Experience The Power Of Nature With Our Soft Landscaping Guide
No garden design is complete without plants. It requires a beautiful blend of hardscaped surfaces and natural vibrancy to deliver a stunning outdoor space, yet only one of these elements gets attention when transforming your garden.
While hard landscaping lays the foundation and structural groundwork of garden design, soft landscaping breathes vitality into these spaces and shouldn’t be overlooked.
At Knightingale Landscapes, we value the power of nature and its ability to transform any outdoor space into a tranquil haven. Using our expertise and passion for garden design, we are sharing the power of plants in this soft landscaping guide and delivering tips to elevate your outdoor space.
Defining Soft Landscaping: What & Why?
To start this soft landscaping guide, we first need to clarify what soft landscaping is and how it can influence your outdoor space.
Soft landscaping refers to all the natural, living elements of a garden, such as plants, flowers, trees, and shrubs.
Hardscaping, which refers to areas such as paving, patios, and even driveways, may create the backbone of your garden design, but without the living element, the space will feel incomplete.
Soft landscaping introduces dynamic life and vibrancy to outdoor spaces, bringing in colour, and texture for added interest. A combination of greenery, natural colours and delicious floral scents creates a welcoming ambience that can complement even the simplest garden design.
The Advantages Of Soft Landscaping
While the prime advantage of soft landscaping is aesthetic, the power of plants extends beyond this. Plants and soft landscaping also offer a range of benefits for health and well-being, for both humans and the surrounding environment, and should be considered in all kinds of outdoor spaces.
Plants play an indispensable role in supporting our environment, as they improve air quality by absorbing harmful toxins and releasing oxygen. Soft landscaping can also contribute to other aspects of environmental wellness by fighting against soil erosion and fostering local wildlife, as they provide essential habitats for animals and insects.
For humans, the presence of plants can provoke a feeling of tranquillity and provide well-being benefits in terms of stress reduction, improved sleep and cleaner air. Merely adding greenery to your garden can transform the space into a sanctuary; an escape from daily noise, where you can breathe in the natural goodness whenever you desire.
Soft landscaping is a valuable tool, not just to complement your garden design but also for the environment and your personal well-being and should be considered in your garden transformation.
Choosing The Best Plants: Soft Landscaping Guide for All Gardens
Choosing the best plants for your landscape is key to successful garden design, and there are many options to suit all styles and environments.
As part of this soft landscaping guide, we are sharing some of the top picks from each category which you can use as a starting point for your next gardening project:
Perennial Plants And Grasses
If you want to add colour to your garden with minimal effort, perennials are your ideal solution These plants reappear each year, so there will always be something to look forward to in your landscape.
Some perennials you may want to consider to elevate your garden design include:
Lavender (Lavandula), Geraniums (Geranium spp.), and Hosta (Hosta spp.) offer long-lasting blooms and foliage for an immediate splash of colour in your garden.
Miscanthus (Miscanthus sinensis) and Blue Fescue (Festuca glauca) add movement and texture and can be used to create divisions in the garden.
Trees, Shrubs And Foliage
Trees and shrubs are an excellent way to introduce colour and texture to the garden, providing a lasting feature for the landscape. These usually require long-term planning and commitment but can become a focal point in even the smallest gardens.
There are various forms of trees and shrubs to consider, but we’d recommend focusing on the following:
Boxwood (Buxus sempervirens) or Holly (Ilex aquifolium) provide year-round greenery and will brighten up your garden regardless of the season.
Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum) or Flowering Cherry (Prunus serrulata) add height and structure to the garden, creating an eye-catching focal point in even the smallest spaces
Ground Covering Plants
If you have a lot of ground space in your garden, such as large paved areas and want to introduce some colour, these are excellent options:
Creeping Thyme (Thymus serpyllum) and Periwinkle (Vinca minor) cover large areas quickly, making them a valuable tool for instant soft landscaping.
Annuals and Biennials Flowers
If you’re new to soft landscaping and unsure what would best suit your garden, annuals and biennials are ideal. These plants last one to two years but need to be replanted after the winter season, meaning they require less long-term commitment.
Petunias (Petunia spp.), Marigolds (Tagetes spp.), and Pansies (Viola spp.) are perfect for seasonal displays of vibrant colours and fragrances.
Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) and Sweet William (Dianthus barbatus) provide colour in their second year, making them suitable for a longer-term plan.
Preparing The Ground For Soft Landscaping
Once you’ve selected the soft landscaping elements to add to your garden, it’s time to start planting. The key to a thriving garden lies in the planting process, so you need to ensure to get it right.
In this soft landscaping guide, we are sharing some of our best tips to support your planting process, allowing you to create a thriving landscape.
Before planting anything, there are three steps to prepare the soil to set the best foundation for your flowers, shrubs, and trees:
- Test Your Soil: Check the pH levels and nutrient content of the soil, which can be done using at-home kits. This helps you determine what amendments are needed to give your plants the best start.
- Add Organic Matter: Incorporate compost or well-rotted manure to boost soil structure and fertility, aiding the growth of all plants and flowers so they will thrive in your landscape.
- Ensure Proper Drainage: To make sure that your plants get the proper hydration and will not become waterlogged, you need to ensure that your soil drains well before planting. Raised flower or plant beds are an excellent solution to this issue and can be installed in poorly drained areas so you don’t have to miss out on the beauty of soft landscaping.
How To Plant: A Soft Landscaping Guide
After soil preparation, it’s time to start adding flowers, plants, and trees to your landscape.
The following are some of the best tips to ensure successful plant growth and keep your garden healthy following the introduction of soft landscaping elements:
- 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 amount of watering needed depends on the season’s temperature and weather.
- Mulching: Apply a mulch layer around plants to retain moisture, suppress weeds, and regulate soil temperature.
Maintenance Tips to Keep Your Garden Thriving
Now that the plants have been installed, you need to continue caring for them so they can thrive and enhance your garden design as desired. Soft landscaping elements, from flowers to trees, require ongoing care to ensure they thrive in all seasons and get the nutrients they need to support their growth.
Garden maintenance tasks such as regular watering, pruning, and correct fertilisation are all essential for plant health and should be carried out to support the constant growth of your landscape.
We also recommend regular checks for pests or diseases in your maintenance routine, as timely interventions will keep your garden looking fresh and in prime health.
Soft landscaping can be an amazing addition to your landscape, provided you take care of it and are willing to commit to the upkeep of your outdoor space.
Contact Us Today
At Knightingale Landscapes, we provide a wide range of landscaping services that can be tailored to your needs. Whether you’re starting from scratch or looking to refurbish your existing garden, our team is here to assist you.
Contact us today to arrange a consultation or to learn more about our services.
