Hardscapes 101: Top Design Ideas for Your Lakefront Landscape

Photo courtesy of Attainable Solutions Inc.

Outdoor living is one of the joys of lake life—so now that summer is here, let’s make the best of it. A well-balanced landscape design should complement your lifestyle and add value to your lake property. It’s typically made up of two main elements that define outdoor living spaces—hardscapes and softscapes. In simple terms, think of softscapes as the living things in your yard and hardscapes as the hard stuff like bricks, wood, stone, and concrete. For part one of our two-part feature, we’re going to first focus on hardscapes

Retaining Walls & Steps

Photo courtesy of Mom’s Design Build via Turf Magazine

If your lakeside landscape sits on a slope, you might benefit from a retaining wall. Creating a hillside terrace adds visual interest and more usable land and reduces soil erosion and water runoff by slowing down the flow of rainwater and diverting it to a drainage system. Low retaining walls can even double as extra seating for outdoor entertaining. Incorporate a cascading stairway into your retaining wall, and you now have an elegant pathway down to the shore. Say the experts at Gardenista, “Think of retaining walls as support hose for sloped terrain: they hold everything in place—discreetly.”

When considering material options, select those that will complement your lake home’s surrounding natural landscape and architectural style. Building material choices are abundant and range from brick and stone to poured concrete to treated and stained woods.

Before getting started, it’s best to consult a landscape architect or gardening professional to guide you. Click here for more inspiring ideas. 

Winding Walkways, Paths & Driveways

Photo courtesy of Homestead Gardens Landscape Division

Alluring pathways and driveways lend instant visual appeal and create a welcoming first impression for visitors. A dynamic driveway or walkway to your front door adds pleasing curb appeal and can even increase the resale value of your lake home.

Whether you decide to go with solid pavers for a sleek, contemporary vibe, or charming steppingstones that lend an English cottage feel, your options are virtually endless. A good rule of thumb to follow? Always choose surfaces that complement the style of your lake-dwelling and the surrounding environment. 

If you’re not a DIY enthusiast, start by calling in a landscape professional to help you find the best design for your property. They can also guide you through the array of material choices that include brick, concrete, bluestone, granite, gravel, limestone, and more. If your lake home is in a colder climate, consider options that can stand up to freezing temperature, such as terracotta, travertine, and slate. Click here for more creative ideas for walkway designs.

Fire Pits & Fireplaces

Photo courtesy Mom’s Design Build

There is nothing more blissful than sitting by a fire while relaxing at the lake. Firelight creates an ambiance like no other and brings warmth, a soft romantic glow, and an inviting interactive experience. So, whether you want to incorporate an outdoor fireplace or fire pit, there are a few things first to consider:

When placed on the edge of a patio or pavilion, a fireplace takes up less space and can be used in inclement weather if it’s under cover. This architectural element can also bring a graceful focal point to your outdoor entertainment space. The benefits of a chimney direct the smoke upward and outward, ensuring a pleasant, fresh-air environment.

On the other hand, a fire pit is a bit more like having a cozy bonfire or campfire. You can place seating all around it for fun family gatherings, like roasting marshmallows with the kids and making s’mores. If you’re looking to design a custom immovable firepit, make sure you choose the perfect spot with the desired view and have a landscape professional guide you on its placement—where lake breezes can move the smoke away from your other outdoor areas. For more fireside inspiration, visit HGTV.

Pools & Entertainment Areas

Photo courtesy of Mom’s Design Build

Pools—and the lavish, lounge-like seating areas that surround them—can create a splendid oasis for your lake landscape. Crisp and cool, the refreshing element of water always provides a calming visual connection to your lakeside environment.

First, decide what type of pool best suits your needs, budget, and lifestyle. Pools are costly to install, and the upkeep may not be for everyone. Consider pool shapes and styles, such as a seamless infinity pool spilling over a vanishing edge, a long narrow lap pool, a therapeutic spa feature, or even a non-chlorine natural swimming pool. You’ll definitely want to consult with a landscape architect or pool specialist to discuss material options, cost, and maintenance.

Other considerations include lighting and underwater lights, poolside landscape plant materials, seating areas, furniture arrangements, and outdoor furniture options, including luxurious poolside loungers, chaises, patio sets, and plush water-resistant cushions and upholsteries. For more inspiration, check out these dreamy pool design ideas.

Decks & Patios

Photo courtesy of Mom’s Design Build

A deck or patio added to your lake property will instantly create an additional room and expand your living space to the outdoors.

Typically made of wood, decks float above the ground—from a few inches to many feet—and are framed with support structures. If your lake setting sits on a slope, then a deck might be the perfect choice for you. Deck flooring materials include natural wood—cedar, redwood, mahogany, teak, ipe, bamboo—and other options such as pressure-treated lumber and sustainable composite decking.

Patios are constructed on a flat surface at ground level with hard materials like brick, concrete, stone tiles, and pavers. Ideal for poolside areas or level outdoor spaces where you want to enhance the architectural appeal of your home, patios are a durable and aesthetically pleasing choice. For more ideas on creating spectacular outdoor spaces, click here.

In an upcoming post, we’ll show you how to balance your lakeside hardscape designs with lush, green softscapes. In the meantime, happy hardscaping!

Low Maintenance Landscaping Tips for Your Lake House

Photo courtesy of salliehilldesigns.com.

There’s nothing better than a beautiful landscape overlooking your lakefront property. However, behind every polished garden is hours of intense gardening work. What if you want a gorgeous backyard at your lake home, but don’t want all the labor? Fortunately, there are several ways to practice low maintenance landscaping. Check out our tips below.

Use Hardscapes

Photo courtesy of southviewdesign.com.

Who says that your landscape has to be completely green? Hardscapes are a great way to add variety and dimension to your outdoor space. As a simple first step into hardscaping, you can customize your yard with one of these DIY stone walkways. For a more classic garden, choose a brick path. If you’re seeking an artistic flare, create a mosaic trail. It all depends on your taste.

Additionally, hardscapes make excellent outdoor dining areas and outdoor kitchens. Once you’ve laid the floor material, add a dining table and chairs, a grill, and a fire pit, and you’re all set. Nothing beats grilling burgers while looking out at your lake view. 

Plant Perennials

Photo courtesy of hgtv.com.

It’s best for low maintenance landscaping to reduce the amount of time you spend with gardening gloves and a shovel in hand. Annual plants are a hassle because you have to replant every season. By contrast, perennials only require one planting session. Because they grow back naturally each season, you can enjoy watching them grow without the heavy lifting. When picking perennials for your garden, make sure you choose native plants acclimated to your climate. Of course, make sure you plant according to the USDA Plant Hardiness Zones. If you live in a warm climate in Zones 7-9, it’s helpful to select heat-tolerant perennials like Russian sage and lavender. Both are low maintenance and attract pollinators that help your garden flourish.

Get Ground Covers

Photo courtesy of lowes.com.

It’s no secret that grass is high maintenance. As gardener Peter Weeks writes in The Daily Gardener, most people mow their lawn once a week. This task is exhausting and time-consuming. To reduce the square footage of your yard that requires mowing, consider planting ground covers. These plants sit close to the earth and spread out across your landscape. Not only will they replace grass as a lawn cover, but they also add color and interesting texture. Further, they do not require frequent watering. Although typical ground covers like succulents cost more than grass seeds in the short term, they’ll save you both money and energy in the long run. 

Try Xeriscaping Techniques

Photo courtesy of Forbes.

If you don’t live in a dry climate, you may not have heard of xeriscaping. This low maintenance landscaping practice involves selecting plants that require little to no irrigation. In desert areas with sparse rainfall, this practice is perfect for creating a low-maintenance yard. Xeriscaping is also beneficial to the environment, as it reduces water waste and creates a more sustainable landscape. Even if your climate is humid, you can still borrow xeriscaping techniques to build a low maintenance garden. For example, try choosing hardy, water-wise plants such as aloe or Pride of Madeira. While you’re planting, replace the surrounding grass with rocks and mulch– a common xeriscaping practice.

In comparison to grass, mulch is lower maintenance, provides natural fertilizer, and chokes weeds. To further reduce water waste, ditch the watering can, and install irrigation systems under the soil. With this tool, water travels directly to your plants instead of scattering across the leaves. This way, you aren’t using a drop more than necessary.

Group Plants Wisely

Photo courtesy of Pinterest.

When designing subsections of your garden, it’s tempting to focus solely on aesthetics. The plant by number technique creates visual appeal, and bold color combinations leave guests in awe. While there’s nothing wrong with prioritizing beauty, grouping plants based on similar needs is an easy gardening hack to create a low maintenance garden. Specifically, try groupings based on specific growing conditions like sunlight need, shade requirements, and tolerance of wet and dry soil. This easy shortcut will simplify the maintenance process, and you’ll always be able to remember which areas of your garden need more care than others. Once you’ve grouped plants according to these conditions, then you can focus on looks. 

We hope these tips will help with your low-maintenance landscaping practices. After all, we’d all rather spend time admiring our lakeside landscapes than working in them.