Concrete Landscaping Ideas

Water Features

• One great benefit of concrete is its water retention ability. Because of this, you can create waterfalls with recirculating pumps or add koi or goldfish ponds to give your outdoor living area a peaceful look. Even an old-fashioned wishing well or small wading pool can suit almost any landscape. Design a water feature as a focal point for your hardscape, then surround it with concrete benches so family and visitors can gaze into the water or cool their tired feet. Include planters around your water feature to keep the area feeling natural with the look and smell of greenery and flowers. Water lilies are an excellent addition to concrete ponds, as long as you care for them appropriately to compensate for the lack of nutrients in your concrete pond.

Outdoor Kitchen

• Shape your concrete hardscape into a functional outdoor living extension of your home. A concrete and brick oven is perfect for outdoor cooking, and the surrounding concrete can easily be shaped into benches or bar-height eating areas and food preparation surfaces (just add acrylic cutting boards for easy cleaning). Color and mold the concrete flooring and counters to appear similar to natural slate for a beautiful, rich look. Design the kitchen so eating areas look out over the direction with the best view, and use a variety of levels to enhance the look of your outdoor kitchen. For example, create a bar-height counter and place stools on one side, then use the counter's base as the backing for sculpted concrete benches on the outside of the kitchen area.

Add Levels

• Even if your yard is perfectly flat, you can add levels with your concrete to create a terraced effect, as long as you install proper drainage. Pave the primary level with slate- or stone-look shaped concrete, then create a sunken conversation area in the center, several steps down from the main area. Design benches along the perimeter of the circle, then add a fire pit in the center. Leave openings in the concrete just outside the circle to plant shade trees that will keep your concrete company area comfortable in the summer. You can also create garden terraces with concrete on sloped yards, sculpting retaining walls and leaving the flat, level surfaces open for flowers and other plants. If you create walls with waving curves, you can use the convex curves for planters and the concave curves for benches or step areas, creating multiple levels of seating.