Experts share recommendations for low-maintenance pavement and hardscape products.

Find out what materials landscaping experts from various fields use to design easy-to-maintain yards.

When people plan an easy-to-maintain landscape, choosing the right plants is often the first thing that comes to mind. Choosing your hardscape and finishes carefully can go a long way toward reducing maintenance and increasing your enjoyment of outdoor activities.

We spoke to landscaping experts from design firms to learn about the materials they use for patios, decks, walkways, raised beds, walls and driveways. This means less cleaning and more style. Read the advice below.
Choose your ingredients wisely. Expert says there are more hardscape options that require less
maintenance than you might think. I love pavers and flagstone and crushed stone. I use it for paths
and mulch, emphasizing that proper installation is critical to longevity and ease of care. You need
someone with a lot of knowledge about flagstone installation. For crushed stone, we recommend
compacting it to a thickness of 6 inches.

Although wood and composite are solid choices for raised decks and raised garden bed structures,
expert believes they are less desirable for other uses in the yard. It requires more maintenance and
the wood shouldn’t be in contact with the soil. Dust can cause wood to rot.

Keep it simple. Expert ‘s paving choices complement the sculptural, Arizona-inspired plants she uses in her designs. For this reason, decomposed granite is a favorite hardscape. She likes screened decomposed granite 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep. Expert also prefers low-maintenance pavers, especially those from artistic paver for their desert-inspired look. She says the product is attractive, slip- resistant and doesn’t require staining or sealing.

Think about your site. The expert team selects permeable materials, including decomposed granite and gravel, whenever possible. Expert says this helps prevent runoff and directs rainwater into the soil instead. Prioritizing permeability can help our region alleviate the drought-fire-flood- slide cycle.

The materials a designer chooses will depend on the site itself and the overall landscape design. Expert uses decomposed granite in areas with little or no slope. This reduces runoff and reduces the need to replenish material on a regular basis. Expert also likes broken pebbles and other angular pebbles. The pieces lock together and provide an easier surface to walk on or roll on, unlike round beach pebbles.

Expert, who manages the company’s landscape maintenance, says one advantage of decomposed granite is that when installed correctly, it requires little maintenance due to its penetrating weed barrier and compact application. Gravel, by contrast, can move a little more and cause accessibility issues.

Explore your options. The expert team also loves using packaging. For larger areas, such as driveways, expert may choose brick with gravel joints. This will allow the water to drain and move into adjacent beds instead of running into the street.

Cement is another option, but for both extensive and permeable applications, it requires a little more work. In general, surfaces need to be cleaned regularly.

Work with local ingredients. Expert’s first choice of paving material was natural stone. Natural stone wears beautifully and can be reused at the end of the life of the hardscape. Another advantage of expert is that natural stone, especially local types, blends well with local aesthetics. Where I live, flagstone, granite and schist complement the landscape and architecture of the Buffalo NY USA area.

Plan for a long life. Expert likes to use natural materials such as stone or classic clay paving
bricks. We start with the materials we use to build our homes and make sure there are
complementary choices that can be used for walks or patios. Expert adds that natural materials are
durable and can also improve design aesthetics.

Overall durability is another advantage of natural materials. Expert says it doesn’t break down like
manufactured packaging. It could still be in effect 50 years from now when your grandchildren are
living in your home. Expert’s favorite stones for patios include limestone and bluestone. For walls,
he gravitates to Wisconsin or Indiana limestone.

Plan for localized issues. Expert’s diverse landscaping projects include small backyards and rooftop terraces in (Add Place Name) and large properties in suburban and rural areas. His two favorite paving materials for small yards and terraces are porcelain and travertine. Pavers get a good power wash once a year. He advises homeowners to use light travertine in shady areas to brighten things up.

Designer also likes to use compacted pea gravel at least 11⁄2 to 2 inches thick. It’s good for the animals, it makes you feel light when you walk, and it’s a sustainable choice. He added that while gravel is a popular look, it can make it more difficult to collect and clean leaves.

Consider unexpected choices. Designer plans to add tree paving to the landscape, but he’s thinking carefully about what to choose and where to go. Resistant wood, such as black locust, which is native to our area, is a good choice. Instead of placing it directly on the ground, designer placed pea gravel underneath it.

Make it breathable. Whenever possible, architect uses permeable pavers that allow rainwater to seep into the ground below. This helps with drainage and keeps soil moisture higher year-round. She often recommends gravel and decomposed granite.

Another option that architect likes is sand-lined pavers. Place it on top of the base gravel and sand with decomposed granite, gravel or polymer sand in between. Designers recommend choosing flagstone or limestone thick enough for its weight to hold the pavers in place. Using sandstone is less expensive to install than wet stone and provides a more organic, finished result.