We hope you’ve all enjoyed the first official month of spring! Regardless of how the weather has behaved in your area so far, you can rest assured that sunshine is on its way – and with it, plenty of time to relax and entertain in the yard.

But first, we all have work to do to get our outdoor living areas ready for extended use. Time to wipe down the tables and chairs, sweep off the patio and most importantly, whip your garden into shape so you can blow away your guests.

This year, consider taking a fresh approach to your garden; one that works in tandem with the design of your hardscape to create a truly unbelievable getaway.

Here are a few tips to help you knock off the winter rust and beautify your outdoor living space with some natural beauty.

Bring walkways to life. Pleasant walkways are one of the key elements of the perfect hardscape. Not only do they provide a safe and comfortable walking path for you and your guests, they also guide the eye toward your yard’s best features and add visual interest to the landscape. This year, make your walkways even more magical by surrounding them with Irish mosh or thyme. This type of greenery will add character to your pavers and make your yard feel more a part of the natural environment.

Add vertical interest. Is your hardscape feeling a little one-dimensional lately? Try giving it a more robust and enchanting flavor with some clever layering. Make us of both short and tall greenery. Use ground level flowerbeds as well as elevated platforms and pots to create the illusion of a more diverse landscape. Consider adding a sunken garden that can serve as a little hidden getaway for you on warm summer evenings.

Make the most of your surroundings. If you have beautiful naturally occurring bushes or trees in your yard, use them as focal points rather than trying to fight against them. After all, the point of outdoor living is to bring you closer to nature in a way that gives you all the comfort and convenience of being indoors — not to isolate you from its beauty.

Make your garden pop with neutral pavers. If you want to draw visitors’ eyes to your meticulously manicured garden, try a more unassuming color stone in your hardscape so as not to distract. Our Lafitt pavers come in natural-looking stone colors that allow your gardening skills to shine and embellish the design of your hardscape.

Keep it fresh. Change up your look with seasonal updates so you never get bored of your outdoor living space! Try pansies, bloodroot or lilacs in the spring. Switch things up deeper in the summer with fresh aster, daisies or dahlia.

Smart gardening can do wonders for the mood of your hardscape. Depending on your style, you can use flowers, bushes, trees and other plants to give your outdoor living space a bright, airy feel, or a secluded, mysterious one. Whatever your personal preference, use these tips to spur your creativity and don’t be afraid to think outside the box.

Happy Gardening!

Article by Belgard Hardscapes

One of the most exciting moments in the transition from winter into spring is the return of sunlight after 6pm. This year, Daylight Savings time lands on March 9th. We wanted to share some ideas and activities to help you all acclimate to the process of regaining your bearings.

When you wake up Sunday morning, you’ve already lost an hour. Considering the fact that the sun will be going down much later than it has been for the winter time, you won’t feel completely robbed of time. But that doesn’t mean it’s time to party. Losing an hour gives you less time to check off your to-do list, and if you’re spending your day rushing around to make up for “lost” time (honestly, where does it really even go?), then you aren’t giving your body the rest it needs.

If there’s one thing we’re big proponents of, it’s relaxing and having a beautiful space in which to do it. So how can you make the most of lost time? It sounds like a paradox, but there are ways to work within its framework. Here are some of ours:

Go to bed an hour early on March 8th. We know, we know; this doesn’t sound thrilling. But just because society increasingly treats sleep like a luxury does not mean that it is. Sleep debt can never be repaid (those college all-nighters have pretty much filed for bankruptcy by now, and they’re not even sorry). Your livelihood and the collective livelihood of your family, community, city and country depend on everyone being well rested. The benefits of sleep are priceless (and sometimes invisible).

Spend some extra time outside before hitting the hay. Take advantage of the extra daylight and spend it outside burning off some of that pent-up energy so you can rest well and ease into the time deficit. Work in the garden, spend time getting your pool ready for warm weather, or play some outdoor games with the family. Wearing yourself out will make getting to sleep earlier immensely easier, and when you wake up rested you’ll be glad you did.

Spending time enjoying your outdoor living space is immensely more satisfying in the daylight. Now that your circadian rhythms are considerably less ruffled than they would have been with an hour less of well-deserved rest, you can face the week ahead and enjoy relaxing outside after work in the sun!

Article by Belgard Hardscapes

West Hills Masonry uses an elegant collection of residential and commercial interlocking concrete pavers and retaining walls for all your exterior hardscape and landscaping projects. 

We only use pavers designed to provide years of protection in all climates. These pavers have a long history of successful applications on thousands of residential and commercial projects throughout Orange County and L.A. County. 

We are also dedicated to researching materials (block, brick, concrete, pavers, stone) of continuous quality improvement. Most of the materials we use have about 20,000 hours-each-year of research and development behind them; so you know that what we install in your patio, pool remodel, walkway, driveway, fireplace, or BBQ is of the highest standard - not to mention very affordable pricing. 

Interlocking concrete pavers will enhance the aesthetics and value of any property and is available in a wide selection of colors, shapes, and finishes. 

Quality Pavers in Orange County, Ca.

Hardscape is the non-living elements of a landscape. You could think of it as everything but the plants, encompassing walkways, walls, patios, gazebos, and a wide variety of other structures. Arranging the hardscape elements in a landscape is a critical part of achieving an aesthetically pleasing whole, whether one is gardening in a small patch of land in front of a city home or landscaping a sprawling country estate.

Hardscape project in Brea, Ca.

When a garden is designed, hardscape elements are often among the first things to be plugged into the landscape. The gardener usually starts by assessing the lay of the land, and looking for key elements of the natural landscape and surrounding environment which will become integral to the landscaping. For example, if a garden is in a region surrounded by mountains, the garden can be arranged to complement the view of the mountains, integrating the garden with the surrounding area.

One of the first hardscaped elements to be installed is often pathways, which may be made from brick, crushed gravel, woodchips, and a wide variety of other materials. Pathways map out the garden, determining how it will flow across the landscape and how people will interact with the environment. As softscape elements like flowerbeds, shrubs, and so forth start are installed, gardeners can identify areas in which other hardscape elements might be desired, like a low rock wall to separate different parts of the garden, or a gazebo for entertaining in a pleasant area of the property. 

Hardscape plant retainer in Irvine, Ca

Usually, the elements of the hardscape are fixed and permanent. Sometimes, they are there before the garden is installed, as in the case of large boulders which may be impossible to move, or structures which existed before the landscaping was initiated. In other instances, the garden may be designed around a key hardscape feature like a fountain (or other water feature for that matter) or outdoor sculpture. Gardeners may also include mobile elements, like rotating displays of art which can be changed with the seasons.

In a well-designed garden, the softscape and the hardscape complement each other without clashing or competing for attention. Gardens can be designed in a number of different styles, and the hardscaping can have a huge impact on the look and feel of the garden. For example, a formal garden might have crushed gravel paths and fountains in its hardscaping, in contrast with a storybook garden, which may include stepping stones and pools to make people feel like they have been transported into a book of fairy tales.

Article by WiseGeek