When you start planning your landscape design, you typically start with the bigger elements of your project, like your pool, outdoor kitchen, and roof structure. From there you have some choices to make: choosing your decking and pavers, whether you want artificial turf or sod, and choosing a fire pit or fireplace.

Once you have the vision and the bigger elements decided, you still have plenty of options when it comes to making your landscape uniquely beautiful. Here are five features you can easily integrate into your design that will add the perfect mix of function and flair to your outdoor space.

Decorative columns are an easy and inexpensive way to add character or elevation to a smaller space. These can be placed around your pool, at either end of your fireplace, at the end of a wall, or to create an entrance to your driveway. We can run electrical for lighting, gas for a fire bowl or place a planter on top.

These solid masonry structures are built on concrete footing with rebar reinforcement, great for creating a decorative presence and visual anchor point.

Perfect for above-ground gardening, planters add elevation and character to your landscape. They look great with a built-in seat wall, or we can build a retaining wall and backfill the interior. We’ll often use planters on either side of steps, complementing and visually anchoring your staircase.

We build a solid masonry structure with stucco or stone veneer siding, or use a prefabricated stacked retaining block system with a tar-sealed interior to prevent water seepage. Either is ideal for integrating colorful plant life into your landscape design while breaking up flat spaces.

Masonry walls can be used for many different applications, from low garden planters and seat walls to three-foot tall retaining walls. Planters are very popular with our green-thumbed customers, while seat walls provide extra seating space for your guests. Retaining walls allow us to level out sloped grades and are used to create raised surfaces such as patios.

Built on a concrete footing with rebar reinforcement, stucco or stone veneer siding and a finish cap, masonry walls combine function with a handsome decorative element to your landscape.

Wood frame walls are exclusively used with our custom roof structures, which allows us to create a “room-like” feel and add features like TV niches, shelves or other add-ons, providing an outer boundary to your entertainment space along with privacy and protection from elements. They can be stucco and painted, stone veneer, or tongue and groove.

With exceptional light quality and low energy requirements, landscape lighting makes your outdoor space usable at all hours of the day. Path lighting creates traverse light to see pathways and safely travel through the yard in the dark, while uplighting provides accent and highlights landscape features including plants, structures and home decoration.

Specialty lighting can be easily hidden away and built into your landscape, you can even add colored lenses and filters to create the perfect ambiance.

Fountains and waterfalls cool the area and create a relaxing ambiance. The sound of running water soothes the nerves and creates a sense of wellbeing. Garden water features are the perfect way to give that Arizona desert oasis feel in your space.

Water features are beautiful focal points and surprisingly easy to maintain. There are many styles to choose from, and our design team can help you decide which is right for your needs and space.

However big or small your landscape design, there are endless decorative landscaping options and combinations to choose from. Our professional designers at Straight Line Landscape have the experience, vision and creativity to help bring your perfect landscape design to life.

When you’re ready to start your decorative landscape project, hire a contractor you can count on. If you’re not sure what to look for, follow these Five Steps to Choosing the Right Landscape Contractor.

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