There is a lot of focus these days on paver patios, pergolas, pavilions, seat walls, and so on.

Those are beautiful and very functional elements to your outdoor space to bring your living space right outside, provide excellent areas to host your family or a neighborhood gathering, etc. Our team at Cable Bros thoroughly enjoys building a quality and elegant outdoor space for you to enjoy. =) 

That being said, I thought it would be great to discuss some elements that seem to frequently be missing from the outdoor space discussion.

Have you ever seen a nice large paver patio space, perfectly installed outdoor kitchen and seat walls that just feels lifeless for some reason, and you can’t figure out why? 

I have, and I’ve wondered what it is about the space that just feels so off…..until I discovered a missing element to many outdoor living spaces. 

Life. Action. Movement. Basically, the movement that certain aspects of nature naturally provide to help soften and bring life to the hard surfaces of natural stone, paver patios, retaining walls, etc.

Here are some of those elements for thought. =)

WATER: Imagine the beautiful patio space that you currently have, or have plans of being built, graced with a bubbling, flowing, splashing waterfall that cascades down the previously dry slope by your patio disappearing into a rock bed by the patio were water-loving plants bow over the edge thirsty for the splash of lively water, or a koi pond nestled up against your patio, with a cascading inlet at one end keeping the water flowing, and giving the children a chance to feed the fish or just dangle their toes in the water. Maybe a bubbling rock, rock combinations, bowls, spillways etc., that gives you the calming sound of water without the open water of a stream or pond is your preference. Whatever the case, water has been a source of life for thousands of years and is an element of life and movement that we all yearn for and enjoy.

FIRE: Another element of life and movement that changes a space instantly is the addition of a fire feature. Imagine a cool fall evening, and you step out onto your newly installed patio space, it’s cooled off from the day, and there’s your patio chairs waiting for you, but there’s no movement, just a dog barking in the distance, someone’s noisy vehicle rumbling away, and a sudden chill to the air. Change that scene to stepping out of your door onto your new patio, and walking over to your fire feature, a quick turn of the knob, and flip of the lighter, and you have a dancing wave of warmth lighting up the space now, giving off heat to curb the night chill, and a place to snuggle with the kids while telling them stories or watching the stars. Fire has been a necessary and enjoyable part of life from the beginning of time. Embrace it, put down the incessant demand of the electronic façade of life, and wrap up your day around a real and warm element of life.

PLANTS: Plants are often one of the first things people think of, rightfully so. We’re surrounded by plants, they’re living, and they provide color, texture, and life that nothing else gives. The problem is, much of the time, plants are added as an afterthought almost, and there is more focus on keeping everything low maintenance, rather than finishing off the painting with all the appropriate colors and textures. Keep in mind that we, along with other respected landscape organizations near you, usually does provide seasonal care for your landscapes, removing the maintenance worries. 

We do want to keep maintenance needs in mind, but not to the detriment of a tastefully designed landscape that will thrive for years to come.

Plantings should be completed in such a way that the plants complement each other, carrying texture and color through all four season as much as possible, planted in full groups so that when the desired plants are fully grown, the undesired weeds have no chance to breath, plantings are designed to complement the architecture of the home, and designed to fulfill the purpose intended for your backyard(back to your vision we discussed earlier).

Give us a call to set up a consultation for your landscape. We’d love to discuss how we can bring it to life, remodel what you already have, or design and install a full new landscape and outdoor space. 

• Thanks for your time, Jeremy Cable @ Cable Bros Outdoor Services