Hardscape vs. Softscape

Many people know the difference between hardscapes and softscapes: hardscapes are the inanimate parts of your landscape (patios, walkways, furniture, etc.), and softscapes are the animate parts of your landscape (flowers, grass, etc.). But it is an art to combine the two pieces effectively for the most beautiful yard possible. It requires a good eye to see how the two types of landscaping can combine. If you can combine these two elements successfully, your yard will be the envy of everyone. A nice lawn is nice, and a nice deck is nice, but combined--they can be gorgeous.

You need to find a good mix of the two elements, and often that includes incorporating the following things into your yard (both front and back): grass, flowers, pathways, patios/decks, and lawn furniture. Some things that will increase the curb appeal of your house as well as make your friends very happy when you entertain them is to put in a firepit or a hot tub to hang out in after it gets dark. Another thing to keep in mind is that you want a yard with trees. Planting a tree is a long-term option and you're not going to get full-blown trees in a month by planting a couple of seeds. This comes into play when purchasing a house or looking for one to rent: look for one with a shady backyard (morning or evening) and big, beautiful trees. This will make the yard much nicer by adding greenery and shade.

You're going to need somewhere to sit. Be this a patio--a good option for if the entrance to the backyard is on the ground level--or a deck--a good option for if the entrance to the backyard is a floor above the ground level--you're going to want to put a lot of effort into this aspect of your yard. It's important that the material the patio or deck is made out of compliments the rest of the yard. For a patio, paving stones are a better choice than cement because they look nicer and you can make simple patterns from them. For a deck, wood is a natural and good-looking option and is offered by every deck builder around. Make sure to keep the deck stained as this is necessary for viewing appeal. 

To arrange furniture on your patio or deck, remember that if you have a centerpiece (a table, firepit, or plant) you have to neatly arrange all of your chairs and couches around it. Pick furniture that can be hosed down (after you take off the cushions, of course) so that they can be easily kept clean. Additionally, the lighter the furniture the better as this will make it easier to move when you want to power wash the patio or rearrange for a big group. 

Some people will want to place their patio freestanding out on the lawn and not connected to the house. If you do this, pouring concrete can be a better option than laying paving stones as the ground will be more uneven and this is a better material to run your mower over. If you do this, make sure to lay a pathway to get through the lawn to the freestanding patio. A good style for a walkway is to lay stone blocks about two feet apart from each other so most people can step easily from stone to stone without stepping in the grass. Let the grass grow between the stones and mow it carefully. 

Speaking of grass, you will want a nice lawn to look at when you're sitting on your deck or patio. Follow other blog posts for guidelines on how to mow (see below) and keep in mind that you need a way to border your lawn. Be this galvanized steel borders that you pound into the ground, paving stones, or anything else this will give you an easy place to kill grass that grows past the border and should make mowing and trimming easier.

Now that you have your nice lawn in the front and the back (being consistently watered, fertilized, and mowed) you will want to add another crucial element of softscapes: plants and flowers. These are good as centerpieces for patios and decks as well as borders. They grow well in woodchips and mulch, so if you have a mulch border around the outside of your yard against the fence you can grow flowers in these. You will want a nice mix of large and small flowers, bushes, and other various plants (including edible ones if gardening interests you). Make sure to prioritize aesthetic appeal over anything else and place plants in places where they will be out of the way (and people won't have to dodge around them--annoying!) but also in a place where people will see them and be impressed. Very rarely can you get to a point where there are too many plants and flowers in your yard, but keep in mind that greenery like that can overpower the rest of the natural and artificial beauty of your yard--let the flowers shine, but not so bright that they overpower the rest of the yard.

The final thing to keep in mind is how all of these pieces mentioned above fit together. They can all be beautiful on their own but if when they come together they are an eyesore or the colors clash, you will have to change some things. If the yard isn't looking "just right" and you don't know why, do some of these things and see if the problem is fixed:

Look at the colors you are using in your yard, between hardscapes, flowers, and the green of your lawn. Often, if you use green plants surrounding a green lawn (as some are tempted to do), that color will overpower and make the yard look fairly unappealing. To counteract this problem, plant colorful seasonal flowers in place of a few green plants to add splashes of color. If you are having the opposite problem and there is too much color, try the opposite: add green plants in place of some of the color. Additionally, you can Google what the complementary colors of green (for your lawn) and the other main colors of your yard (the colors of your deck/patio and large bushes) are and plant flowers that complement the colors already in place.

Try changing the furniture you're using on your deck or patio. Buy furniture that you can easily and cheaply return so that you can test out different types of furniture and different arrangements. It might be that the furniture you are using clashes with the rest of the hardscape, which ultimately hurts the rest of the yard's appeal.

It might be that the grass in your lawn is too long or too short. Try setting your mower higher or lower and see if you can find the right length of grass to match easily with the rest of the yard. This is probably not the issue with your yard, but if nothing else is working this is worth a shot. If your grass is too long, it could be looking overgrown and wild--but if it is too short, it could look like you gave your lawn a buzzcut, and that is not the look you are going for.

When designing and building a nice front and backyard, it is important to remember that a good mix of hardscapes and softscapes will contribute to making as nice a yard as possible. Hopefully, this blog post inspires you to either start working on making your perfect backyard oasis or the troubleshooting above helps you find the issue that's been bothering you since you first walked outside. Either way, enjoy your yard again!

Published August 8th, 2023.

"Royal Flora Ratchaphruek Park , Chiangmai, Thailand." Ph, 2 Feb. 2019, Royal Flora Ratchaphruek Park , Chiangmai, Thailand. Accessed 8 Aug. 2023.