stone Types

Don’t be overwhelmed by the choices that lay before you, the first thought that may run through your head is, “There are so many kinds of stone to work with, what will work best for my situation?” Worry not, we have compiled a list of common stone used in landscaping and simple garden decoration.

Gravel

Pea gravel or crushed gravel refers to tiny, smooth pebbles of varying color that are appealing to the eyes of both minimalists and lovers of extravagant yard displays. Gravel is possibly the most versatile rock out there and is certainly worth the small amount of upkeep involved. It can also be used as an alternative to wood mulch as it doesn’t retain heat like larger stone and therefore will not overheat your plants due to its small size.

Flagstone

These wide, flat rocks make beautiful pathways because they are the perfect stepping stones. If you come across an abundance of them, you could create a whole patio just out of flagstone. They can cover a great amount of ground space in large numbers and make an even surface for outdoor furniture and garden-loving guests.

River Rock

River Rocks are very smooth, round stones that are mined close to river beds here in Indiana. They are usually dark and shiny in appearance and are seen as quite classy and refreshing when placed around garden areas. They are ideal for mulch replacement when that is sought. As river rock is affordable and long-lasting.

Lava Rock

Think this is just a clever name? Guess again, the lava rocks most commonly sought after in the dry climate of the Southwest are mined from volcanic lava domes. It is generally reddish or brown and has a very coarse texture, so don’t lay it down anywhere you expect people to be walking around barefoot. Gardens covered in this beautiful, intriguing stone are very easy to maintain because they minimize the need for watering.

Boulders

The use of boulders as “anchor points” or “eye catchers” in landscaping is highly effective. Is there a bland, empty section of your yard that you have yet to adorn? Putting down a boulder or two and planting various tall-growing flowers around them will maximize the sense of style with minimal effort involved in the planning or labor. Boulders truly make amazing focal points in larger, open gardens and can be decorated nicely with less thought than any other natural art piece.

As far as mulch goes, there’s no end to the options in sight. From dyed wood mulch to natural mulch, cypress, cedar, and pine you should choose what looks and functions best according to your land, vegetation, and home. If you want to use landscaping stone and mulch together, make sure you plan based on ideal combinations of texture and color. Take everything into consideration, but most importantly, have fun and be creative. Landscaping is a fantastic way of expressing yourself or your home in a fashion that everyone can see. Be original in your designs or draw inspiration from experts online or in catalogs.

There isn’t a better way to impress guests than showing them around a professional-quality backyard full of life. Even if you’re doing it just for yourself, you’ll always be able to gaze outside and know that your efforts paid off this Spring.

3 Easier Alternatives to a Backyard Pond

Your yard needs water. Of course, if you have grass and plants, requires a nice sprinkling on a regular basis. But you also could enhance your home by using water as an aesthetic. According to HGTV, ponds, fountains and other water features are still popular among homeowners.

While a pond can be a lovely addition to your backyard, it can also be a lot of work. Aside from the labor involved to create the pond, it requires ongoing maintenance. Problems that may develop include algae accumulation, a leaking pond liner, and predators or parasites killing fish.

If you want a water feature without the hassle of installing and maintaining a pond, the following ideas may be good alternative.

Make a bubbler fountain

Bubbler fountains that gently move water through a small pump are easy to make. You can make a bubbler fountain out of boulders, pots or anything else that can hold water. They use only the water within the fountain, so they don’t require in-ground reservoirs.

McCarty Mulch sells inexpensive bubbler pumps, which you can use to turn a large stone pot or bowl into your fountain. We can also custom drill a boulder for you here at our location or you can choose from many of our pre-drilled boulders. Another option would be to drill a hole in the bottom of a container or pot for the electrical cord, but you don’t have to hard-wire electricity to the fountain – pumps plug into an outdoor outlet, and you can hide the cord under mulch, or in vegetation. Once the pump is in the pot, place it on a bed of decorative rock and add water to the pot, and your fountain is finished.

Create a water wall

Making a water wall is a bigger project that requires the use of a table saw and compound miter saw. If you have the tools and the time, a water wall is a nice way to add some visual interest to a patio.

A basic water wall is made of a trough that, with a surrounding frame, supports panels that water runs down. Some people use tempered glass to make water walls, but you could also use galvanized steel or any material that can tolerate water.

Put a pond in a barrel

Using a pot or barrel, you can make a smaller, freestanding version of a pond and still enjoy the perks of having fish and water plants. To ward off mosquitoes, you would need a pond pump, which adds a lot of expense to an otherwise inexpensive project. If you don’t want to buy a pump, put mosquito dunks in the water.

Add some large rocks or decorative rocks to the pot to serve as underwater plant stands (the rocks elevate plants, so they are at least partly above the water line). Add goldfish a few days after you add water, because tap water contains additives that may harm fish, but those additives evaporate after time.