Landscaping Glossary
When it comes to Landscaping, it is important to be familiar with some basic concepts. Before we take a deep dive into the world of landscaping, it would help us to familiarise ourselves with some of the most common terms. Let’s start with:
Landscaping: Landscaping refers to any activity that modifies the visible features of an area of land, including living elements, such as flora or fauna; or what is commonly called gardening, the art and craft of growing plants with a goal of creating a beauty within the landscape.
Landscape Maintenance: Landscape maintenance (or groundskeeping) is the art and vocation of keeping a landscape healthy, clean, safe and attractive, typically in a garden, yard, park, institutional setting or estate. Landscape maintenance includes various activities including lawn maintenance, periodic weeding and fertilizing, pruning and grooming of trees and shrubs, maintenance of runoff drainage, driveway and pathway maintenance, and more.
Hardscaping: Hardscape refers to the solid, hard elements in landscape design that stay the same for years. Some examples of hardscape are rocks, walkways, retaining walls, paver patios, outdoor kitchens, water features, decks and driveways.
Softscaping: Softscape is unlike hardscaping in that it doesn’t have that long-term or permanent quality. It is the living animated part of a landscape. Softscape comprises the other elements such as soil, plants, shrubs, trees, flowers, vegetables, vines, turf and color schemes.
Turf: Turf refers to grass and the surface layer of earth held together by its roots. It is important to know that there are many different types of turfs that can be planted on your lawn, depending on your specific requirements. For example, there is the traditional lawn turf for regular lawns, fine turf for ornamental lawns, shade-tolerant turf for lawn areas that tend to be in the shade, etc.
Landscape Irrigation: Landscape irrigation is a watering system that is used to create and maintain lawns, gardens, and custom landscapes. The primary function of a landscape irrigation system is to ensure that water is spread regularly and evenly throughout any given landscape. There are different types of irrigation systems to choose from including drip irrigation, sprinkler systems, etc.
