Landscaping With Concrete In The Backyard

If your backyard is covered with concrete and your landscaping consists of a few pitiful plants, it may be time to dig it all up and start over. If you put more green space into your landscaping, your old concrete can still be recycled and reused in your backyard.

New Uses For Old Concrete

Don't just throw your concrete away! You'd only be adding it to a landfill when you could find a place for it at home, help out the environment, and save money. Depending on what you're left with, you can use pieces of concrete in your landscaping to create a new patio. After preparing the ground as you would if you were laying stone for your patio, just use the irregular pieces instead! You should be able to lay it out in a pattern resembling that of a nice flagstone patio and leave a small gap (up to an inch) between the pieces. You can also get your concrete stained using an acid wash to give it an earthy color. Plant the gaps with moss or baby's breath, or use a fragrant groundcover like thyme or sweet alyssum. There are many possibilities, but you'll need something that will thrive in your climate.

If you don't quite have enough recycled material for a patio, you can also use your leftover concrete in the landscaping by building an informal bench. Just stack the pieces up evenly (making sure it's stable) and create a cozy seating area. You can also create walkways using your recycled concrete as pavers or stepping stones.

If recycling the material isn't feasible then consider adding new concrete to the landscaping. Concrete is still cheaper than stone and can be quite attractive. You can even get poured concrete that's colored.

Poured concrete can also be stamped to resemble stone. However, if you have a contemporary, modern-style home, or appreciate Asian design here is a neat idea that might appeal to your sense of design.

Take square concrete pavers of any size you like and create a patio of evenly spaced pavers. You can plant grass in between pavers and have a sparse, minimalist design. You can also stain the concrete or leave it gray if you prefer.

As you can see, the possibilities in landscaping with concrete are almost limitless, and it's a great low-cost alternative to stone! Try one of these ideas for attractive and affordable backyard.