Ideas for landscape design with re-used materials

This is a pack-rats dream – reusing instead of throwing away. Rev up your creative side to some new and really cool landscaping ideas.

Before placing something in the recycle bin or sending it to the dump, WAIT! ...you may be able to re-use it in the landscape. Make your home truly unique and include re-used items like metal parts, tools, large container vessels, or small pieces of glass. This blog is all about fostering clever ideas to help you turn an ordinary landscape into extraordinary.

Remodeling your kitchen? Re-use pieces of your old granite countertop to form an interesting walkway or inlay in a patio design.

Sometimes re-using materials in landscape design is purely for aesthetic reasons -- it looks cool -- and sometimes the item has a specific function. Environmental Construction has re-used random materials to create a unique mortared wall. We have re-used bricks for a patio and hung old windows as screening on a pergola. We have even used an old concrete driveway and walkway to build a short retaining wall. These are fun project and great conversation pieces as guests walk through the garden and admire your creative landscape and hear the story of how it evolved.

Other ideas for using re-purposed materials in the landscape include...

• Re-use wood from a barn or flooring as fencing or decorative gate.
• Re-use metal as planters, stakes, or ornamental details.
• Old sinks or a wheelbarrow bucket can be re-used as planters or may be incorporated into a fountain or pond.
• Old tools can be used as hose guides or garden edging, as can empty wine bottles.
• Barrels can be re-used as compost bins or storage containers, used as planters or for water harvesting.

There are so many ways to reuse material to enhance a landscape design. Colored glass pieces can be especially beautiful when embedded in stepping stones, a walkway, or a wall. Cut glass can also be used for wind chimes and container gardening. Be careful breaking glass. You may want seek the help of a professional glasscutter or here is a helpful video from the internet about cutting glass. A simple way to cut glass.

Small odds-n-ends may add an interesting touch if displayed on a tabletop or wooden bench under a sheet of glass or Plexiglas surface. Think about something you have packed away that will never be seen or used, but might be interesting to look at. You may want to encase the items in decoupage if they will be exposed to the weather.

We mentioned a variety of landscape elements that can benefit from re-usable materials, but what about paper. Re-use newspaper and cardboard by placing it under woodchips in the garden to help control weeds. First make sure it does not contain toxic ink which can kill worms and damage plants. It may say it is made with biodegradable ink, such as soy.

While we are on the subject of re-using instead of recycling, how about shredding your junk mail and using the paper to make the best fire-starter for your next bon fire or outdoor fireplace? Now there’s an ah-ha moment.

For more creative ideas about re-using materials in landscape design, read our article Landscaping with re-used materials.

Next time you start to throw out that old container, metal scrap or unique object, think landscaping. It just might make for a uniquely beautiful landscape design. Contact us at Environmental Construction -- our company is here to help you create a landscape design and maybe re-use some interesting materials.

Category: Landscaping Ideas