The Best Landscaping Ideas

Paths

• Incorporate paths, stairs or stepping stones into your design. Winding paths are a great way to naturally guide you through an environment, and a great deal of thought should be put into their location. If you have a big space, interconnecting pathways that mix steps and ramps around the features in your lawn make for a great walk. For smaller spaces, consider planting creeping thyme around stepping stones to get a simple and natural feel.

Water

• Pools, although sometimes hard to maintain, make for perhaps the most striking landscaping features. For multi-level areas, connect a few pools with gentle stone waterfalls. You can add fish as well if you live in an area without harsh winters. Fountains are a great way of adding personality and making an area truly unique. They also add sound to an area that provides another dimension to your landscape. In large spaces you can create small bridges to blend your paths and pools together dramatically.

Flower Borders

• Flower borders create color and add pleasant scents to a landscaping place. Curving borders that follow the natural flow of the landscape make for much more interesting presentations and feel more in tune with the surrounding area. Choose perennial flowers so you don't have to maintain them by planting every year and mix in a few annual favorites to add variety summer after summer. Make sure you choose flowers that will grow well with your soil and climate though or you may find the upkeep difficult.

Cultural Features

• Famous cultural features include Japanese zen gardens, stone lanterns and so on. Using these features gives your landscape more unique features and can supply some extra style. Japanese zen gardens (raked sand with a few rocks) can be used in difficult soil and are fairly easy to maintain. Stone lanterns, gazebos or foreign plants and trees can complete the look. Just be careful when planning a cross-culture themed landscape not to mix and match too much. Adding in too many different components can make a crowded and unpleasant scene. Keep things simple.