Category: Landscape Design

Ideas for Stone Wall Landscaping in 2022

Stone arch entrance wall with ivy in the garden.

Many homeowners and business use stone walls primarily for retaining walls. However, stone walls can add creative flair to any garden with the proper landscaping design, with trees, shrubs, and flowers. Thinking of adding a stone wall to your landscape? Green Leaves Landscaping has the professional team to help you get started. We’ve compiled a list of stone wall ideas you can use to elevate your lawn or garden this spring!

Natural stone wall and pink phlox. Corner detail of retaining wall layered with round boulders and rocks of different shapes and sizes, beautifully weathered.

Fieldstone Wall

This classic New England stone wall is ideal in every landscape. In general, stone walls create a barrier while looking stylish at the same time. For this type of wall, fieldstone offers a natural material for gardens. You can either dry stack the stone or use mortar. For a natural garden look, this is a classic option.

Stacked Block Wall

This stacked block wall is an excellent option for a cleaner stone wall. This wall style is uniform in shape due to concrete blocks. This wall will form a clean and established line, making it a great choice for the front of the house or courtyard.

Natural stone landscaping in front of a house

Flagstone Wall

Slimmer in look compared to its cousin, this flagstone wall is just as classic in any garden or landscape. This look is more structured than fieldstone, and it is just as charming. While stone thickness may vary, the clean, flat top of a flagstone wall adds a uniform line of view while maintaining character.

Entrance gate to a rustic, english house in the forest with stone wall and cobblestone driveway

Stone Wall Entrance

Add a stone wall entrance to your driveway for a more dramatic look! Whether you go big or small, a stone wall creates a pronounced statement that is hard to beat. Mortared stone and the right landscaping style will create a striking entry for any home or business.

worker rides a stone wall on a traditional renovation site of NOIRMOUTIER, FRANCE

Stone Wall Landscaping from Green Leaves Landscaping

If your landscape lacks structure or needs a unique facelift, contact the most trusted masonry contractor, Green Leaves Landscape. Our dedicated and experienced team will work hard to create a unique stone wall design that will add character for years to come.

Design your Stone Wall Landscaping today! Contact us today to see what we can do for your landscaping (508) 393-0005!

4 Exciting Trends in Patio Installation

A quick internet search for “patio installation” will tell you that summer and fall are the best times to get started on your patio construction. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t start designing and planning in the spring! At Green Leaves Landscape, we want to help you design your dream yard so that you can enjoy the outdoors in comfort and style. Outdoor gathering spaces have increased in popularity in the last few years. Here are some patio trends that we are excited to see this year.

Easy Herb Gardening

Whether you prefer to cook indoors or outdoors when it gets warm, fresh herbs are great to have on hand. Instead of edging your patio with a simple stone wall, consider turning a segment of it into an herb garden. By adding a few feet of depth to a stone wall, you can install a long planter and have fresh herbs whenever you want them. If herbs aren’t really your thing, flowers are a decorative option.

Bold Color Choices

Patios are often a single neutral color, and while there is beauty in simplicity, color is an attractive choice, too. Match or complement your home with stone in browns, grays, and reds. To add some visual pop to your patio, combine stones of different colors to make custom patterns.

Outdoor Food Prep

Whether you like to flip burgers or fix yourself a drink, you can build that space into your patio design. Outdoor entertaining spaces have always been popular in the spring and summer, but the last few years have made them a necessity. You want to chat with your guests while you cook, so why not bring the kitchen outside? Modern grills have all kinds of features. You can prepare an entire meal without setting foot indoors.

Cozy Fire Pits

While the summer is peak outdoor entertaining season, there’s no reason you can push it into the fall or start earlier in the spring. By including a fire pit in your patio installation, you can have a little outdoor climate control. Build in a warm place to set so that you can stay outside even when it’s a little chilly.

Patio Installation with Green Leaves

You have a vision for your perfect patio, and we want to design and build it with you. Even if we have to wait until the ground thaws and the weather gets drier to start your patio installation, spring is the time to decide on your design. Our hardscape and masonry experts will work with your to design your patio with all the features you’ve been dreaming about.

Are you thinking about patio installation? Contact us today at 508-393-0005 to start planning your perfect outdoor space.

What Exactly is Hardscaping?

Chances are, you’ve come head to head with the term “hardscaping” at some point or another. Unless you’re familiar with the world of landscaping and masonry, you may be left standing there scratching your head. What, exactly, is hardscaping? As a premier masonry contractor in Massachusetts, our team at Green Leaves Landscaping is here to answer your questions!

Hardscaping Defined

According to the Meriam-Webster dictionary, hardscape is a noun that described structures that are incorporated into a landscape.

These structures can range from stonewalls to walkways, seamlessly integrated water fountains that blend with the natural landscaping, or even handcrafted fireplaces that create a tranquil atmosphere for friends and family to gather together.

Hardscape vs. Softscape

As a masonry contractor, one question we often hear concerns the difference between hardscape and softscape. These two elements are the primary foundation for any landscape. Think of them as polar opposites. Hardscapes, as we briefly discussed, are tangible items in and around your yard. Often created from natural stones, bricks, and pavers, the term hardscape covers a wide range of elements.

However, softscapes are things that are growing. Whether trees, shrubs and bushes, flowers or gardens – these elements create your softscape.

Hardscape Materials

A masonry contractor is your best resource when it comes to choosing the best material for your hardscaping design. Why? Well, because there are so many materials to choose from, with each offering different benefits to your overall project. For instance, there are brick walkways and there are bluestone walkways, two very different materials. While each material offers beauty and durability, they function better in different environments.

Brick is perfect for a walkway that leads guests to and from the driveway to the front door, or from the front yard to the back. However, bluestone requires a bit more maintenance and can be prone to staining, so it may not be the ideal solution for high-traffic areas.

Masonry Contractor Projects

Including almost any type of decorative or practical structure in your landscape, hardscapes cover a wide range of exterior projects. Here are just a few:

  • Retaining stone walls
  • Brick walkways
  • Bluestone patios
  • Paver walkways
  • Outdoor fireplace
  • Outdoor natural stone kitchens

If your yard is asking for a facelift this upcoming spring and summer season, contact the most trusted masonry contractor in Massachusetts, Green Leaves Landscape. Our dedicated and experienced team will take the time to understand your visions to create a unique hardscaping design that will leave your neighbors in awe.

Contact us today to see what we can do for your landscaping (508) 393-0005!

Top Five Perennials For Landscapers in Hudson

Young female planting flower in garden,aerial view

Are you serious about upgrading your curb appeal but don’t want to deal with the upkeep and maintenance because life is too busy sometimes? We understand. The crew at Green Leaves Landscape are the number one landscapers in Hudson, NH. So, if you’re in search of fuss-free flowers and plant bed upgrades, you know who to call. Let’s hop into the top flowers and shrubs for low-maintenance alternatives in your home garden.

Foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia)

The Foamflower is native to Eastern forests and woodlands. Plus, it’s one of the best shade perennials that also happens to be deer resistant. That means Foamflower won’t be the deer’s first choice, and your garden will stay growing beautifully! These flowers are perfect for shady areas near trees or around the home.

Monarch butterfly

Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa)

This rare species of flower is native to open and sandy areas across the East. Butterfly Milkweed is a gorgeous perennial plant that is perfect for well-draining soil areas. Furthermore, the spring orange blooms offer butterflies and other pollinators a delicious sweet meal.

Carpet Bugle (Ajuga)

Also known as Bugleweed or Carpet Bugle, the Ajuga plant is a ground-covering perennial perfect for low-traffic ground cover. Due to its small structure, it’s easy to grow. In addition, it prevents the growth of weeds because the plants grow in dense colonies. Plus, it can handle various levels of the sun, making it ideal for all areas around the home.

Black-Eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta)

Black-eyed Susans are one of the most popular wildflowers grown in North America. These tough perennial plants are known for their bright yellow petals are dark brown centers. Furthermore, they attract butterflies, bees, and other nectar-loving creatures. But, they can squash out other plants, so it’s best to keep them in a dedicated section.

Bleeding Heart (Dicentra spectabilis)

Despite its strange yet beautiful flowering bloom, the Bleeding Heart plant is surprisingly tough. This flower loves shady or full-shade areas and blooms only once a year. But, the flowers last for a few weeks before waiting until the following season.

Landscapers in Hudson – Green Leaves Landscape

From a beautifully manicured lawn to a new planting bed, the landscapers in Hudson at Green Leaves Landscapes are capable of it all. We can take out the hard work for you while keeping your planting beds neat and vibrant all season long. For more information give us a call at (508) 393-0005.

Stone Wall Landscaping: We’re Thinking Spring

Here in New England, winter has arrived. Long cold nights and short days have our team at Green Leaves Landscaping dreaming about spring. Heading back outdoors for spring cleanup opens the doors for a beautiful and enjoyable summer landscape. However, landscape isn’t just about the yard and the trees. Stone wall landscaping is an element in high demand that adds tons of visual interest to any yard.

Here, we’re taking a look at a few different stone wall landscapes that are sure to add curb appeal.

Backyard stone wall landscaping

Not all plants thrive in a stone wall, so understanding different varieties is important. For instance, if you’re going for a backyard, blended look and feel, you may want to consider a creeping vine. Some like wooly creeping thyme, phlox, trumpet vines, or clematis may be the solution you’re looking for. Each of these plants offers a unique look and feel, some with flowers, others without.

No matter what you chose, a creeping vine will quickly create a waterfall effect. It’s imperative to research your plant beforehand as some species grow quickly and may provide more coverage than you bargained for.

Walkways

Another common area for stone walls is walkways. Guiding your guests to and from your driveway to the front door, or perhaps the backyard, these walls can add elegance while serving a purpose. Here, you’ll want to consider trimmable shrubs or flowers that are compact. The last thing you or your guests want is to feel like you’re tangled in a jungle when trying to arrive at the front door.

Front yard landscaping

Similar to walkways, stone walls along your front landscape can be used for various reasons. From providing visual interest to creating a flat surface on an otherwise sloped landscape, these walls are often front and center. Because of that, you want to be sure that your landscape is on par.

While there is no right and wrong, you want to consider the same concerns addressed in walkway walls. However, every home and every landscape is different. So, what works for one may not necessarily work for another.

For more expert advice on stone wall landscape, contact Green Leaves Landscape. As experts in the industry, our team will take the time to meet with you and discuss all options. Whatever path you choose, we’ll help create a landscape that functions while creating curb appeal.

To schedule your consultation, contact us today at (508) 393-0005.