Adding vertical elements to your landscape in Westchester County, NY, is a great way to ensure visual interest and create focal points that draw the eye. Such elements include trees, plants, trellises, gazebos, sculptures and other architectural structures. These structures often serve a practical function as well as a decorative one, providing shade, and in many scenarios, support for colorful climbing vines and flowers.
Let’s take a look at vertical elements in more detail and how you can use them to create a more welcoming and interesting backyard:
Plants
The simplest way to add height to the landscape is the planting of trees, vines, or large shrubs. A mature multi-storied planting creates a dramatic park-like atmosphere that can truly transform a landscape. When planting for verticality, you can follow one of three approaches:
Planting a single tree or shrub in the midst of relatively low-lying vegetation or a flat plane creates a focal point that catches the eye. Select a plant with special significance to you, or one with color and texture that further enhances its status as a focal point.
Alternatively, hedges of closely spaced shrubs form a continuous wall of vegetation, which is a useful visual barrier and can also contribute to the structure of your landscape.
Forest-like planting comprising numerous trees forms a canopy over a larger area, under which shade-loving plants can be placed. This is also an excellent way of ensuring shade over a substantial portion of your property and a way of creating outdoor “rooms” with a magical, natural ambience.
Architectural Structures
Several types of architectural structures do the trick when it comes to adding height and structure to a yard.
Gazebos and pergolas are welcoming sites, providing an area to which chairs or a bench can be added to create a place for reflection or socializing. They can also be used to highlight a view with their positioning, or distinguish areas of different functions.
Decorative arches can also be used to add vertical structure to your yard and require less space than either a gazebo or a pergola. Arches are applicable along pathways, as they transition from one area to another, or as a grand welcoming statement to your yard. Arches can be created from a simple wooden framework that provides structure for climbing vines, or be built as dramatic architectural features incorporating concrete or stone pillars and a lavish Roman-style frieze.
Outdoor fireplaces are an excellent way to provide additional function to your landscape while adding height, depth and character. Natural stone and high-quality concrete products make ideal building materials for these high-profile features. Outdoor fireplaces create visual and social focal points, provide warmth and ambience, and can make a huge impact on any outdoor space.
Flowering and Climbing Vines
Complement your architectural elements with flowering and climbing vines to further enhance their visual impact and their unity with the rest of your landscape. Vines serve the purpose of softening the appearance of these structures by adding color and foliage.