When many people think of “landscaping,” they visualize the plants and shrubbery around a yard. While these are part of your yard’s landscape, so are all the man-made features!
Hardscaping design is the part of landscaping that deals with physical objects rather than living things. While certainly adding aesthetic and leisurely value, these features can also be necessary for proper drainage and irrigation.
Here at Verdant Designs, we are happy to help educate you on what hardscaping is and how it can improve both your property’s look and value. Hardscape elements also add to security, keep yards from flooding, and help with controlling land movement issues.
Hardscape Definition: What Is It?
Hardscaping can refer to anything from retaining walls and water features to patios and decks. It also includes driveways, paths, and other designated areas.
These features come in a variety of materials, including concrete, stone, brick, or wood, depending on your design scheme. When you hire us at Verdant Designs, you can decide which elements to add, and our designers make sure they blend with your existing greenery and the property’s exterior.
Examples of Hardscaping Projects
The following are some examples of hardscape elements that we work on:
- Wood decks
- Stone or brick patios
- Firepits or Fireplaces
- Retaining walls
- Stone steps or walkways
- Wooden or metal fences
- Wood gazebos
- Stone water fountains
- Pools & Waterfalls
What’s The Difference Between Hardscaping and Landscaping?
Hardscaping is a subset of landscaping. It involves all the elements of a yard that are not natural or part of the earth. You can add these features to create a fabulous outdoor living space, such as a patio or deck, for functional entertainment purposes, like a sturdy outdoor fireplace.
Hardscaping and landscaping work together to create a balanced yard. Avoid too many harsh, straight lines and include soft foliage in addition to your wood, stone, or concrete hardscaping elements.
Hardscaping also offers structural benefits, like holding dirt in place or allowing for better water drainage in the yard. Our company can help add any hardscape details to your property that you want; just call let us know what you are envisioning.
Hardscape vs Softscape: About These Landscaping Techniques
There are two main sectors of landscaping: hardscape and softscape. “Hardscape” objects include all manufactured parts of a yard. Softscaping is all the horticultural features in an outdoor space, from the trees and flowers to the grass and any crops or living things growing there.
Many softscape elements need reinforcement with hardscaping features. For instance, a stone wall can keep dirt from shifting on slopes or hillsides or allow proper water drainage in planters. These materials absorb the sun, meaning water will evaporate quicker instead of pooling or making the lawn muddy.
If you want to learn more about hardscaping, reach out to our staff today. The Verdant Designs team is happy to provide you with details or give you a quote for a hardscape project you’re considering starting.
Call us at (803) 335-5028 to schedule a landscape consultation. Before you know it, we will transform your yard into a beautifully improved space!