Want To Improve Your Garden? Check Out Our Soft Landscaping Tips
No garden design is complete without nature’s touch. A combination of hardscaped structures and natural beauty is the secret to an impressive outdoor space. However, when it comes to renovating your outdoor space it is often the hardscaping elements that take centre stage.
While hard landscaping sets the groundwork and structure of garden design, soft landscaping injects life into these areas and should not be neglected.
At TM Landscapes & Garden Design, we appreciate the beauty of nature and how it can transform the appeal of any outdoor space through careful design. Using our expertise in and passion for landscaping, we are sharing our best soft landscaping tips to help you design a better garden.
Why Add Soft Landscaping To Outdoor Spaces?
Soft landscaping is the term for all the natural, living elements of a garden, such as plants, flowers, trees, and shrubs.
Hardscaping, which refers to elements like paving, patios, and even driveways, may form the backbone of your garden design, but without the living element, the space would feel incomplete.
A blend of greenery, bright hues and delightful floral scents creates a welcoming ambience that can accentuate even the simplest garden designs and create a space you can be proud of.
While the primary benefit of soft landscaping is the aesthetic appeal and how this can enhance the design of outdoor spaces, this is not the only thing they offer. Plants also offer a range of benefits for health and well-being – both for humans and the surrounding environment.
Plants play a vital role in sustaining our environment, as they enhance air quality. Plants, specifically trees, deliver cleaner air to the environment by absorbing harmful toxins and releasing oxygen.
This is not the only environmental benefit that plants can provide, as soft landscaping can also combat soil erosion and nurture local wildlife by providing necessary habitats for animals and insects.
For humans, plants provide numerous well-being benefits and can evoke a sense of tranquillity naturally. Soft landscaping offers a variety of health and well-being benefits, including stress reduction, improved sleep quality, and cleaner air.
Simply adding some greenery to your garden can transform the space into a sanctuary, creating an escape from the daily hustle so you can improve your well-being from the comfort of your own home.
Soft landscaping is a valuable tool, not just to enhance your garden design but also for the environment and your personal well-being. It is an attractive feature in all landscapes and should be a crucial part of your garden makeover if you want to make an impact.
How To Improve Your Garden Design: Our Best Soft Landscaping Tips
Having understood the benefits of soft landscaping, it’s time to consider incorporating elements into your garden design. Choosing the right plants for your landscape is key to creating a successful garden design.
There are plenty of options to suit various styles and environments, ensuring there is going to be something for everyone.
As part of our soft landscaping tips, TM Landscapes & Garden Design is sharing our top picks from a range of soft landscaping categories to give you a starting point for your next garden transformation. The following can be added to any kind of landscape to offer additional visual appeal, as well as the aforementioned benefits:
Perennial Flowers
If you want to add colour to your garden with minimal effort, perennials are your perfect solution. These plants bloom each year, ensuring there’s always something exciting in your landscape.
Some perennials you may want to consider to uplift your garden include: Lavender, Geraniums, Hosta.
Evergreen Shrubs
If you are looking for year-round colour and interest, then evergreen shrubs are the perfect solution. These will continue to be vibrant and lush, no matter the season.
Grasses
Grasses can be a great soft landscaping element to add to your landscape for additional texture and movement. Each time the wind blows, the grass will sway and bring new interest to particular areas of your garden.
Low Growing Plants
If you have a lot of free ground space in your garden, such as extensive paved areas, and want to introduce some colour, these options are perfect: Creeping Thyme and Periwinkle.
Both of these low growing plants cover large areas swiftly, making them a valuable tool for instant soft landscaping.
Annual Bedding Plants
If you’re new to soft landscaping and are not sure what kind of plants would best suit your garden, annuals an excellent choice. These plants require replanting after the winter season, meaning they need less long-term commitment than other options.
Consider the following as a starter for your garden – Petunias (Petunia spp.), Marigolds (Tagetes spp.), and Pansies (Viola spp.) are perfect for seasonal displays of vibrant colours and scents.
Biennials
Biennals are similar to annuals, but these can last two years – typically offering colour when they bloom in their second year. The following plants are a great solution for a longer-term gardening plan.
Ornamental Trees
Trees are a fantastic way to infuse colour and texture into the garden. These kinds of soft landscaping elements typically require long-term planning and commitment but can become a focal point in even the smallest gardens when they are at their height.
There are many options out there for soft landscaping elements, allowing you to create a stunning garden design that meets your specific tastes and desires.
How to Plant: Soft Landscaping Tips for a Healthy Garden
Once you’ve chosen the soft landscaping elements to add to your garden, it’s time to start planting. The secret to a flourishing garden lies in the planting process, so it’s crucial to get it right. These are our top soft landscaping tips to aid your planting process so you can create a thriving landscape.
Before planting anything, you first need to prepare the soil to ensure it supports the ongoing growth and health of flowers, shrubs, and trees.
The following soft landscaping tips will help to set the perfect foundation for your new additions:
- Test Your Soil: Check the pH levels and nutrient content of the soil using at-home kits. This helps you ascertain what amendments are required to give your plants the best start.
- Add Organic Matter: Incorporate compost or well-rotted manure to enhance soil structure and fertility, promoting the growth of all plants and flowers so they can thrive in your landscape.
- Ensure Proper Drainage: Ensure your soil drains well before planting to make sure that your plants get the proper hydration and will not succumb to waterlogging. Raised flower or plant beds are an excellent solution to this issue and can be installed in poorly drained areas so you don’t miss out on the soft landscaping beauty.
Caring For Soft Landscaping: Tips & Tricks
Soft landscaping elements, from flowers to trees, require ongoing care to ensure they thrive in all seasons and receive the nutrients they need to support their growth.
Routine garden maintenance tasks like regular watering, pruning, and correct fertilisation are all fundamental for plant health and should be performed to support the continued growth of your landscape. We also advise routine checks for pests or diseases in your maintenance routine, as timely interventions will keep your garden fresh and healthy.
As well as these regular maintenance tasks, the following soft landscaping tips should be implemented to ensure successful plant growth and to help you maintain a healthy garden:
- Proper Spacing: When planting, ensure you give plants enough room to grow to their full potential without overcrowding.
- Watering: Water thoroughly after planting and maintain consistent moisture levels during the season, as this will aid their growth. The watering quantity depends on the season’s temperature and weather.
- Mulching: Apply a layer of mulch around plants to retain moisture, suppress weeds, and regulate soil temperature.
Conclusion
Soft landscaping is the heart of a well-designed garden. With careful plant selection and consistent maintenance, you can create a stunning outdoor area that looks appealing all year long.
At TM Landscapes & Garden Design, we offer a broad range of landscaping services tailored to your needs. Whether you’re starting from the ground up or looking to revamp your existing garden, our team is ready to assist you with our skills and quality workmanship.
Contact Us Today
Are you ready to transform your garden through the power of soft landscaping? Contact us today to schedule a consultation or to learn more about our services.