Backyard Reflections

Lakeside properties offer incredible views of serene landscapes, but they’re not without disadvantages. For instance, since all lakeside properties are essentially built on floodplains, they tend to be prone to flooding and often suffer soil erosion. This makes landscaping lakeside properties particularly challenging. Fortunately, by incorporating certain practical features into the landscape design, some of these inherent challenges can be overcome.

Here some features worth incorporating into your landscape and some designs that can enhance your property’s shoreline: 

A Boulder-and-Log Bulkhead on a Beach Cove

Large boulders and logs form a bulkhead protecting your property’s shoreline. You can pull back the boulder create a small beach cove. And if you want to create a shelter for lakefront wildlife or just want more privacy, you can plant native vegetation behind the boulders.  

A Log Bulkhead on a Gravel Shoreline

If you want the front of your lakeside property to have a more natural feel to it, you can add a log bulkhead (which also doubles as a seating wall) along a gravel shoreline that helps protect your property against erosion.  

Lush, Colorful Garden Beds on a Sandy Beach

This landscape design features a lush garden bed (to add a bit of color to the front of your lakehouse and prevent soil erosion) on a sandy beach. The garden is filled with lush but low vegetation to give you an uninterrupted view of the lake and shoreline. The final component of this landscape design would be large boulders that hold up the slope and the gardens. 

Other Features to Consider

Here are the other features you might want to consider adding to your landscape design: 

• Hardscaping and walkways – Walkways that lead to the lake help draw attention to the front of your lakehouse without disturbing the natural habitat of lakefront or aquatic wildlife.
• Buffer wetland areas – Aquatic landscaping can help maintain the quality of water in the lake.

Backyard Reflections, a family-owned and -operated company with 20 years of experience, offers a wide range of professional landscaping and outdoor living services. To request a consultation, call us at (320) 274-6336 or (218) 454-1065 or fill out this form.