Fall Hardscaping: Harnessing Nature’s Beauty in Your Outdoor Space
Hardscaping is one of our favorite ways to spruce up customers’ landscapes in Rock Hill, SC. Whether we’re building fire pits so you can gather with family and friends on a cool fall evening or we’re creating natural stone pathways to help you enjoy a relaxing stroll around your property on a crisp fall afternoon, hardscaping features are like the yin to landscaping’s yang.
On top of being beautiful and functional, hardscaping features like retaining walls and paver patios are also perfect opportunities to weave together natural and manufactured elements to complement the overall look and feel of your landscape design.
Look around at the nature surrounding your hardscaping to gain inspiration
Look Around for Inspiration
We recently completed a project in Rock Hill for a customer where we were able to match the color of their paver stones to offset the natural wood tones from nearby trees. Little details like this make a big difference in landscaping and hardscaping, and these seemingly small design choices really tie a project together.
If you want to get the most from your hardscaping project this fall in the Rock Hill region, below are some ways to perfectly blend your natural landscape in with your hardscaping features:
Try to match the color of your hardscaping against the surrounding trees to create a tapestry
Match Wood Color Against Your Hardscaping Project
Wood is one of the most natural of outdoor elements. Wood makes up the trees that surround your home, and in the Carolinas, we’re incredibly blessed to be surrounded by plenty of natural beauty with forests everywhere. To capitalize on this, we recommend matching the color of your hardscaping features to the overall color of your trees.
This doesn’t mean matching colors to individual trees. Instead, we look at the overall big picture to see how background forest colors match the colors and textures of natural stone or engineered pavers we put down.
Take a look at the nature surrounding your outdoor space to get a big-picture view of your hardscaping project
Use Your Natural Backdrop as a Set Piece
For instance, if we’re designing an outdoor fire pit in Rock Hill, SC, we look at the background colors that will act as set pieces for the fire pit area. This lets us know whether particular hardscaping stones will work or whether we need to select different colors or configurations.
This is also important if your property has wooden decks or fences. The colors and proximity of these features to your hardscaping should be considered to ensure everything will blend nicely.
Both natural and engineered paver stones have their benefits
Natural Stone or Engineered Stone?
Stone choices in hardscaping are also important. Natural stone can be laid out to create walkways, staircases, and more. We also use natural stone for retaining walls in some cases, but this all depends on the look and feel you’re going for.
When it comes to landscape design, all elements need to work together in harmony. For some of our customers, a modern, sleek look using engineered paver stones and blocks is preferable. For others, natural stone is a better choice because of how these elements blend in with the natural environment surrounding a hardscaping project.
Don’t Overlook the Utility of Gravel and Stone Fill
Gravel may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think about a sophisticated and inviting hardscaping project, but gravel and stone fill can really make a difference. At Ground FX Landscaping & Water Features, we use gravel and stones all the time to fill in areas, create pathway accents, accent fire pits, create borders, and more.
Gravel and rock fill can be used in different ways for your hardscaping project
Gravel Isn’t the Main Attraction in Hardscaping
The thing about gravel and stone fill is that these elements aren’t usually the main attraction. Instead, these elements can be used to support the focal point of a hardscaping project. For example, we recently installed a fire pit for a Lake Wylie, SC, customer. The fire pit itself is the main focus here, but we used gravel and stones to create a circular border around the feature. This draws your attention to the fire pit and actually makes it pop more in a visual sense.
The Extended Utility of Gravel & Stone Fill
The other benefit for this type of project is that gravel and stones form a protective barrier around the fire pit. If any embers or hot ash jump out of the fire pit while it’s being used to keep a family warm on a cool fall evening, the embers land on the gravel and harmlessly burn out. This is a safety feature we purposefully consider when designing and building fire pits.
Gravel and stone are also essential to fill in gaps between large stones in paver patios and walkways. Gravel, stones, and sand keep these areas level and help to keep the stones in place to avoid shifting.
Using natural products in your fall hardscaping project can be good for the environment
The Other Advantages of Using Natural Materials in Your Hardscaping Project
Aside from the aesthetic appeal, using natural elements in your hardscaping can have some environmental benefits. For example, many natural materials have a lower heat absorption ratio, meaning they don’t get or stay as hot during the summer. Having these elements installed during the fall can set you up for a comfortable outdoor living space when the weather warms back up, and the hot Carolina sun starts beating down on the Rock Hill area.
As mentioned, natural stones and gravel can be used around walkways and other hardscaping features, but this isn’t just for looks. Gravel helps with drainage by channeling water instead of allowing it to pool. This can protect the ground around hardscaping features, leading to less soil erosion.
Natural Hardscaping Products Support Our Community
We also love supporting local industry by using natural products that complement the surrounding landscape. We partner with companies like McGirt Supply in nearby Fort Mill, SC, to ensure our customers receive quality landscaping and hardscaping supplies that add beauty and lasting value to their homes. This allows us to bolster our commitment to supporting the growing and diverse business community in Rock Hill, and it also means that we gain greater access to hardscaping networks to provide our customers with a wider array of landscaping and hardscaping solutions.
Contact Ground FX Landscaping & Water Features to Get Started on Your Fall Hardscaping Project
If you’re ready to make your outdoor living spaces look their best this fall, contact Ground FX Landscaping & Water Features. Our landscape design team can provide expert guidance to transform your yard into a natural oasis you’ll love to spend time in this fall and all year.
Call us today for a no-obligation consultation at (803) 371-2324, or use our contact form to schedule online right now.
