Enjoy Beautiful Plantings Alongside Your Pergola in the Mountain Lakes, NJ Area

If you have plans for a pergola in your Mountain Lakes, NJ, landscape, this area could be even more stylish by including some beautiful plantings around it. Choosing the right type of plantings could require a mix of sun-loving and shade-loving plants, depending on how close they will be to your shade structure.

Related: HOW TO UTILIZE PLANTINGS TO SOFTEN A RETAINING WALL IN THE SADDLE RIVER, NJ, AREA

What Types of Plants Are Best Near a Pergola?

With a pergola casting dappled shade, consider including plants that thrive in partial sun—the light that does filter through a pergola can keep these plants happy and healthy. For plants that prefer more direct sunlight, they may need to be planted farther away from the structure. The beauty of including plantings around your pergola is getting to choose plants with a variety of sun and shade requirements, creating a diverse ecosystem that looks varied and beautiful.

Where Should These Plantings Go?

A variety of planting options can continue in terms of placement, depending on whether your pergola is situated over a patio patio or over your lawn. Plantings in masonry boxes can look beautiful in contrast to the wooden shade structure and stone-like pavers, while potted plants can be switched in and out depending on the season.

With the slotted roof that a pergola has, you can even include hanging plants and create an all-encompassing garden experience. If you’re looking for a real storybook feel, you can even train creeping plants, like ivy, up and around the posts. This whimsical greenery helps make a perfect spot for including a comfortable lounge chair and settling in with a good book.

Mix and Match Plantings

There are a variety of native and non-native plantings that can really enhance your pergola. Non-native plants can bring tropical colors, unusually shaped leaves, and other unique features that may not be seen in our area. Native plants tend to require less maintenance as they have evolved to perfectly inhabit our area. They are known for being tolerant of our climate and our amount of rainfall. Wildlife also tends to prefer native plants, giving butterflies and honeybees the opportunity to pollinate and keep our area thriving.

Adding flowers around your pergola can provide some fun color to the area. These can contrast really beautifully against a natural wood or white vinyl pergola. For more movement and texture, you can include native grasses in your space. You can often find these grasses softly swishing in a gentle breeze, making their visual display even more unique.

Since a pergola has open sides, the structure offers a beautiful 360 view, but not much privacy. Nearby hedges could help to provide a more intimate feel to this area of your landscape, while making the entire area feel more natural. By choosing a combination of different plantings, a diverse landscape can be established.

Related: 4 LANDSCAPE DESIGN IDEAS TO REFRESH YOUR BACKYARD IN THE MOUNTAIN LAKES AND ESSEX FELLS, NJ, AREAS

About the Author

GreenNature Landscape Design offers viable solutions to our clients. We provide residential landscaping services that are innovative yet competitively priced. Why choose us? We treat each client like our only client. We have the experience and knowledge to turn your most ambitious ideas into reality. You are the driving factor in our designs. Our designs are focused on meeting your unique preferences. Let us create beautiful landscapes you can be proud of, and outdoor living spaces you can’t wait to spend time in.