3 Glorious Groundcovers for the Hudson Valley

Groundcover plants are a great option if you are tired of mulching your flowerbeds or re-seeding that patchy area of lawn. You can create a lush, eye-catching softscape by choosing these plants known for spreading horizontally. Many groundcovers also work well in shady or damp locations. They often thrive where other plants won't grow, such as underneath trees. Drought hardy, xeriscaping options are available as well if you are trying to cut down on your water consumption. 

Related: 6 Alternatives for The Orange County, NY Lawn

Brass Buttons - monrovia.com

 

Brass Buttons or Leptinella squalida

This hardy plant enjoys well-drained soil and tolerates full sun. It grows well in zones 4 to 7 and reaches a height of 6 inches. Brass buttons provides a fine-textured foliage that is visually interesting to look at. It is tinged black with bronze-color tiny button-shaped flowers. You can walk on this ground cover without damaging it as it will hold up to foot traffic.

 

Angelina Sedum - monrovia.com

Creeping Sedums

An ideal choice for areas that require low water planting alternatives. Angelina sedum is a pretty variety as it changes color during the seasons. Yellow flowers appear in clusters during the spring and summer months. Once temperatures change, bright red and bright orange spikes appear throughout the winter months. This plant is approximately 4 inches tall and spreads 2 feet wide. It prefers moderately drained soil and enjoys full sun.

Creeping Thyme - monrovia.com

 

Thyme or Thymus vulgaris

Available in a variety of species, creeping thyme is popular to trail over rock gardens and between stepping stones. It is aromatic and will attract bees to the garden. When you walk on this carpet groundcover, you will be delighted in the fragrance that escapes. Do your research on thyme as certain varieties spread much faster than others. Typically, it stays under 6 inches tall and can spread up to 18 inches. Available in pink or blue blossoms.

The Perfect Material for your New Pool Patio

For this Hudson Valley poolscape, the Landworx design team artfully combined paver choices from Unilock's Select line. Complete with outdoor kitchen, landscape lighting, and trademark plantings, this pool has been officially Landworx'd. 

Pool patios of the past were simple poured concrete slabs. Thanks to the creativity of landscape designers like Landworx, this has dramatically evolved. The Hudson Valley residential landscape consists of beautiful pool surrounds built from bluestone, concrete pavers, travertine, and Ipe decking. The use of concrete in the Northeast can present issues such as cracking and heaving, the results of which are difficult to repair. Segmental paving is the perfect material choice for your Hudson Valley pool patio.

Concrete Pavers

Quality interlocking concrete pavers come in many different shapes, sizes, and colors. The system allows for a flexible surface that withstands the freeze/thaw aspect of the Hudson Valley winters.

Bluestone

Traditional bluestone makes for a truly classic poolside oasis. While attention must be paid to the material’s susceptibility to heat up in the summer sun, there are few choices that can offer a more native solution to our Hudson Valley area.

Ipe Decking

Today, many homeowners are leaning towards more contemporary design styles. Clean lines, rectangular accents, and sleek finishes. Ipe is a Brazilian hardwood gaining popularity for its durability and rich look. Ipe offers a beautiful design contrast when used adjacent to concrete pavers and bluestone.

Travertine Pavers

Travertine offers a unique, earthy color palate often working nicely with its surrounding. The durability and hardness of travertine pavers offer great reliability and great looks. Often paired with a matching travertine bullnose coping resulting in a sleek, clean design.

The Beauty of Natural Stone—Indoors and Out

Fireplace finished with manufactured veneer stone and a custom cut and finished bluestone mantel and hearth. The Landworx team began with an unfinished bluestone slab that spanned over 7' in length. 

Incorporating natural stone inside your home can help to seamlessly blend the indoor and outdoor living spaces of the home. Many Hudson Valley homes work to incorporate the natural elements of nature into their environments though the use of water, fire, wind, and earth. Stone represents the earth element in the design plan very well. It is available in a diverse color and texture selection and easy to match up to any décor.

Fireplace, Mantle and Hearth

Using natural stone to create the fireplace of your dreams can be a fun and creative process. Match the hearth and the mantle piece or use complimentary stone. Bluestone, stone veneer, river rock, slate, and all offer different styles that are quite varied compared to traditional brick.

Granite Countertops

Granite is a natural stone that makes wonderful countertops. You can use them in your kitchen or bathroom areas for a gorgeous finish. It is amazing how updating your counters can transform your interior living spaces.

Feature Wall

Popular for many years, stonewalls are commonly seen used in dining rooms and living rooms. Feature walls add interest and depth to the room, and can tie in nicely with the fireplace material. The use of up lighting or running water on the stone can create an incredible ambience.

Entry Way / Mud Room

Natural stone has a unique beauty to it. As no two stones are the same, they all fit together and perfectly compliment one another. Using stone in your entry way is excellent for muddy boots and rainy days. Easy to wipe up, you won't have to worry about staining your carpet or destroying your wood floors with moisture. Natural stone floors make an easy transition to whatever flooring is in the rest of your home. Having a natural stone floor can be a lifesaver when you are in a high-traffic area. Slate is a popular choice and can be laid similar to tile.

Shower Stall

Customizing a pebble shower surround, while certainly labor intensive, can be well worth the effort. When you are finished doing the shower walls and floor, it will feel like you are at one with nature every time you use it. 

Natural Stone or Concrete Pavers for your Hudson Valley, NY Landscape Design?

This Landworx project is located in Orange County, NY region of the Hudson Valley.  The design includes the masterful use of natural stone walls and real bluestone pavers, with colorful accents made from Copthorne—a concrete paver from Unilock's Select line.

For Hudson Valley homeowners looking to achieve great curb appeal, there are few things more effective than a properly designed and installed landscape.  The hardscape—encompassing the paved surfaces such as patios, walkways, and driveways—is key to defining the structure or “bones” of the design. Artisan stonework, including patios and retaining walls, can truly transform the look and feel of the home.

In the market of concrete pavers and natural stone, there are so many options to choose from. Like all products, these different choices come with their own advantages and disadvantages. With so many different shapes, textures and colors to choose from, it can often be confusing and frustrating for homeowners in the Orange County, NY area to decide. Unsure about which way to lean? The best first step is to look at the differences between natural stone and concrete pavers and walls.

Natural Stone

Stone is Mother Nature at her best. Harvested from formidable rock quarries, the use of natural stone can offer a sense of timelessness and integrity to the residential landscape that is hard to match. Strong and durable, natural stone products, such as bluestone and flagstone, are great choices for the Hudson Valley hardscape.   

With all of this beauty however, comes the challenge of controlling the colors and textures of the material. Natural stone can have a large variety of color within the same batch used on one project. So before choosing, homeowners should accept this irregularity and let the material work it’s magic in the landscape.    

Related: 6 Alternatives for The Orange County, NY Lawn

Concrete Pavers

Concrete pavers and wallstone, on the other hand, are manufactured products offering more control over colors, shapes, and finishes. Modern manufacturing has propelled the interlocking paver market drastically over the last 20 years, resulting in a great deal of choices for Hudson Valley landscapes. When compared to natural stone, concrete pavers offer a much wider range of design choices. Extremely well made and long-lasting, concrete pavers and walls by manufacturers such as Unilock in Chester, NY, are often times the best choice for many residential landscape designs.

While natural stone and concrete pavers are certainly the two main categories of hardscape materials to choose from, sometimes the best outdoor projects are the result of landscape craftsmen using the two materials together. The integrity of natural stone, mixed with the forward-thinking designs of Unilock pavers, can work together to create beautifully when in the hands of artisans.