Landscaping Log Ideas

Whether you use commercially produced landscaping logs or logs salvaged from your yard, the list of ideas for using logs in your garden are endless. Commercially produced logs have the advantage of being treated to prolong their life, while homegrown logs have a more rustic appeal and a shorter life span. For areas of the yard where children play or where you plan to grow vegetables, be sure to ask about harmful chemicals or poisons when purchasing logs.

Homeowners use landscaping logs as integral elements of a garden design. You can build a raised planting bed, for instance, anywhere from 6 inches to 2 feet high using logs placed either horizontally or vertically. Terraces and restraining walls are also common projects. Landscaping logs are not the strongest material for these uses, so they should be used primarily for decorative purposes and only if the slope of a hill is not overly steep.

Fences made from landscaping logs come in many different styles, from upright, tall fences made with logs placed vertically, to fences built with two or three logs places horizontally and supported by wooden or stone pillars between the logs. The logs used in fencing are available as fully rounded logs or as half logs.

You can use landscaping logs for arbors, arches or pavilions. Most homeowners leave the wood in its natural color, but painting is an option, too. Using landscaping logs for these projects dates to the 1800s when the Adirondack style was originated using rustic limbs, branches and logs to create housing features like stair rails or window frames as well as furniture and other building projects. Much of the architecture and furniture in National Park Service lodges use this style.

Landscaping logs are ideal for making planter boxes of all shapes, sizes and themes, including basket look-alike designs, wagons and wishing well. These planters can be set on a porch, deck or in a garden. Other decorative items include mail box holders, bird and dog houses, and towers for holding potted plants.