What is hardscape for a home?

The term hard landscape refers to all non-living elements of landscaping, such as a brick patio, a stone wall, or a wooden tree. It is one of the two main subcategories of landscaping, the other being soft landscape. Softscape includes all the living and organic elements of a garden or lawn, such as trees, flowers and grass. Simply put, the harsh landscape is any of the non-living elements in your landscape design.

As the name suggests, these are the toughest design elements in your space, such as concrete, rocks, bricks, cobblestones, stone and wood.

Landscaping

also includes man-made structures, such as roofs, pergolas, or patio covers, that are specifically used in your gardening. Hardscape includes the non-living elements of a landscape. A beautiful, well-designed hard landscape has the potential to add value and exterior appeal to your property.

These images show the variety of stones available to install in your home. While gentle landscaping includes grass, flower, and plant designs on your property, hardscape landscaping refers to any non-garden design element around the outside of your home. Hardscape is an industrial term used to describe the solid materials used in exterior design, such as natural stone, tile, brick, wood, asphalt, and concrete pavers. If you're curious about what hardscape landscaping is or if you're thinking of adding some hardscapes to your own patio, read on for more information and ideas.

Hard landscape elements can also define the use of a space, such as a driveway, or they can lead visitors through different areas of soft landscapes, such as a gravel path that winds through a grassy area and reaches a secluded garden. While the vegetation around your property may change with the seasons, the details in hard landscapes provide a permanent design to your landscape. And unwanted growths, such as mold and mildew, can not only stain the landscape, but they can also be slippery and unsightly. Some garden projects are too physically demanding to complete with labor alone, and others require heavy equipment.

Hard landscaping can include almost any type of decorative or practical structure in a landscape, from entrances to fences and benches. Hard landscaping is a fundamental part of landscape design, as it provides definition and a sense of organization to natural areas and features. For this reason, taking preventive measures and carrying out regular maintenance is extremely beneficial to the lifespan of garden materials. Cobblestones, fences, patios, water fountains and rocks are just a few of the elements included under the umbrella of hard landscaping.

If your land includes aspects that you would like to take advantage of, such as a pond or an expanse of fir trees, include them in your hard landscape plan. When properly designed and implemented, landscaping also provides fluidity from the inside of the house to the outside. That's the secret to making sure your hard landscaping project runs as smoothly and efficiently as possible. Adding hardscapes to your backyard can transform a previously unusable or simple space into a beautiful outdoor room perfect for entertaining or just relaxing after a long day.