7 Surprisingly Simple Architectural Garden Features Experts Say Will Give Your Backyard a Designer Feel
Discover how garden designers use structure to make plants pop
Hardscaping materials are a key part of garden design and support the softer elements, such as the planting and lawn. Referring to the inanimate elements that provide a function in your garden or yard, they include decking, paving, stone and gravel and can be particularly striking when used well.
But with so many architectural hardscaping materials to choose from, where do you start and which ones complement or subtract from your chosen design and style? I spoke with experts to get their advice on how to use architectural hardscaping and what type of planting they best compliment.
Types of architectural hardscaping
There is a wide array of architectural hardscaping elements to choose from, varying hugely in style, size, and cost.
From terracing and decking to Corten steel and natural stone forms, here are some of the most commonly used (and the odd wildcard) to get you thinking.
Large Terraces
Providing a place to eat, sit or simply a negative space to help create balance and harmony in your backyard, terraces are multifunctional and are often used to transition from the indoors to the outdoors.
Commonly constructed from natural stone, concrete, or bricks, terraces can be made to harmonize with existing hard landscaping materials or deliberately contrast with them.
When asked how to enhance a large terrace, horticultural industry expert and co-founder of Plant Addicts, Chris Link, responded, ‘large terraces act like outdoor living rooms, so I use plants to soften the edges and create layers of height.
'Compact trees like 'Waterfall' Japanese maple or 'Shaina' Japanese maple anchor corners, while airy grasses such as miscanthus and compact shrubs like Bobo Hydrangea provide texture and color without blocking views.’
Miscanthus sinensis 'Morning Light' is a great example of a variegated ornamental grass that sends up feathery plumes up to 4 feet tall, providing both movement and structure.
Suitable for growing in zones 5-9, you can purchase Morning Light Silver Grass from Nature Hills.
Chris Link is the co-founder of PlantAddicts.com and has been in the gardening industry for over 10 years. He enjoys helping people become successful gardeners by helping them find the perfect plants for their gardens and caring for them correctly.
Decks
Whether used to extend living space from inside to out, surround a pool, create a raised platform or a cosy seating area with an outdoor kitchen, decks are prized for their versatility.
But what type of plants suit a deck and complement the wood or textured composite materials often used to build them?
Chris suggests that ‘decks blur the line between house and garden, so container plantings are key.
'Evergreen structure from 'Winter Gem' or 'Green Gem' Boxwood in pots, underplanted with long-blooming perennials like coneflowers or low ornamental grasses, keeps a deck feeling lush and inviting from spring through fall,' he says.
Shipping Containers
Utilised for storage or converted into garden rooms, offices, or even pool houses, shipping containers provide a long-term solution for garden buildings.
However, being generally made from steel, they can clash against existing hardscaping materials and some planting styles. So, what plants go well with the hard lines and geometric shapes of shipping containers?
Amy Martin, landscape designer and the founder of Plant and Bloom Design Studio, advises that ‘the sleek steel and crisp edges of shipping containers make soft, flowing plant material really pop. They look stunning paired with meadow-style plantings comprised of switchgrass (Panicum) swaying alongside spiky bursts of purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) and Kobold blazing star (Liatris spicata ‘Kobold').’
Easy to grow and a popular perennial for prairie planting, purple coneflowers produce large, showy flowers that pollinators adore. Suitable for zones 3-8, you can purchase purple coneflower from Nature Hills.
Amy Martin is a landscape designer and the founder of Plant and Bloom Design Studio, a website where she shares her ideas about garden planning and planting design. When she’s not busy working, she’s filling up her home & garden with plants…there is always room for one more.
Corten steel elements
Corten, or weathered steel, as it is also known, is becoming increasingly popular in garden design.
Prized for its warm rusted tones and low-maintenance characteristics, Corten steel is unbelievably tough and requires minimal aftercare.
Edging, walls, dividers and planters are available in Corten steel and are ideal for many garden design styles, especially modern. Its brown-orange hue and textured finish pair particularly well with green and bronze foliage.
Chris says, ‘steel planters and panels bring a strong, modern, rusted-orange accent that really pops against cool foliage and fine textures. I like pairing Corten pieces, such as our Ferrum self-watering steel planters, with graceful grasses like Morning Light, Golden Variegated Sweet Flag, and vivid perennials like Color Coded® ‘The Fuchsia is Bright’ coneflower for a high-contrast, contemporary look.’
You can purchase this Corten Steel Rectangular Planter from Amazon.
Natural stone forms
Chosen for their durability, texture and variety of colors and finishes, natural stone is a popular choice for architectural hardscaping. There are many options to choose from, but common types include granite, limestone and sandstone.
From constructing steps and walls to terraces and pathways, natural stone boulders can also be effective for defining boundaries, creating focal points and even controlling coastal erosion.
Amy suggests, ‘creating a modern xeriscape by framing drought-tolerant plants with boulders and clusters of stones.
Nestle stonecrop (Sedum), pinks (Dianthus), creeping thyme (Thymus serpyllum), and Blue Rug juniper (Juniperus horizontalis 'Wiltonii') naturally in the spaces between for an easy-care, drought-friendly garden with year-round interest.’
Ideal for a herb bed, thyme is a culinary favorite and loved by pollinators. Suitable for growing in zones 4-8, Elfin creeping thyme is available from Nature Hills and grows to around 3 inches tall and 18 inches wide.
Wooden pergolas
Pergolas are available in many different styles and materials and can be useful for adding height, structure and shade to a garden.
Along with this, pergolas also provide an opportunity for vertical gardening and showing off your favorite climbers. Iron, aluminium and composite are often utilised, but many choose the natural appeal of wood and the softness it can add to a backyard.
Pergolas are ideal for growing wisterias, passion flowers and climbing roses, but many other climbers are equally suitable.
As Chris suggests, ‘flowering vines like clematis (for example, Jackmanii Superba or The President Clematis) can weave through the beams, while beneath the pergola I’ll often use shade-tolerant shrubs and a small Japanese maple to create a lush, layered seating area.
Perfect for growing on a pergola and suitable for growing in zones 4-8, the Clematis 'Jackmanii' produces a wonderful display of large purple flowers and up to around 10 feet tall. You can purchase Jackmanii Clematis Plant from Burpee.
Wooden sleepers
Railroad ties or wooden sleepers have long been used in garden design and are still a favorite for good reason.
Purchased new, green or treated timbers can last surprisingly well and be used for various garden projects, including making steps and retaining borders and of course, raised beds.
Perfect for adding natural warmth and texture to your backyard or creating a vegetable garden, you don’t even have to call in the landscapers, as you can make your own raised bed.
However, growing vegetables isn’t the only thing wooden sleepers can be used for.
Amy recommends using them to ‘create a raised bed for a pollinator garden filled with wildlife magnets like mountain mint (Pycnanthemum), tall garden phlox (Phlox paniculata), anise hyssop (Agastache), and goldenrod (Solidago).’
Having discussed some architectural hardscape elements, you may now be wondering how to use them in your garden.
The shape and form of hard landscaping can have a huge impact on how a garden appears and feels. You can learn more about how to lay out a garden in our specialist feature on how to plan a garden.
