With frosty mornings quickly approaching, you may be wrapping up a lot of your lawn and garden chores. After the garden cleanup that accompanies late summer, many of us are ready to hang up lawn care for the year.
But, if you’re looking to add a little curb appeal to your home, the cooler, more mild weather conditions make fall the perfect time to install or improve your hardscape.
Hardscape gives your lawn structure, beauty and functionality. Adding permanent structures to your landscape design creates tons of visual interest in your yard and serves as a backdrop for your gardens.
Hardscape is constructed using materials such as wood, concrete (poured or in the form of pavers), and natural stone. Hardscape features include patios, walkways, water features, and retaining walls, among other things.
Adding hardscape elements to your lawn in fall lets you work on your lawn at the most ideal time. Hardscaping during the fall causes less disruption, gives you a head start on spring landscaping, offers increased availability of hardscaping professionals, extends the length of your outdoor enjoyment, all while adding curb appeal.
Here are six important reasons to consider tackling your hardscape project in the fall.
Building a hardscape in the fall is ideal because doing so helps you keep from having your yard under construction during the warm summer months — exactly when you want to be enjoying your outdoor space the most.
Taking advantage of the cooler temperatures of the fall season means that a lot of your outdoor entertaining will be wrapped up for the year. Getting a hardscape construction underway allows you to work and build without needing to reschedule the bulk of your barbecues or other outdoor gatherings.
Not only does fall hardscape construction lead to less disruption of your social plans, but also causes less disruption to your lawn. A lot of the plants that make up the green beauty of your yard enter a period of slower growth once early fall arrives.
If you must dig into or around them, or otherwise disturb their foliage or root systems, doing so during cool weather will mean that their growth will be less interrupted and stunted.
By installing hardscape in the fall, you’re able to have structures to work around, allowing you to build flower beds and do some early planting. You can still plant many types of plants in the fall, and perennials in particular will thrive with a fall planting.
Planting now will make sure your beds are well-established when spring arrives, allowing you to have a strong perennial base to add annuals to as the growing season begins. By getting your landscaping going in the fall, you’ll score more blooms and will be able to enjoy your flowering plants longer.
In addition, most hardscape projects have an impact on your lawn — and for some, the amount of digging or excavating can be significant. By tackling a hardscape project in the fall, tender grass can become more established and grow undisturbed when spring arrives.
Building a hardscape in the fall lets you take advantage of the beautiful, mild weather the season brings. More rain and gentler sunshine leads to softer soil, which makes digging and moving earth much easier.
Certain hardscape materials, such as concrete, set up and harden better in cooler temperatures. If you plan to pour new patios or include concrete fixtures in an outdoor kitchen or seating area, now is the perfect time to install those features to allow the concrete to set up properly and completely.
And of course, cooler weather makes working outdoors this time of year much more enjoyable. Whether you’re tackling hardscape installation solo or you hire professionals to do the planning and work for you, this weather will allow for quicker and much more pleasant completion of your projects.
Speaking of professionals, we know that folks who have years of experience in the lawn care business will have the know-how needed to turn your outdoor area into the beautiful multifunctional outdoor living spaces you’ve always dreamed of.
With the growing season and lawn care season over, landscape professionals have increased availability for hardscape projects. Hiring someone whose work you admire and trust will be a bit easier for this reason.
And, with fewer projects underway at once, the professionals you hire can focus more attention on building your hardscape. This professional focus can greatly shorten project timelines, allowing you to experience the fullness of your landscape design all the more quickly.
Hardscape projects can extend the length of time homeowners can enjoy their outdoor spaces, even when the weather is cooler. With thoughtful hardscape installation, you can provide your household with comfortable outdoor spaces appropriate for almost any weather.
Building varying features that include the comforts of shaded areas contrasted with heat sources will allow you to find comfort and enjoyment in your outdoor area year-round.
Completed projects like patios, outdoor kitchens, outdoor fireplaces, and fire pits can extend your entertaining space into the outdoors, allowing you to use your outdoor spaces during the holidays, even in cool, northeastern climates like we have here in Massachusetts.
Not only will your added hardscape provide you with the space and features needed to entertain your guests, but your new additions can have the “wow” factor that will make your entertaining efforts all the more impressive and memorable.
All types of hardscape projects can increase curb appeal, giving a significant boost to the desirable nature of your lawn and garden. Features such as walkways and retaining walls add both function and beauty to your outdoor area. Walkways increase accessibility, and retaining walls can improve the ease of caring for the lawn by eliminating steep slopes or areas of wash out.
Adding these types of features and increasing curb appeal in the fall can be especially beneficial for homeowners who are considering putting their home on the market in the coming spring or summer. Good landscape design increases property value, and each well-done hardscaping project has the potential to draw in prospective buyers, allowing them to consider a future in your home.
Many homeowners do not know that hardscape projects can be completed even late in the season, up until the ground freezes. This makes fall the ideal time to complete a project like hardscape installation or improvement, allowing homeowners to take advantage of this intersection of good weather and the end of seasonal lawn care.
Actualize your landscaping ideas by adding to or sprucing up your hardscape design. Doing so, especially with the help of an experienced professional, can significantly improve your overall landscape.
For more information about installing a new hardscape at your home, please download our free ebook, The Expert Guide to Building the Custom Home Hardscape of Your Dreams. You also can contact our team here to schedule a complementary project consultation.