What is Hard Landscaping vs. Soft Landscaping?

Are you interested in landscaping as a job? Or are you thinking about hiring someone to spruce up your garden? If so, there’s one distinction you need to make: hard vs. soft landscaping. In essence, hard and soft landscaping (also called hardscaping and softscaping) are complete opposites. Hard includes all the solid, inanimate materials that stay in one place, such as brick and stone. On the other hand, soft landscaping incorporates all the soft, living, and growing parts of landscaping, such as plants and shrubs. When used together, hard and soft landscaping can intertwine and balance each other, creating a beautiful garden.

Hard Landscaping

Going into a little more detail, hardscaping uses hard materials to create a landscape design, such as concrete, cedar, stones, and brick. Once in place, the result is permanent – it doesn’t change or wear over time and is not affected by the elements. Hard landscaping can be used in a multitude of ways. For example, it might separate sections of a garden, provide support to objects like hot tubs, provide a decking area for sitting, or allow privacy.

One of the main differences between hardscaping and softscaping is the materials used. Hard landscaping requires different equipment and materials to soft landscaping, such as grouting tools, decking, and tiler lifters. You’ll need to find a good supplier if you plan on providing hard landscaping as part of your business services. Check out arbourlandscapesolutions.co.uk, which has plenty of both hard and soft landscaping equipment. It provides a one-stop shop for landscapers.

Soft Landscaping

Unlike hard landscaping, soft landscaping grows, moves, and evolves over time and is affected by the elements. It includes flowers, trees, vegetables, grass, and shrubs. As you’d expect, soft landscaping requires much more maintenance than hard landscaping; over time, you’ll need to trim hedges and weed plant beds. The result is worth it, as soft landscaping provides color, scent, and true nature to a garden.

Which One Should Your Business Focus on?

If you’re an up-and-coming landscaping company, you might wonder whether you should focus on hard or soft landscaping. Ideally, it’s best to provide both as a service in one. That’s because many clients want to achieve their landscaping results with a single company rather than looking at two. However, if you’re brand-new and just want to get your foot in the door with a couple of clients, consider offering soft landscaping as a service and slowly progress to hard landscaping as time passes.

In Summary

In any ideal landscaping project, the landscaper uses both soft and hard landscaping to create the perfect garden design. When used alongside each other, their presence can harmonize, creating a beautiful outdoor space in which anyone would be happy to spend time. Think of a stone path wandering through scenery of trees or a stone wall with carefully placed ivy – both use a mixture of soft and hard landscaping that effortlessly complements one another. If a landscaper can manage that for their clients, they will surely be on the road to success.