Hardscaping vs. Softscaping: Finding the Perfect Balance

Creating a beautiful and functional outdoor space is more than just planting a few flowers or laying down a patio. It’s about striking the perfect balance between hardscaping and softscaping—two essential components of landscaping that work together to bring your vision to life. But what are they, and how do you achieve harmony between them?

Here’s our expert take on balancing hardscaping and softscaping for your property.

What Is Hardscaping?

Hardscaping refers to the non-living (hard) elements of your landscape. Think of it as the “structure” of your outdoor space, which includes:

  • Patios and walkways
  • Retaining walls
  • Driveways
  • Pergolas and gazebos
  • Outdoor kitchens and fire pits

These features provide functionality, define spaces, and add durability to your landscape design. Hardscaping materials like stone, brick, and concrete offer a solid foundation for both aesthetic and practical purposes. When designing your outdoor space, it is recommended that you begin by defining hardscaping features first to highlight the structured layout before incorporating surrounding softscaping elements.  

Urban Landscaping is ICPI certified with fully trained, insured, and certified installers for all your landscaping needs. We take pride in creating innovative outdoor living spaces, using high-quality materials that ensure long-lasting results! 

What Is Softscaping?

Softscaping includes all the living elements of your outdoor space; which, hence the name, are usually soft to the touch. Softscaping can be identified as:

  • Gardens: flowers, shrubs, trees
  • Lawn installation 
  • Mulching, trimming/pruning
  • Grading & spreading soil

Softscaping brings life, colour, and texture to your yard, creating a dynamic environment that evolves with the seasons. It helps soften the look of hardscaping elements which balances out the design and atmosphere of your space. 

Our team specializes in “Property Makeovers,” where we renovate, update, and refresh the appearance of properties, providing environmentally conscious landscapes with creative designs and landscape solutions to enhance outdoor living spaces. Softscaping does typically involve more ongoing maintenance than hardscape elements, but our team is ready to handle this work for you too if you prefer a “hands-off” approach to gardening!  

The Importance of Balance

Too much hardscaping can make a yard feel cold, rigid, and unwelcoming. On the other hand, an overly softscaped yard may lack functionality or require excessive maintenance. The key is to find the right balance that suits your lifestyle, property needs, and aesthetic preferences.

Tips for Harmonizing Hardscaping and Softscaping:

1. Start with Functionality

Consider how you plan to use your outdoor space. Do you need a patio for entertaining or pathways for easy navigation? Once the hardscaping is in place, choose softscape elements to complement and enhance these functional areas. 

Example: Frame a stone patio with lush garden beds or ornamental grasses to soften the edges and create a welcoming feeling.

2. Choose Complementary Materials and Plants

Select materials and plants that work well together to create a cohesive look. For example, natural stone pairs beautifully with native plants and flowers. For a more modern design, and easy maintenance opt for ornamental grasses! Make your selections wisely when pairing hardscape and softscape elements to ensure they won’t compete with each other to impede the function of the space. For example, if you have a narrow walkway as the hardscape feature, smaller simpler plants should be used as your softscape feature to avoid overcrowding an already condensed area. 

Pro Tip: Incorporate soft, flowing plants like ferns or perennial geraniums around rigid hardscape elements for a balanced design.

3. Think About Maintenance

Hardscaping typically requires less maintenance than softscaping, but modern hardscaping elements generally require some level of maintenance such as applying sealer to heavily used walkway/patio pavers to reduce visual evidence of wear and tear on the product. Softscaping always needs ongoing care like watering, pruning, mowing and seasonal adjustments. To understand which plants and designs fit your commitment level, it’s important to also know which styles of softscaping or hardscaping require more maintenance than others. Dense, lush gardens with lots of different plant species tend to require more ongoing maintenance to keep up a well-manicured appeal whereas a simplistic modern garden typically requires less upkeep as they have less variety of plant species that are usually easier to maintain. 

Example: Use low-maintenance shrubs and perennials to reduce upkeep while still adding greenery and texture to your space.

4. Layer for Depth and Dimension

Combine vertical elements like retaining walls, privacy panels, or trellises with layered softscaping to add depth. Mixing heights and textures creates a more dynamic and visually interesting outdoor space. A simple way to incorporate hardscaping and softscaping in a layered fashion is to define your garden perimeter with a stone curb or low retaining wall to separate your ground cover from the garden.

Example: Plant taller shrubs or small trees behind shorter flowers to create visual interest.

5. Incorporate Sustainability

Balance your design with eco-friendly practices, such as using natural stone for hardscaping or native plants for softscaping. This approach ensures your yard is beautiful and environmentally responsible! For larger properties, it is common practice to include designated natural spaces such as an unmaintained wildflower pasture enclosed with a rustic-style fence. 

Ready to Transform Your Outdoor Space?

At Urban Landscaping, we understand that every property is unique. Whether you’re looking for a serene backyard retreat or a functional front yard upgrade, our design/build team specializes in crafting outdoor spaces that balance hardscaping and softscaping perfectly.

Contact Urban Landscaping today to schedule a free consultation. Let’s find the perfect balance for your property!