Have you ever considered landscaping with rocks? Not only can rocks add texture to your garden, but they are also very attractive and don’t cost a lot. The beauty of using rocks is that you don’t necessarily have to spend a lot on materials, as you might already find you have a wide variety of rocks on your land to begin with. If not, you can always use natural stone from a garden supply center or landscaping contractor.
Dallas Water Feature
There are a variety of projects you can do with rocks and boulders. These include:
- Building a rock wall to define your property border;
- Creating a border around trees;
- Laying a rock pathway;
- Adding interest to a pond or water feature (like we did for a Dallas-area homeowner, above); and
- Accenting your existing landscape with rocks here and there.
Accent rocks boulders can add a lot interest, impact, and character to your landscape. They can even add a second or third level to your landscape without actually having to create an elevated area. However, accent boulders need to be made a “part” of the landscape. Try burying the bottom of the rock four to six inches in the ground and see the difference it makes. Simply dig out a little under where the boulder is to be set and place your ground cover around it. This will give a more natural look as it would appear in nature. It also leaves a little to the imagination. There’s no telling how big the rock actually is or if it was really there to begin with!
In the current economic climate, people are increasingly looking at low budget options when it comes to home improvement and landscaping. Believe it or not, there are plenty of landscaping projects you can do that will have a big impact on a small budget.
When it comes to maintaining a landscape, the four factors that incur continual costs are trimming, mulching, weeding, and watering. By minimizing these, you will not only reduce the amount of maintenance (and work!) needed to maintain your garden – you will also save money!
Dallas Arbors, Fencing
Listed below are some landscape design tips that will help reduce the cost of maintaining your landscaped garden:
- Replace mulch with gravel: Using gravel in place of mulch can help reduce weeds and also aids in soil retention. And unlike mulch, gravel seldom needs replacement.
- Choose plants wisely: Avoid insect- and disease-prone plants (such as Azaleas), as well as plants that need continual pruning (such as dwarf yaupons and boxwood).
- Develop various points of focus in your garden: Consider the use of things other than plants to serve as points of focus. Adding pathways to your landscape design can be a great way to allow access to various parts within the space, and can be quite pleasing to the eye.
- Invest in landscape lighting: Lighting can help you showcase the most beautiful parts of your landscape, while masking those that are less desirable. Good lighting also provides security, and is a great economical way to increase your home’s value.
- Add a water feature: Outdoor fountains are appealing to the eye and a great way to de-stress, and not all water fountains are expensive.
Not all landscaping projects require big budgets, and sometimes small changes can make a big difference in the look of your yard as well as your enjoyment of your outdoor space. Check out the beautiful pathways we installed around a Dallas-Fort Worth area home!
With some careful planning and wise investing, you can improve the look of your landscape without breaking the bank.
Whether it’s a narrow pedestrian pathway, a stylish faux-historic cart-path or roadway, or a public space, pavestone can provide smooth, even surfaces that will stand the test of time. 
The relatively new availability of manufactured pavestone designs allows builders to pave areas easily. Pavestone fills a particular role in landscaping stone projects, around homes, apartments, or in public areas around commercial properties, where planners use it to achieve a clean, modern look.
Pavestone: Designed to Fit
The appeal of pavestone is in its design: manufactured pieces fit together without a need for conventional mortar, difficult stone sizing, or excessive cutting and fitting. The uniform pieces can be laid out and installed with just a little loose sand for fitting the small spaces in between. This makes pavestone a favorite for small do-it-yourself projects. For larger, more heavily used projects, a pavestone contractor can bring the proper tools to the job and install pavestone quickly and efficiently.
All Kinds of Pavestone Designs
The variety of pavestone available means planners can lay out their walkways and pathways in many different ways. Rectangular stones can be laid in a V shape, which is a popular and 
simple design. Other kinds of polygon pavestones can be fitted into a “weave” or “tessellated” system to create a different look.
A Base for Pavestone Projects
Although pavestone paths do not need mortar, they often do require some kind of base. Concrete, sand and gravel mixes are used for many pavestone projects, according to the type of soil the pathway or walkway is set in. Take a look at the proposed setting and evaluate it: is the soil wet and soft? Dusty and transient? Pavestone professionals can help you determine what kind of base to use for your project. They can also provide tools often used for installation like cutters and edgers or “platform machines” that will tamp down the pavestones into the base for a more solid installation.
Browse pavestone photo gallery from EnhanceScape to see how the stones fit together and how edging is achieved, and also how the project is matched to its environment.
