New hardscaping has that bright look that can be rather stark when the sun shines down on it. Stone can be dazzling in the light and wood may appear too new for the softscaping or the house. Even garden ornaments like birdbaths, statues, and outbuildings may look too clean to fit into the surroundings. But with a little planning there are ways to make your landscaping blend in more naturally. It will look like its been part of the landscape for years.
photo credit: maskroskurbits
One way to create an older look is when creating the hardscape. Select old but quality materials. You can scour salvage companies for stones, bricks, fountains, benches, gazebos, and other materials and structures that have been removed from antique and vintage homes. Besides selecting materials that are aged you may save money and you will definitely have stories to tell about the scavenging adventures. Weathered materials will help make your hardscaping look like it’s been there for years.
Choose natural materials that are found in the area. For example, I live in an area rich on slab rock and polished river rock. By adding these rocks into my hardscape design they look like they have been in place for years. I also used recycled posts from a 13-foot wood fence that was torn down. The posts are weathered and fit in well with my raised beam flowerbed and the rock walls that were recently added. I will add a little natural moss in the rock walls for more of an aged look. All areas have some sort of natural materials. Just study your landscape to see what’s available.
You can paint concrete or new stone with equal parts buttermilk and plain yogurt. While this mixture is still wet, rub moss over it. This will encourage an aged, mossy surface. This takes about two weeks to start to grow. During this time keep the area moist by covering it with heavy clear plastic until the moss is established.
My neighbor drizzled latex paint over new areas of their concrete. They used a grayish-green color of paint. Dilute the paint with equal parts water and mix well. Use a large paintbrush and use a sloppy style to apply the paint. You try to create a natural look. While the paint is still wet, wipe off areas with a clean rag. Next rub down the surface with green grass or weeds for an old mossy look.
Plant mosses, lichen, rock cress and creeping plants between rocks, on walls or among stones on pathways. They will grow quickly and give your hardscaping a softer, older feel.
Partially bury the larger rocks that you place in the yard. Setting large rocks on top of the soil gives them an unnatural look and they could even move under the right circumstance. But if you dig a hole and bury the rocks a quarter of the way into the soil, they’ll look like they’ve been there many years
You can age wood by hammering it, painting it a grayish-tan color or grayish green, and then adding another layer of darker gray paint. After you apply the darker paint, wipe away areas with a clean rag. Make sure to leave the dented and grooved areas in the wood with plenty of dark paint. This will give an antique look to the wood.
And if you live in an area with old barns you may be able to harvest unwanted wood for you hardscape projects. Just make sure its weather proofed so that it will hold up the climate.
One way to make your hardscape fit right into your landscape is to surround it with larger plants. Use mature or nearly mature plants around your hardscaping to create an aged look. If you can’t afford to buy or don’t already have such plants, try planting younger, cheaper plants, but plant them closer together than you normally would. (You’ll have to thin out the plants in a year or two, but in the meantime, your hardscaping will have that “grown in” look.) You can also add perennials and annual flowers to soften a new landscape look. Blend the same flowers and plants around the yard to create a flow in pattern and design.
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