25 Serene Lake House Landscaping Ideas To Blend With Nature (2024)

Landscaping lake houses may look tricky because you must adjust the geographical conditions. Moreover, the type of soil that tends to be constantly wet causes not all plants to survive. But don’t worry! We have prepared some of the best lake house landscaping ideas that will effortlessly blend with nature, where perennials and trees are the real stars.

Furthermore, for those who don’t like plants, we have provided an alternative to conjure up your lakefront area as a relaxing space with your family. You can include wooden floors, build docks, and set chairs and tables to decorate this area, surrounded by serene vibes. Interested in trying? Let’s peek at our collection below!

What Is Lake House Landscaping?

Lake house landscaping is basically a way to design the appearance of a house located near a lake. I don’t know if it’s on the front or the back. In addition to beautifying the appearance of your home, the landscaping also offers additional use for your outdoor spaces.

Some people arrange a cozy area to hang out with a pair of beach chairs, a fire pit, and a table. Meanwhile, others love to adorn the site with stones, perennials, and trees to give cheerful colors and shade the landscape.

How Do You Make Your Lake House Look Different?

Instead of throwing too much decoration, it will be best to take advantage of nature. Thus, your setting will blend up and look captivating. You can build a dock that leads to the lake to allow you and your family to spend time fishing. Around the pier, grow trees like water oak or red maple to provide shade. And when autumn arrives, the green colors will turn golden yellow and red, creating a mesmerizing sight to your water landscape.

In addition to the deck, we recommend setting up an outdoor fire pit area. Put some chairs around the fire pit to offer warmth when it gets cold in the winter or fall. In the vicinity, plant perennials to give colorful arrays. Some tall ornamental grasses will also look awesome around the setting and elevate the serene atmosphere.

Furthermore, ensure that the foundation is a wooden floor to highlight nature. If you like adding white sand, it’s OK! Indeed, it will make your area look like a beach.

Lakefront Landscaping Designs

Imagine you have a house on the edge of a lake where you can breathe fresh air daily. Also, listen to the waves crashing every night. Well, you can experience such an amazing feeling even more if you have an outdoor arena to relax near the lake.

Curious about how to make the landscape? Find out some inspiration to arrange one below!

1. Beach By The Lake Landscape

Don’t live near the beach? Just bring the setting to your lake line. In fact, this will be more profitable since the lake waves are not as big as the beach. So, you don’t have to worry about abrasion. Especially if the lake is not large. Start with buying beach sand and spread it around the lake line area. Next, you can simply arrange some beach chairs. We recommend a pair with a table to put your belongings on. It is better to put on an umbrella to protect you from sun exposure, particularly during summer.

2. Lawn Landscaping

If no plants can fit in your nearby lake, lawns might be the best alternative. In addition to providing a refreshing green landscape, they can prevent waterlogging when it rains. You can combine it with building a circular fire pit area. Then, add two sets of wooden chairs to hang around. To avoid being trampled on your lawns, create a path leading to the fire pit area. Use limestones with a wide surface to ensure your shoes won’t step on the grass.

3. Tall Pine Lake Landscaping

Growing tall trees, such as pine, around a lake house may take a long time. But once they grow tall, you won’t ever regret it! They will provide shade because it blocks the sun. In addition, the combination of the blue lake and the greenery of the leaves give a calming atmosphere. These trees also serve as homes for wildlife, such as birds, moths, or bats. So, if you appreciate wild animals, you can invite them by planting trees around.

4. Rock Garden Lake Side

In addition to plants, you can also be creative in arranging your lake house landscape with rocks. In fact, this setting is easier and cheaper because it does not require complicated maintenance. In the Lakeline, you can lower the soil and level it, so it becomes a flat surface. Then, place some beach chairs on it. Then, arrange medium-sized rocks to hold the soil structure behind the chairs. Or simply serve as erosion control. In addition to ensuring a solid form, the stone becomes a natural decoration in this set.

5. Quiet Front Lake Landscape

Having a house near a lake surrounded by grass seems so exciting. However, it can be a little bland because no other accents decorate your outdoor space. And for that reason, we recommend building a fire pit area in the middle of this green expanse of grass. No need to be too fancy, just 4 to 5 wooden chairs facing the pit and the lake. Moreover, you can grow tall ornamental grasses to give different textures to the landscape. In this area, you can enjoy a cup of coffee while witnessing such a serene scene.

6. Barbeque Lake Setting

The landscaping lake house is not only with plants. You can use the open space near the lake to design a barbecue area to hang around with your loved ones. Choose a location with a lake background with tall trees to provide shade and beautiful views. Use stones as the primary material for the structure to keep it natural. Then, build a fire pit in the middle with the rock fragments in a circular shape. Next, put some chairs facing the hole.

7. Backyard Lake Area

Though you don’t have flowers to adorn your backyard, you can always count on trees, lawns, and stone settings. The trees that grow on the lake shores work as a barrier so that there is no abrasion when the waves are high. In addition, they offer shade to your outdoor space. Meanwhile, you can take advantage of the stone structure to transform it into an arena to relax with your family. Place some chairs and a table for your loved ones to sit on. Building a fireplace can also be an exciting idea.

8. Rustic Lake Landscape

Even though you are not into decorating or designing landscapes, you can create this rustic lake landscape effortlessly. It doesn’t take tons! You only need to prepare old wooden chairs and two wooden benches in your basem*nt. Arrange the chairs facing the lake while the benches can sit in the opposite direction. So, you can comfortably have a convo with your besties and families. In addition, some succulents or stonecrop will work great growing as borders. Make sure you plant some!

9. Dock Lake Design

Noticing a dock standing on your lake but don’t know what to do? Spice it up by making it a part of the lake house landscape. You can arrange two beach chairs and a table facing the lake. Meanwhile, another one sitting on the dock that you can use for fishing or just lying and enjoying the breeze. In addition, it would be better to grow some water plants on the right and left sides of the lake to add greenery. Install a garden lamp around it, so it’s not too dark at night.

10. Serene Green Landscape

Green landscape is indeed calming, like this one. It doesn’t take a lot of colorful flowers or too many knick-knacks to make it attractive. To accent the landscape, you only need to plant water grasses, such as the common rush, papyrus, and horsetail. As for the tree, it will be best to grow maple, oak, or willow as they can withstand damp soil. In addition, each gives unique characteristics that will stand out among other plants in your landscape. On the dock, put a chair or two to enjoy the view.

11. Nature-Inspired Landscape Setting

Take advantage of the area around your dock lake by planting various water plants to decorate the landscape. We recommend tall grasses, like Cattails and papyrus, to create a green background. To add a touch of striking colors, Swamp milkweed will be a great choice as it bears clusters of pink flowers. And most importantly, grow so tall! Thus, it can balance the grass. You can also grow lilies on the water to decorate the lake. Put two chairs on the dock to witness a blissful view while listening to the leaves rustling in the wind.

12. Small Lake Water Garden

It is easier to landscape the area if you live by the small lake. You can build a mini dock where you can arrange chairs and a table on top and enjoy the view. Also, grow some water plants like swamp milkweed and pickerelweed, whose flowers will adorn the landscape with pink and purple shades. Moreover, if the lake is not too deep, you can add pool steps for those who want to swim. But make sure the lake is safe enough to take a dip.

13. Calming Water Landscape

Slightly different from the previous design, this calming water landscape requires a little effort to build the dock. Instead of being small and square-shaped, the pier has a more artistic design, with an elongated pattern and a slightly curved semicircle. It gives chances for you to explore other corners of the lake shore. In addition to focusing on the dock, you can grow blue flag iris and pickerelweed for their purple blooms to decorate the Lakeline. Trees and grasses will also be a great addition, but please choose wisely, as not all can grow near water.

Perennials Landscaping For Lake House

Maybe not many of us have a house on the edge of the lake. But if you are lucky to have one, don’t waste this opportunity! Transform your home with one of the lake house landscaping ideas below, which feature perennials and trees to spice up the landscape. And most importantly, enhance the calming vibes.

14. Aqua Plants Landscape

For those who like the view with flowers around the lake, then this lake house landscaping idea is the ideal choice for you. You can plant various types of submerged water plants that you can grow along the lake line as the border. Make sure you choose those with different blooms to create interesting color contrasts. And if you wish, add the floating ones like lilies as a place for underwater life to take shelter.

15. Georgia Lake House

Georgia is famous for its beautiful lakes. If you live near one of these, take the opportunity to decorate your surroundings with perennials, trees, and lawns. For the perennials, you better grow low-growing ones, so they don’t overshadow the green grass that stands out, covering the soil. And the background? Nothing could be better than maples and oaks. Both will flourish in the autumn, turning red and golden yellow to paint out the landscape. In addition, you can build a small dock to enjoy the water scene while dipping your toes into the lake.

16. Flowers Dock Border

Getting bored with a regular dock? Build a unique one, then! You can make it like a path in the garden with a few twists to make it more artistic. This dock gives you access to hang around the lake safely. Furthermore, its meandering corners allow you to grow flowering water plants in between. We recommend the blue flag iris, which has dense green leaves and stunning purple flowers to decorate the path. Choose other varieties of plants with different colors for diverse sights.

17. Japanese Iris For Lake House Landscape

Among other designs, maybe this setting is a favorite of those who don’t like spending a lot of time landscaping their outdoor areas. It only requires Japanese Iris plants and a small dock to begin the transformation. If you already have a mini dock, you can go straight to the next step: growing a Japanese Iris next to it. The lilac flowers will decorate the landscape dominated by water areas. ]On the other hand, you must build one from the woods if the dock doesn’t exist yet. Around it, you can also plant dense green bushes to add greenery.

18. Front Yard Lake Landscaping

If your front yard faces directly onto the lake, this is your chance to beautify the site with perennials! You can play with various plants, such as ornamental grass, flowering perennials, lawns, and bushes. We recommend the black-eyed Susan because the yellow will be in tune with the sunset. For the grass, carex sedges may be better to sit beside the flowers. In addition, build a pavement area with chairs to witness the best sunset angle in your garden.

19. Perennials Heaven

This perennial heaven will make flower lovers obsessed with adopting the idea to the lakeline near their house. There are several types of flowering plants that grow to the right and left of the small lake. You can start by choosing some with several plants that produce different flower colors to offer stunning color contrast. Then, plant them as a lake border. In case the lake is not large, building a small bridge that connects both sides would be great! But if it’s too broad, you can set aside an area to grow perennials there.

20. Nature Front Small Lake Landscaping

Another perennial garden by the lake you can easily create! It highlights purple coneflowers that bloom beautifully on the shores of the lake. The lilies also gather in the middle of the small lake to decorate this water feature. To make it look more captivating, growing trees whose leaves turn yellowish or reddish in the fall is recommended. Thus, providing more shade to the lake area. If you wish to have a cozy space to hang around, build a mini dock where you can place a set of chairs and a table.

21. Stone Embankment Landscape

We all know that the lake is no different than the sea. It will also be choppy when the full moon arrives. Thus, this stone embankment landscape will benefit you by preventing erosion that can ruin your little perennial garden. You can arrange them on the garden’s outskirts to ensure that they cover all the soil and have a strong structure. In addition, you can plant some perennials in your garden that can thrive in damp soil. To add another unique feature, build a mini pool-step to the lake between the stones.

22. Willow Trees Lake Landscape

Willow trees for the lake decoration? Why not? Even though the arching branches look a bit intimidating, especially at night, they offer an artsy appeal. These trees are also popular as a home for wildlife. So, for animal lovers, they are the best bet to grow around the lake. Not to mention the bright green leaves add fresh greenery to the landscape. You can add lilies and perennials near the willow if you want to add flowers with different shades. Also, lawns can highlight the green nature theme more in the setting.

23. Lakeline Stone Garden Landscape

You may find it similar to the previous design. But take a look a little bit closer. It features more perennials you can grow along the lake line. The colors offered are also very appealing, from purple sage and magenta ground cover to yellow black-eyed susan. Even more remarkable, the stones also serve as erosion control, highlighting the flowers for their neutral, grayish colors. You can also grow tall grasses, like carex sedges, to add textures to the landscape. Dare to try?

24. Simple Lake Arrangement

Some people prefer a natural setting, with the dominance of green around the lake house. This setting offers exactly what you need if you are a fan of minimalist design. Instead of showing colorful flowers, it features a combination of white perennial blooms with dense, sharp leaves and grasses that grow submerged in the water. You can also notice trees around the lake that offer shade to the surroundings. In addition, the floating path will be helpful if you want to reach another side real quick!

25. Peaceful Lake House Setting

We believe anyone would want a peaceful setting for their lake house. The serene atmosphere seems to be an escape gateway from the hustle of the works. This arrangement will realize your dream lake house design by installing a simple fire pit and a natural bench from a tree trunk next to it. Then, the perennials with white and purple blooms make this arrangement look beautiful and calming. You can add a mini table to complete the set! Once you get in here, you will definitely want to stop by for a long time.

Final Thought

Landscaping lake houses can be done in various ways. For example, you can grow trees, perennials, lawns, and groundcovers to blend in with nature. They also offer colorful shades to the landscape. Such designs may be suitable for those with a low budget.

Meanwhile, settings with a fire pit, chairs, and tables give you the coziest, serene atmosphere. Unfortunately, they may cost you extra. But guess what? It will be worth it!

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FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

What are the best plants for lake house landscaping?

Perennials are the best plants to decorate your lake house. They can work as borders, ground covers, or simply grow them in your outdoor backyard. Among all those plants, some are the most popular ones, including dense blazing star (Liatris spicata ‘Kobold’), purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea ‘Fatal Attraction’), Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia ‘Little Spire’), shasta daisy (Leucanthemum x superbum ‘White Breeze’), and stonecrop (Sedum ‘Autumn Fire’).

What are the best trees for lake house landscaping?

Besides perennials, you can always rely on trees when it comes to lake house landscaping ideas. They can offer shade and golden color that reflects on the water in the autumn. Some of the best trees you can try growing around your lake house are willow oak, pin oak, and water oak. These oak trees cope well in the damp soil which is typical to the water area like the lake.

In addition, red maples are great to add red shades to the landscape, while pear trees are the one for those who love to grow their own fruits!

What makes lake house landscaping different from other landscaping types?

Unlike other landscaping ideas, you have to think about some important details when you want to landscape your lake house. The first thing is the selection of the type of plant or tree. Considering the soil which tends to be more humid, choose the one that stands on the damp soil since some plants will easily rot in a constant wet condition.

In addition, water plants like lilies can work great to decorate the lake as they can float beautifully by showing off their blooms. Moreover, we also recommend including rocks when landscaping the lake house to hold the soil structure when the waves come.