Mansion Landscaping Ideas

Hidden Waterfall

• Craft a hidden, tropical-feeling grotto with a stunning centerpiece: a waterfall. Position the waterfall and surrounding rocks and foliage in such a way that a first-time visitor to your mansion strolling the grounds would hear the water, then follow a winding path through a tropical garden to reach the waterfall. (A UV-stable flexible liner should last longer than a preformed liner, according to a University of Minnesota source.) Alternately, construct a "secret garden" surrounded by a mossy, vine-overgrown stone wall. Put the waterfall inside the secret garden. Such a feature will add a magical feel to your landscape.

Tree-Lined Boulevard

• In homage to the Champs Elysee--the famous boulevard in Paris--create an avenue lined with large trees and dotted with small, secluded spots with tables and chairs perfect for sipping morning espresso. Long driveways benefit from the Champs Elysee treatment. If your driveway is relatively short, make a broad walking path leading straight from the back of the mansion out toward some focal point, like a statue or a reflecting pool. Line the path with trees.

Labyrinth

• Encourage meditative reflection with a labyrinth delineated by stone walls or shrubbery. (Go with a classical seven-circuit labyrinth, which, according to The Labyrinth Society, is sometimes called a Cretan labyrinth.) Set stones inscribed with philosophical sayings into the walkway.