The terms landscaping and hardscaping are often used interchangeably, but the truth is that while these two things often work in conjunction, they’re not actually the same. It’s easy to get the two terms mixed up if you don’t know the difference, but knowing the difference could actually prove vital to your next lawn project.
So whether you’re planning a yard renovation or you’re just curious and want to know more, here’s a short guide to the differences between landscaping and hardscaping, and how the two can best work together.
Hardscaping
Hardscaping services are often offered by landscaping companies, but they don’t explicitly refer to landscaping. Rather, this term refers to anything used in an outdoor space that isn’t living. So when you think about walkways, garden walls, fountains, and other structures in a garden or lawn, what you’re seeing is a well-crafted hardscape. In addition, this term can be used to refer to drainage solutions. In short, most masonry and concrete fixtures are going to fall into this category.
Landscaping
Landscaping services, on the other hand, refers to all of the living materials used in a lawn repair service. So the trees, flowerbeds, turf, trees, and other living materials in your lawn would fall under this category. Even topiary gardens would be considered a part of landscaping, as they’re crafted out of living material.
How They Work Together
Landscapes wouldn’t really be complete without the unique hardscapes that run through them. These hard surfaces can be functional, like a garden path, or decorative, like a raised flower bed. Garden paths and fountains all exist to accentuate the parts of a garden that homeowners really want showcased. In addition, they help transform lawns into outdoor living spaces with patios and decks. There are currently around 398,383 landscaping businesses operating in the U.S. today, and many of them may offer both these services within one company.
If you’re sick of your lawn or you know it just needs a little bit of TLC, you should consider the fact that landscaping and hardscaping services are just two halves of the beautiful whole that could be your new garden.
