Homeowners tend to associate landscaping with plants; however, concrete can also help improve the aesthetics of their yard.

Extruded concrete can easily follow curves, while it also comes in various colors and patterns to suit brick, stone or any specific colors in your yard’s landscaping. Furthermore, landscape edging helps keep mulch, grass seedlings and flower seedlings contained for less maintenance time later on.

Retaining Walls

Retaining walls are practical yet aesthetically appealing additions to your yard, providing both function and beauty. They can prevent erosion by breaking up slopes into levels areas suitable for garden beds, patios or stairways. Retaining walls also add curb appeal by changing how people perceive your landscape and increasing property values.

Concrete blocks make an excellent material for retaining walls because they’re easily stackable and can retain soil dug from sloped terrain to form walkways, driveways and landscaping projects. To build a strong retaining wall it’s key to include contraction joints every 4-6 feet so it can adjust to changes in temperature as well as freeze/thaw cycles without damage occurring to the wall itself. Concrete slabs Melbourne landscape edging is one such example.

Poured concrete walls offer more durability than block retaining walls, reaching 10 feet in height and stronger against lateral pressure than their counterparts; however, their construction requires special skills as they need to account for lateral forces as they’re constructed correctly and they may be more costly than their brick counterparts. Brick can also be used but requires considerable time and labor in laying correctly.

Patios

Concrete is one of the most adaptable and resilient materials for creating outdoor living spaces. It can withstand harsh elements while remaining resistant to weed growth – making it an excellent choice for backyard seating areas or dining rooms.

Concrete provides an effortless transition from indoor to outdoor living spaces by creating a smooth surface without leaving behind grit on shoes that may enter the house. Concrete also serves to bridge any potential gaps between spaces – it helps make life simpler!

Many homeowners opt for a traditional concrete slab patio in their backyards. But with concrete coming in paver shapes as well, more unique looks may be possible and more creative coloration options without UV fade risks can also be available to you. It may be more cost effective too. These alternatives provide homeowners looking for something extra special in their outdoor space and steep grades can find these alternatives more practical and more cost effective. Plus they allow more creative colorations options such as permanent stains.

Walkways

Walkways allow people to move around landscapes freely without trampling plants and helping reduce soil compaction, while adding curb appeal and design options for any home. Concrete makes an excellent material choice as it comes in numerous poured or stained colors, as well as being stamped to form unique patterns.

Material selection for walkways depends upon both its size and purpose. A pathway meant for multiple people should ideally measure 3 feet wide or wider, and concrete pathways offer numerous design possibilities that work in most environments.

Tierra Landscape created this modern walkway using paver-inside-paver design. Tight spacing helps avoid an imposing, commercial structure while landscaping pebbles soften harsh lines on the sidewalk. Concrete can even be colored using stain to give an earthy and natural vibe to its design.

Stone Walls

Stone walls are an iconic way to enhance any garden, from formal tea gardens to rustic resting places along quiet walkways. Stone walls also provide an effective means of dealing with uneven land surfaces while adding an eye-catching design element that looks good year round.

Rustic stone wall structures look best; so when choosing stones for your project, leave some larger and irregular-shaped stones for your base layer piles. As you build layers up from there, save widest and heaviest stones for last so as not to create peaky areas and ledges that require knocking off with maul or brick chisel chisels if necessary.

If you plan to grow plants on a stone wall, leave gaps for planting. Creeping thyme, annual yellow alyssum and other flowers look lovely growing among stone walls; regular inspection and pulling out weeds are key in order to keep them looking their best.