Here is another home-related question that came across my keyboard the other day. “I keep hearing the term “Hardscaping. What is that? Is it related to Landscaping?”
Hardscaping is indeed a landscaping term. It is a division of landscaping that refers to the solid inanimate or non-living elements for landscaping, such as rocks, wood (not living trees), brick, concrete and more. it gets it name from the usually hard materials used in hardscaping projects.
Typical hardscaping projects might include a brick walkway, a wooden deck or patio or a stone wall. It also refers to small objects, such as fountain or statue in your garden. Anything that is non-living in your garden is technically hardscaping. Even elements such as a pool is considered a hardscape installation.
Although less often used, the term softscaping may pop up in landscaping terminology. As you might have guessed, softscaping refers to the living elements of your landscaping, such as grass, plants, bushes, trees and flowers.
Hardscaping is very popular in modern landscape designs and can compliment your home and coordinate with your plantings. Most homes today that are highly rated on curb appeal have at least two or three hardscaping elements incorporated into their design.
One popular design for backyard hardscaping is a courtyard. This is an example of how hardscaping can add additional outdoor living space, as well as luxury and convenience to your home.
When it comes to hardscaping as do it yourself projects, it is usually best to tackle jobs that are small and simple enough to do it a weekend, such as adding a walkway of rocks or a border of bricks. For a larger-scale job, a professional who specialized specifically in hardscaping can help you chose the right elements and materials that will work best with your climate, grading and the amount of durability that will be needed.
Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, technology in the Computing Blog, and creating a home in the Home Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.
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