It is always so exciting for the spring season to start poking through here in Michigan. It is that time of the year when my landscaping ideas can start to come to life. This year I began thinking about how to incorporate the natural surroundings of our property into the picture. Since we live on a river my ideas went right to rocks and water. I then thought the water already draws enough bugs to the land so a water feature is not in the plan but incorporating rocks of all shapes and sizes began to take over for me.
So the first landscaping ideas that came to mind were to enhance our worn out fire pit. Three years ago we had bought some landscape material that did not hold up well in the heat. So we already had a space for it but we needed to add the pizzazz. My first thought was that I really like how deep our pit was so I wanted to keep that the same. So I decided that we would ring the pit with rocks pulled from the river. We took larger ones and dug them into the base of the pit and took more and encircled the rest of the area. They were stabilized through the placement of the rocks together. It turned out beautifully.
The next landscaping ideasthat came to mind are replacing the old existing railroad ties with a border of medium size rocks. In order to accomplish this is to first remove the old worn out border and take it to the scrap yard. We wanted to make the border look natural. In order to do this we took out three inches of dirt where the new border would sit and buried the bottom portion of the new rock border. This gave the appearance that the rocks had not just been thrown there and the stability that they were not just going to roll away.
The next step was to add top soil to the bed. The rocks were much taller than the railroad ties so in order to keep the flowers from getting lost we needed to raise the existing bed of soil. After this was accomplished we enhanced the existing shrubs with fresh brown mulch. The brown against the natural rocks really brought the natural look to the flower bed which is exactly what I was hoping for. We added a few flats of flowers and the look was complete. It was so inexpensive for such a grand new look.
I really wanted to also border the driveway because the gravel that we have delivered regularly to keep our driveway intact always leaks out into the grass. This landscaping idea would bring in the natural wood and rock that surround our home. I took several pieces of wood edging and dug into the ground to place them where we wanted to begin border. I then proceeded to link the pieces like Lego’s using long screw bolts. This provided stability. I know the kids will be jumping on and over them so I need to make the project hold up as long as possible. This solution blended in and keeps the rocks in the driveway actually in the driveway and not all over the grass.
Whatever your landscaping ideas may be this year, go for it. If you don’t have the time or know how there are many landscape professionals that will come out and give you tips or do the job for you. Enjoy the season to explore your landscaping ideas.