How to balance hard and Soft landscaping
From an aesthetic point of view, your garden plays a massive role in the overall look of your property. Whether your garden design focus on aesthetic appeal or functionality, elements such as a well-kept lawn(s), clean pathways, and manicured greenery, will always stand out. Reflecting personal preferences and individual interests, your garden echoes who you are, dictating the theme of your exterior design concept. Although it can be quite easy to get carried away when designing your outdoor hideaway, consulting professionals to provide exterior design services, will be of immense help when deciding on boundaries, plant selection and overall integration of hard and soft landscaping. Getting the “soft” and “hard” elements of your garden to work together is crucial when planning a new garden layout. Here are some tips for getting it just right.
Understanding the difference
Soft landscape
Soft landscaping is used to literally soften a landscape, adding texture, character and structure by means of vegetative materials such as flowers, trees, shrubs, grass, soil, etc. The “living” part of your garden.
Hard landscape
Walls, paths, planters and hedges are all examples of hard landscaping. These elements provide support for soft landscaping elements and are essential in creating a well-balanced garden. Hard landscaping can be either natural or artificial, and a professional hard landscaping company will assist you in making the right selection to create a beautifully balanced outdoor landscape.
While hard landscaping offers structure and flow, soft landscaping offers beauty and elegance. Finding a good balance the two should be considered throughout the landscape design process. Be sure to incorporate the following concepts when speaking with a hard landscaping contracting business:
Reason & Vision
Every garden landscape design should start out with a couple of questions, addressing purpose, vision and personal preference. Why do you want the outdoor area? How will it be used? Having a basic plan will enable you to focus your vision, ideas and decisions in the right place. For instance, consider whether you’d prefer it for your children and pets or if the area would be a relaxing retreat, and start building your design around it.
Overall Layout
It is a good idea to start out with a basic footprint of your garden. Proper planning and set out of boundaries, additional architectural features and the correct selection of vegetation will dictate the overall appearance of your garden.
Equal Proportions Is Not Balancing
Many individuals confuse the concepts of equal ratios and the skill of balance. Hard and soft landscapes don’t necessarily need an equal amount of each. Put simply, hard landscaping provides the “bone” of your garden and soft landscaping the “flesh”. A 50/50 split will, more often than not, result in an unbalanced landscape.
Get a Professional
It is always beneficial to consult a professional hard landscaping company that will draw on experience and know-how to create a well-balanced garden landscape suited for your requirements. They will assist with bringing your vision to life, guiding you throughout the process of establishing a garden that adds value not only to your property, but also your everyday living. It’s always beneficial to have a professional and subject-matter authority on your side. They will assist you in bringing the design to life and making it great. Even if you want to be a little dramatic with your designs and features, a professional hard landscaping company can assist you with your garden landscaping. It’s a good idea to speak with a landscape architect so they can provide you some insight into the effects of these adjustments.
