The term soft landscape is used by gardeners and practitioners of landscape design landscape architecture and garden design to describe the vegetative materials which are used to improve a landscape by design.
Hard and soft landscape materials.
A landscape can appear incomplete and it can t perform many of the functions that good landscaping can without both hard and soft materials present.
The right water absorption and irrigation system installed through hard landscaping coupled with hard materials that safely move water away from the property can ensure that soil movement is never a problem and that your yard stays a drier enjoyable living space rather than a wet and muddy bog.
This can include paved areas driveways retaining walls sleeper walls stairs walkways and any other landscaping made up of hard wearing materials such as wood stone and concrete as opposed to softscape the horticultural elements of a landscape.
Hardscape refers to hard landscape materials in the built environment structures that are incorporated into a landscape.
The corresponding term hard landscape is used to describe construction materials.
If a material is used as a landscaping surface and is not green living growing landscaping then it probably would be considered hardscaping.
There are soft landscaping options that can help.
Balance between the hard and soft is needed for the whole.
The range of soft landscape materials includes each layer of the ecological sequence.
Think about it this way.
Think about touching the leaves of a tree or perennial or blades.
Consider these the soft horticultural living growing components of the landscape.
Therefore much like the mutual coordination between hardware and software of a computer for smooth functioning there is also the requirement of a good mixture of soft as well as hard landscape materials.
These might include flowers trees shrubs ground covers etc.
In good landscape design both soft landscaping and hard landscaping are essential elements and both need consideration.
Are softer to the touch quite literally.