There are a few common and often key landscape elements that do not reside in the plant life world in any way, and various landscape hardgoods like rocks, stones and related products are great examples. Such products are regularly utilized to help with numerous parts of a landscape, and one broad theme they’re extremely useful for is that of “stabilizing” different parts of the overall setup.
At BioGrass Sod Farms, we’re here to offer a huge range of landscape hardgoods to clients around Salt Lake City, including rocks, boulders, gravel, mulch and more. Here are some of the main ways that these elements can help stabilize your landscape, providing a foundation of sorts for whatever kinds of designs you’re looking for.
Erosion Control
One of the key practical uses of hardgoods in landscape design is that of erosion control. By integrating the right kind of stone, rocks and boulders — or even mulch — you can help keep soil from washing away during rainstorms or when streams are flowing nearby.
The hardgoods also slow down the flow of water over your land, ensuring that they don’t pummel the soil with such force as to wash away large parts of it. By stabilizing the soil, you’ll be able to plant with more confidence, and your landscape design will look better in the long run.
Focal Points
Another way that hardgoods help stabilize your landscape is by providing what are known as focal points. The right kind of stones, rocks or boulders can be used to jut out and make a statement in an area of your landscape, creating visual interest in space that would otherwise have none.
Focal points break up the monotony of certain spaces, allowing you to emphasize parts where you want people to look or just add color and texture. This helps bring the overall design together, and it adds to the aesthetic value of your landscaping.
Soil Structure
Hardgoods can also provide stabilization that directly impacts the structure of soil in an area. Rocks and stones break up otherwise compacted soil, allowing roots to more easily grow and find nutrients. This ensures plants have a better chance to grow and flourish, making it easier for you to create the kind of landscape you desire.
Plus, hardgoods can be used to create raised beds for planting flowers or crops. This helps keep water from pooling in certain areas and encourages healthy vegetation growth over time.
Weed Suppression Qualities
Another key way that hardgoods provide stabilization is through their weed suppression qualities. Rocks, stones and other elements help keep weeds from growing in an area, allowing you to focus on growing the plants you planted instead of dealing with pests.
Plus, these kinds of hardgoods often look great as decorations or focal points as well — giving your landscape more value than just simple weed suppression. This ability to fill multiple roles at once is just another way that hardgoods keep your landscape looking great and stable.
Creating Pathways
A common element of many landscapes is pathways, and hardgoods are often essential for creating them. By using a combination of different elements — like stepping stones, pavers or mulch — you can create curved or straight paths through your landscape that can be used for walking or simply to add more visual interest.
Plus, these pathways also help keep people from damaging the surrounding vegetation by walking on it. This is especially useful for areas prone to heavy foot traffic, such as near gardens or around patios.
Adding Visual Depth
In cases where you don’t use hardgoods as a focal point, they can add visual depth without calling too much attention to themselves. This is especially useful for gardens or flower beds, where the hardgoods can be used to frame the area without stealing too much of the spotlight from whatever you’re planting.
Such elements can also help emphasize certain parts of a larger design. For example, if you have a fountain or other large object in the center of your landscape, bordering it with hardgoods can help draw the eye toward it.
No matter what kind of design you’re creating for your landscape, hardgoods are an essential element to consider. With the right selection and placement, they can provide a foundation of stability while also adding visual interest to whatever kind of look you’re going for.
The team at BioGrass is here to help you find the perfect hardgoods for your landscaping needs — get in touch with our experts today regarding these or any of our other landscaping products or services for SLC clients.