The Ultimate Guide: Exploring the World of Landscaping Materials
Have you ever dreamed of a peaceful outdoor oasis where you could relax, spend family time, or host your friends for a barbecue?
Most homeowners say they want a quality outdoor space on their property. It’s one of the best home improvements in terms of enjoyment and can also boost your home value significantly.
However, gorgeous outdoor spaces don’t just happen. Creating the space you envision takes planning, hard work, and investing in your future.
Today, Terrascape Supply would like to help get you started on your outdoor space with this guide to landscaping supplies. We’ll talk about planning your landscape, setting your budget, types of materials
Creating A Landscaping Plan
When planning your landscape, it’s always a good idea to start with the end in mind. The last thing you want to do with your landscaping is start digging without creating a detailed plan.
Creating a plan also helps you form a list of supplies you’ll need and work out the details of your budget.
Here are a few steps to creating your landscaping plan:
- Set a Rough Budget - Step one, look at your finances and decide how much you can spend on landscaping. Remember that you don’t necessarily need to do everything at once. You can always improve your landscaping slowly over time.
- Dream big, but stay flexible - You can always go back and change your plan, so we recommend dreaming big at first. Include everything you could possibly want in your landscaping–who knows, it may be more attainable than you think! However, when dreaming big you have to hold your plans loosely, because they may not be entirely realistic.
- Start Listing Supplies and Prices - As you mold your plans, start looking up materials, pricing, and labor costs. Try to be realistic and get an accurate idea of what certain elements cost.
- Knock It Back - When you start adding up the numbers, you’ll likely find that you need to knock your big plans back a little. Or you might decide you really want certain elements that aren’t within your budget. If so, you might consider implementing your plans over a period of years when you feel you can afford them.
Creating a plan will likely take some time. You have to start somewhere, but your final plan may look different from the one you started with. Your plan will probably morph and change as you dream, look up prices, get estimates, rethink, and dream some more.
Some people love this process, while others may find it boring and want to get on with the actual work. But let us assure you, working things out on paper will be worth it! It’s much easier to cross out a row of shrubs on paper than to get rid of them if they’ve already taken root beside your petunias.
If you feel overwhelmed, hiring a landscape designer can help you get a head start and make the process a little easier.
Making A Materials List
A materials list is a crucial part of your plan. The materials you use in your landscaping dramatically affect the overall look and feel of the space, and now is the time to dream and look up pricing and installation fees.
A detailed materials list should definitely be a part of your final plan. In the next section, we will go over a few common landscaping materials you could use. Some are self-explanatory, but others you may not have thought about.
Let’s get started!
9 Materials To Use In Landscaping
When creating your plan and materials list, it can be easy to miss things. Some landscaping materials, like mulch or shrubs, are obvious. Others may not come to mind.
Here are 9 common materials that should likely be included in your plan:
1. Mulch
Mulch is one of the most basic landscaping materials there is. Normally when we hear “mulch,” we think of the dyed bark mulch used on flowerbeds. But in reality, mulch is anything you spread over the ground to keep down weeds and enrich your soil. By this definition, lots of things could be mulch, including straw, wood chips, grass clippings, or even old cardboard. It depends on what you want your mulch to accomplish.
Mulch can be used to:
- Suppress weeds
- Enrich the soil
- Help retain moisture
- Improve aesthetics
There is no easier way to spruce up a landscape than adding fresh mulch to your flowerbeds!
2. Garden Soil
Garden soil is a blend designed to optimize your soil for plant growth. You can buy it in stores and mix it with your native soil to enrich the ground and stimulate plant growth.
A garden soil blend may include the following:
- Screened topsoil for a solid base
- Bark and mushroom compost for organic matter
- Sand for drainage
- Fine bark mulch to keep everything loose
3. Topsoil
While garden soil is rich in nutrients and speeds up plant growth, topsoil is better for use as fill dirt or construction. Topsoil is technically just the top four inches of soil in any given area and may be harvested from construction sites or other excavated areas.
It is not a rich blend like garden soil, but it is perfect for planting new grass, starting a garden, areas affected by erosion, or leveling uneven areas.
4. Compost
If you really want to enrich your soil and give your plants a treat, compost is the way to go. Compost is aged organic matter and is very high in nutrients.
Adding compost to your landscape improves it in several ways:
- Adds nutrients for your plants
- Improves soil structure
- Helps retain moisture
- Adds microorganisms and attracts helpful earthworms to your soil
Compost is not essential, but it can help make your landscape lush and healthy.
5. Gravel/Crushed Stone
Gravel and crushed stone are useful for lots of purposes:
- Decoration
- Walkways, driveways, and seating areas
- Base material for construction projects such as pergolas
- Drainage solutions
- Even mulch!
NOTE: The difference between gravel and crushed stone is that gravel is naturally occurring and has soft, rounded edges, whereas crushed stone is manufactured from larger stones and is jagged in appearance.
Either type of stone may be used for decorative purposes or to construct elements such as walkways, driveways, patios, or drainage solutions. You can even use gravel and stone as a sort of mulch to keep weeds down in large areas!
6. Landscaping Sand
It doesn’t normally come to mind, but sand is an extremely useful landscaping material. It is often used for construction projects such as patios, walkways, and driveways. It is perfect for leveling areas for construction or filling the cracks between pavers.
Some people even like to use it in decorative ways. Sand adds just the right aesthetic to a rock garden or zen garden!
7. Plants and Trees
Don’t forget the living elements. The plants, trees, and flowers you include can make up a large part of your budget!
The living elements of your space are what add most of the beauty and life. They can also accomplish other things, such as:
- Add privacy
- Provide shade
- Raise your property value
- Help control stormwater and erosion
8. Hardscape Materials
Hardscaping can add both beautiful and practical elements to your space. For example, a patio is a great spot to set up a grill and host friends, while a fountain or statue adds class and ambiance.
There are lots and lots of hardscaping materials to choose from:
- Concrete
- Pavers
- Brick
- Tile
- Natural stone
- Ceramic
- Slate
And many more. With the various looks, prices, maintenance, and installation fees of different materials, it may take a little research to decide what is best for you.
9. Landscape Lighting
To add just the right ambiance, you may need a little landscape lighting!
But landscape lighting does more than just “create the mood.”
- It helps you navigate steps and other obstacles safely in the dark
- It deters intruders
- It helps keep pests farther away from your plants
- It allows you to use your outdoor space even after dark
Landscape lighting may not be essential, but it is beautiful, practical, and may add that flair you’ve been looking for!
Tips For Buying Landscaping Supplies
The above list includes just a few of the many landscaping materials out there. The question you might ask yourself next is: How can I make sure the materials I buy are a good investment?
As a bonus, here are a few tips for buying landscaping supplies:
- Know your conditions - Becoming familiar with the soil type, weather patterns, and existing plant types on your property helps you choose appropriate plants and soil additives. That means you’ll waste less money and time on plants that die in a matter of weeks!
- Certain materials are best bought in bulk - It can be best to buy materials such as mulch and stone in bulk. Buying in bulk means you’ll likely save money, get better quality materials for your money, and cut down on transportation hassle. Plus, the entire batch will look the same.
- Be careful buying online - Buying online can be convenient and hassle-free. However, it’s best to vet businesses fully before purchasing from them online. Read reviews, take a good look at their website, and find out how long they’ve been in business before making a significant purchase.
- Find a great supplier - An experienced landscape supplier can be an invaluable resource. Finding and sticking with a great company can make your landscaping experience much easier!
Conclusion
We wish you the best in your landscaping endeavors!
If you want quality landscaping supplies today, check out the selection on Terrascape Supply’s website!
We offer a range of products, including:
- Mulch
- Soil
- Gravel and River Rock
- Pavers and Walls
- Natural Stone
- And much, much more!
Check out our website today or visit our store in Hollidaysburg, PA, for more information!