Landscape timbers are heavy-duty wooden planks that have a variety of landscaping applications. These elegant building materials can serve an ornamental purpose in exterior settings, but are also ideal for building sturdy and functional outdoor structures. The secret behind the durability of landscape timbers is the pressure-treated or micronized-treated wood. Industrially treated landscape timbers contain chemical preservatives that make them rot-resistant and insect-resistant. Softwood timbers are manufactured from the heartwood of cedar and redwood trees and hardwood oak timbers are also common.
Landscape timbers are able to withstand external conditions, making them an ideal material for decks, boardwalks, garden bridges, picnic tables and outdoor benches. Stationary structures like sheds and children’s playhouses that are in permanent contact with the ground are susceptible to decay and wood-boring insects, but these problems are avoided with hardwearing landscape timbers.
The weathered look of some landscape timbers and the range of colors and textures available have a definite appeal for decorative wood projects. Smaller, lightweight timbers are perfect for crafting striking lawn ornaments like planters, wishing wells or lighthouses. In green landscapes, cherrytone landscape timbers provide a pleasing contrast when stacked for raised garden beds or used for terraced stairs. Wood stain and varnish can be used to further embellish the timbers.
Important functional features such as retaining walls and garden edging are commonly engineered using landscape timbers. When used as edging, landscape timbers help organize a landscape, creating neat boundaries, boxes or shaped borders around lawns, trees, driveways and shrubs. Timber edging protects foliage from damage during mowing and cuts down maintenance. Timber edging can be laid in symmetrical, repetitive or interconnected designs to create balance, draw the eye to focal features, add formality, or suggest rhythm and unity within a landscape.
Whether you are envisioning a raised pond, an attractive post fence or a simple sign post, versatile landscape timbers will add character, stability and style to your woodwork project.
