The term landscaping generally conjures up images of experts creating sweeping lawns and adding flowers, shrubs, and trees. That is actually what professionals like Giglio Landscape Services LLC do during most projects. However, they also create lesser-known elements known in their trade as hardscaping. These features are made using stone or masonry. Homeowners choose Hardscape Landscaping in Darien CT to expand usable space, solve problems and create interest.
How Hardscaping Fits Into Landscaping Projects
When professionals add live plantings to Connecticut properties, they call it soft scaping. In contrast, Hardscape Landscaping in Darien CT includes walkways, walls, driveways and decks. Creating patios and building outdoor kitchens is also hardscaping, as is creating water features. Although individual elements may differ, they are all designed to stay the same for a long time, unlike soft scaping, which changes with seasons and growth patterns.
Professionals Use Hardscaping to Solve Problems
Landscape designers can use hardscaping to solve immediate and long-term problems. For example, they might add a retaining wall that prevents erosion on a hilly property. Walkways are often built to allow easier access on steep inclines. Walls may also create usable space where plants can safely grow. Some designers even use patios to create smooth surfaces in bumpy areas. They often add stonework or masonry to make future maintenance simpler for homeowners. Stones need no care, and walkways can reduce the amount of lawn that needs to be mowed.
Hardscaping Can Increase Function and Beauty
Homeowners also opt for hardscaping when they want to create outdoor living spaces. In these cases, designers typically create attractive, functional areas like outdoor kitchens and covered patios. They may install cozy fire pits that allow homeowners to entertain outdoors year round. Professionals can also build stone or cement paths that make it simpler to walk across the property. They often include decorative borders or focal points such as water features.
When landscape professionals want to add interest and function to properties, they include hardscaping. That includes masonry or stone features that correct design problems and make spaces easier to maintain. Hardscaping is also used to make outdoor areas more interesting and functional.