Words from our homeowners

August 3, 2017July 29, 20171 Comment

We always enjoy meeting new people and hearing them describe their outdoor living vision. Some people know exactly what they are looking for, some have an idea of how to transform their living space to be more functional for them and some simply want to show us the space and create a design for them.

After meeting with this couple, Amy & Jeremy, we discussed their vision and, together, created a masterpiece they can enjoy for many years together! They were so impressed with the work, they wrote us a thank you card!

It’s actions like this that continue to inspire us to design the space of your dreams! Click here to see their landscape project.

Contact Leading Edge Landscapes today!

2 Paver Patios & 1 Fire Pit

July 29, 2017July 29, 20171 Comment

For landscaping ideas in New Ulm, MN, see how we created this backyard into a homeowner’s dream. This project features two paver patios with a fire pit, retaining wall and plants for a nice family near St. Peter, Minnesota.

For more landscaping ideas, click here or contact Andy from Leading Edge Landscapes. Leading Edge Landscapes serves Mankato, MN; New Ulm, MN and all of southern Minnesota. We look forward to working with you!

Premier outdoor living area

July 14, 2015Leave a comment

This paver patio with a fireplace and pergola turned out exactly how this family envisioned! They were looking for a nice area to entertain while still being able to relax during the cool evenings with a toasty fire.

The paver patio with free standing pillars and a pergola frame in the outdoor area nicely. As guests walk out the patio door, they are greeted with a friendly area that encourages conversation. Or, the homeowners can use this area to sit peacefully outside and listen to the birds chirp.

As guests continue out the door, they will be pleasantly surprised to see this added feature-the fireplace. It is a beautiful statement piece. With the intricate design of the pavers combined with the added dimensions of sides and top pieces; it is exactly what this family was looking for. The sides of the fireplace are used for storing firewood and the other for the left over ashes. With the added top pieces it brings the eye up and makes for a great place to add a touch of color with potted plants.

This family was so great to work with and we were thrilled to give them an outdoor living area that they not only love, but is functional for them to use. We can taste the s’mores and hear the chatter from all the gatherings they will be hosting!

If this is a design you’re interested in or are looking for a way to create an outdoor living are you love, contact Leading Edge Landscapes at 507-276-8142. If you still want to be inspired, keep reading our landscaping ideas!

5 creative step designs

June 12, 2015Leave a comment

Yes, this is about step ideas. We know, you may not think about your steps as a way to add character to your home, but we wanted to change that. These 5 creative step designs will not only be functional for your family, but they will also enhance your curb appeal. Once you have read our ideas, we’d love for you to answer our poll below!

1. Angled Entry. This is a great way to incorporate a raised entrance stretching from end to end with your stairs coming off at an angle on the side that could lead to your driveway or yard. Look at all the space you have for entering your home. Carrying in groceries would be so much easier!

2. Extended Entry. This idea showcases how you don’t need to have all the stairs in one spot – you can gradually step down. By the door there are two steps leading out and then a landing with the grill and patio furniture. You can exit to the lower paver patio area that leads to a fire pit or exit by the grill to the yard that leads to the front of the house. This family also incorporated a retaining wall so they could plant shrubs and flowers.

3. Rounded Entry. This is a unique and memorable entrance. It utilizes the same curvature outline as the paver patio and free standing wall. Truly, a beautiful design.

4. Classic Entry. For this look we built steps leading down, but then built a wall to the same height as the walkway area above. It’s a great idea for garage steps and will add lots of color when your flowers and shrubs are in full bloom.

5. Full-sized Entry. With the patio door being close to the wall, we extended the steps the full width and used the corner of the house to angle with the corner of the steps. It leads out to a paver patio and you can see how they use the dimension in the steps to decorate their outdoor living space.

Now don’t you think about steps in a whole new way? We hope so. And we hope you saw that these ideas will not only enhance your outdoor living area, but can actually give you more space to get inside your home! Then, just for fun, we’d love to hear which design you think could work for your home by answering our poll below.

Schell’s Brewery gets a new paver patio from Leading Edge Landscapes!

May 31, 2015June 1, 2015Leave a comment

Schell’s Brewery is a family owned brewery and has been a part of New Ulm, Minnesota since 1860. It is a tourist attraction and is held dear to the hearts of the community. It is the place where couples go to take their memorable wedding photos and where many friends go to take prom pictures. This family-owned brewery is beautiful; truly picturesque. You can see why so many come for photos, but not only does the brewery provide the scenery for community members’ major life events, but it also hosts yearly events, such as Bock Fest and Oktoberfest. For these events, party-goers come to enjoy live music, new friendly faces and LOTS of tasty beer! The owner of Leading Edge Landscapes and the owner of Schell’s Brewery have been family friends for years and Leading Edge was excited to help update the brewery with a new paver patio! A beautiful place for couples to take photos and for the Bockfest Boys to play their tunes to a crowd full of jolly festers. Contact Leading Edge at 507-276-8142 to update your outdoor living area or keep reading for more landscaping ideas to get inspired.

Spring Fever: 5 Beautiful Landscaping Ideas

March 28, 2015April 11, 2015Leave a comment

It’s spring and actually the weather around here is going to start feeling that way! YES! Our spring fever is in full swing. We can’t wait to be out there in 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, 100 degree days creating the landscaping design you want. Our drive comes from knowing the landscape makeover we design for you will encourage evenings having bonfires, roasting marshmallows, hanging out with friends & family, and enjoying a cold beverage. These landscaping ideas will bring your outdoor living to life!

1. This paver patio with an added pergola, pillars and fire pit (under the wooden table) is beautiful and perfectly functional for this family. They enjoy entertaining, and with this space, they will be volunteering as hosts for the evening.

2. This paver patio also includes pillars with a pergola. The style of table and chairs creates a look that is great for enjoying a cup of coffee and reading the newspaper in the early morning hours when the dew is still out (but note, your shoes or feet won’t get wet with the morning dew when you have a paver patio. Bonus!).

3. This design is so unique and people will stop when walking by and stare. How unique and creative?! With this design, in the first section, one could add their grill with a table for the ‘master chef’ as he/she exits the back door and then in the back section add a seating area. Such a beautiful design with pavers.

4. This multidimensional paver patio is another great way to entertain friends, family and holiday gatherings. In this design, this family created a seating area with the pavers that outlines the left side of the fire pit. Add chairs and tables as more people arrive or keep it intimate with just the family.

5. Another gorgeous design, this time incorporating color in the pavers to create this beautiful look. A great way to enjoy your mornings looking out at the landscaping design while sipping on coffee and when the evening hours come, pull the chairs towards the fire pit and roast some marshmallows. Don’t forget the tunes, too.

We hope these 5 landscaping ideas will help inspire you for your outdoor living area. Remember, think about what is functional for you and your family and what you want your outdoor area to be for you. Do you want to entertain, do you want to have a place for the kids to ride scooters, or do you want to make it a useable area? Contact Leading Edge Landscapes and we can help create the design that works for you.

Landscaping ideas: Pergolas

March 22, 2015March 22, 20152 Comments

Leading Edge Landscapes enjoys creating the outdoor living space you want and works for your family. We have lots of landscaping ideas and one we want to talk about today is a pergola. Adding a pergola can enhance your paver patio and bring a new element to your outdoor living area. These are some of the different pergolas we’ve added to customer’s backyards and you can see the statement they make and the beauty it adds.

For this landscaping design, we designed the paver patio and built the pillars for the pergola to stand on. Such a beautiful design that really enhances and expands their outdoor living area. Great for entertaining and relaxing on the warm summer evenings.

This pergola uses a triangle shape that is built on three block pillars. It makes for a nice, open area that is very welcoming as you step out of the patio door.

For this landscaping design, we stood the pergola on four pillars and left the area open for the family to access other areas of their backyard. A great look and one you know the neighbors are talking about!

If you think a paver patio with a pergola would add to your outdoor living space, call Andy at Leading Edge Landscapes 507-276-8142 to set up a meeting today or visit our Contact Us page to fill out a form for him to contact you. We hope you enjoyed reading about these landscaping ideas about pergolas!

Leading Edge Landscapes at Southern MN Home and Builders Show

Leading Edge Landscapes at Southern Minnesota Home and Builders Show!

March 22, 2015March 22, 2015Leave a comment

Leading Edge Landscapes has a booth at the Southern MN Home and Builders Show at the Verizon Wireless Center in Mankato, MN. The home show is open on Friday 5pm-9pm, Saturday 10am-6pm and Sunday noon-5pm. The popcorn is poppin’ and we would love to see you!