According to research by Virginia Tech, landscaping enhances your home's curb appeal and increases its market value by 15%. Hardscaping is the practice of landscaping with stone, gravel, pavers, and other materials to create a finished design. It is botanically diverse, drought-tolerant, and provides a stable environment for your plants. Whether you are landscaping for your home or business, hardscape can be an aesthetically pleasing alternative to grass. The following explains everything you need to know about hardscaping.

What Is Hardscaping?

Hardscaping is also known as a groundcover. It uses landscaping material primarily as a visual divider between two different areas. Homeowners often divide their yard, patio, or other outdoor space with low-maintenance landscape flowers or shrubs. In most homes, hardscaping entails using artificial turf, hay bales, and mulch. It also includes groundcovers such as gravel, rock, and stone in addition to the traditional hardscape materials.

What Kinds of Hardscape Projects Are There?

There are many kinds of projects that you can do with hardscaping. Below is a list of some popular residential landscaping projects that require hardscape materials.

• Patio Paving Projects: Adding concrete pavers or stone paving that creates an attractive patio or walkway is easy to do for most homeowners. Paving stones are low-maintenance complex landscaping alternatives. They often come in unique patterns, colors, and shapes. A cement patio needs little maintenance. It will also outlast any wood decking or other natural material.

• Retaining Wall Projects: Building a solid retaining wall that will last for years to come is easier said than done. Thankfully, there are many professionals that specialize in creating timeless and beautiful hardscapes in your yard. Using suitable materials and setting cinder block walls will yield a sturdy and long-lasting wall that requires little to no maintenance.

• Garden Landscaping: A landscaping company can build your garden anywhere in your yard. Depending on what plants you want to grow, you may want to take the amount of sun they get into consideration. Whether you have an area easily accessible from the house or a long steep hill to get to, you can have your professional landscaper build steps or berms using lumber and other natural materials.

When you have a yard, you are responsible for maintaining it. From time to time, homeowners need to work on certain things in the yard. You may consider adding hedges or pathways, removing trees and shrubs, or repainting the mortar between brick walls. These tasks can be tedious and difficult, especially when it is your first time doing them. It is better to leave the job to professionals specializing in this type of work. To learn more helpful information about hardscaping, visit our website or give us a call today.