What is Softscaping? Easy Upgrades with Plants, Trees, and Design Tips
Transforming your yard into a welcoming, vibrant space starts with more than just patios or pathways; it begins with softscaping. But what is softscaping exactly? Simply put, it’s the plant-focused side of landscaping, where trees, shrubs, flowers, and lawns come together to create beauty, balance, and life in your outdoor space.
Are you ready to bring your outdoor space to life with softscaping? The experts at Gauld Nurseries can help you choose the right trees, shrubs, and plants to fit your style, budget, and maintenance needs.
Key Takeaways: What is Softscaping
Softscaping is plant-based: It includes trees, shrubs, flowers, lawns, perennials, annuals, and ground covers.
Enhances beauty and balance: Softscaping adds colour, texture, and natural harmony to any outdoor space.
Boosts curb appeal: Thoughtfully planned greenery creates strong first impressions and increases property value.
Creates relaxing, functional spaces: Trees, shrubs, and flower beds provide shade, privacy, and peaceful garden areas.
Supports the environment: Plants improve air quality, attract pollinators, and reduce heat in your yard.
Offers seasonal interest: Proper plant selection ensures year-round colour, texture, and visual appeal.
Encourages hobby and exercise: Gardening is both creative and physically engaging.
Key softscaping elements: Trees, shrubs, flower beds, perennials, lawns, and ground covers each play a unique role.
Design tips matter: Layering plants, mixing textures and colours, planning for seasons, and thinking about function create cohesive and inviting landscapes.
Gauld Nurseries can help: Their wide selection and expert guidance make it easy to choose the right plants and design your perfect yard.
1. What is Softscaping?
*Image by Gauld Nurserires
Softscaping is the plant side of landscape design. While hardscaping is patios, walkways, and stone, softscaping is the living elements which bring natural beauty and life to your landscape.
Definition
Softscaping is all the foliage and plant matter which shapes your outdoor spaces. Softscaping brings colour, softness, and movement to balance out hard surfaces.
Key Features of Softscaping
Softscaping features can include any or all of the following:
Trees: Trees create shade, height, and form in your yard.
Shrubs: Shrubs provide form, privacy, and foliage year-round.
Flower Beds: Flowers introduce personality and dramatic colour to the yard.
Lawns: Lawns can offer a lush green foundation for the entire area.
Perennials and Annuals: Perennials and annuals will give you a combination of seasonal blooms and permanent plants.
Ground Covers: Ground covers can hide unattractive areas, reduce maintenance, and bridge your garden spaces.
Why Softscaping Matters
Softscaping is not just about plants; it’s also about building a place that is balanced and welcoming. The perfect blending of flowers, shrubs, and trees:
Enhances your home's curb appeal.
Provides texture and natural beauty.
Gives a balance between your home and the outdoors.
When thoughtfully planned, softscaping can transform any outdoor space into a vibrant and inviting extension of your home.
2. Benefits of Softscaping
Flowers, trees, and foliage brought into your yard do more than give your area an attractive appearance. Softscaping is a long-term value for your home, your lifestyle, and the environment.
Adds Curb Appeal
Softscaping creates a positive first impression with lovely flowers and dense foliage. An attractively designed yard adds overall beauty and value to your home.
Creates Relaxing Spaces
Bushes and trees create natural shade and privacy. Flower beds and gardens offer peaceful areas to sit and enjoy the outdoors.
Supports the Environment
Plants clean the air by consuming carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen. Softscaping attracts pollinators like butterflies and bees, which are beneficial to local environments. Greening reduces temperatures surrounding your house and neighbourhood.
Seasonal Interest
Some plants can be chosen to create some colour in your outdoor spaces that will last all through the growing season, while other plants will change colour with the seasons.
Fall colour, spring blooms, and evergreen trees and shrubs that remain green throughout the year can beautifully work together to keep your lawn looking attractive.
A Great Hobby and Form of Exercise
Gardening is a healthy means of exercising creativity and relaxing. Laying out, weeding, and taking care of your yard are light exercises with great health benefits.
Together, the benefits make softscaping an effortless yet efficient means of enhancing your home and adding value to your life.
3. Softscaping Elements to Consider
When planning your softscaping, it helps to think about the main plant groups that can shape your yard. Each plays a unique role in creating balance, structure, and beauty.
Trees
Shade trees, evergreens, and ornamental options form the backbone of most landscapes.
They provide height, shade, and long-term value to your outdoor space.
Recommendations by Gauld Nurseries are maples for fantastic fall colour, spruces for evergreen colour, and flowering crabapples for spring blooms.
Shrubs
Shrubs are a low-maintenance option for hedges, borders, and garden highlights.
They offer foliage and texture that tie planting areas together.
Some to include are hydrangeas for summer blooms, boxwood for neat hedges, and lilacs for their fragrant spring blooms.
*Image by Gauld Nurseries
Flower Beds & Perennials
Flower beds bring a colourful personality to your garden.
Perennials come back year after year, minimizing replanting needs, and annuals can provide new seasonal interest.
Options are daylilies for bold, low-maintenance flowers, hostas for textured foliage, and native perennials adapted to local conditions.
Lawn & Ground Covers
A well-maintained lawn forms the green base of your entire landscape.
Ground covers fill gaps in bare areas, suppress weeds, and offer lower maintenance.
For eco-friendly options, look for alternatives to regular grass, such as creeping thyme or clover.
*Image by Gauld Nurseries
By carefully weighing these elements, you can design a landscape that is cohesive, hospitable, and tailored to your tastes.
4. Design Tips for Easy Softscaping Upgrades
*Image by Gauld Nurseries
You don't need a full landscape overhaul to beautify your yard. With simple design secrets, you can freshen up your outdoor space and enjoy long-term advantages. Here are some great design tips to help you get started.
Layer Plants
Position taller trees in the back, medium-sized bushes in the center, and flowers or ground covers at the front. This layered approach creates depth and gives all plants the chance to be seen and appreciated.
Mix Textures & Colours
Combine evergreens with flowering blooms for year-round interest. Balance strong leaves with softer textures, and pair vibrant flowers with calming greens for a balanced effect.
Plan for Seasons
Select plants that offer something exciting in every season, whether spring blooms, summer foliage, fall colour, or winter evergreens. This keeps your garden from ever being dull, no matter the season.
Think Function
Select shrubs to provide natural privacy screens. Plant strategically positioned trees for shade and to reduce summer heat. Use low-maintenance perennials for reliable colour and minimal maintenance year after year.
These simple design choices can turn an ordinary yard into a classy, inviting, and low-maintenance environment. For expert guidance and an extensive selection of trees, shrubs, and perennials, visit Gauld Nurseries to turn your softscaping visions into reality.
5. Softscaping Inspiration from Gauld Nurseries
*image by Gauld Nurseries
Getting the right plants and creating a harmonious outdoor area can be daunting, but not with Gauld Nurseries. Their extensive choice of plants and professional advice enables homeowners to build lovely, low-maintenance gardens.
Extensive Plant Choice
Gauld Nurseries has a broad choice of trees, shrubs, perennials, and ground covers. From vibrant flowers, evergreens, or native species, there's something for every garden and aesthetic.
Professional Guidance to Easy Success
Their knowledgeable staff help you select plants that thrive in your area. They favour choices that are eye-catching while keeping maintenance lower, so your garden stays beautiful without the hassle.
Blending Plants for Aesthetic Balance
Gauld Nurseries' staff can help you harmonize texture, colour, and height. From strategically planting trees and shrubs to mixing perennials and ground cover, their advice ensures your garden feels balanced and inviting.
With the right motivation and encouragement from Gauld Nurseries, it has never been simpler to transform your outside space with softscaping.
Contact Gauld Nurseries for Softscaping Help
Softscaping is a simple yet powerful way to transform your outdoor space, bringing beauty, balance, and life to your yard. From trees and shrubs to colourful flower beds and ground covers, thoughtful plant choices can enhance curb appeal, create relaxing retreats, and support the environment, all while being a rewarding hobby.
For personalized guidance and a wide selection of plants to make your softscaping vision a reality, visit Gauld Nurseries today and let their expert team help you create a stunning, low-maintenance garden you’ll love.
What Our Customers are Saying…
“Great place to shop! The staff is super helpful and knowledgeable. I was having trouble finding the right trees and shrubs for my yard and the staff were amazing at helping me make the right choices. If you want knowledgeable people to help with your garden needs shop at Gaulds!”
— Jack Ashcroft
“Thank you to all the staff who are so helpful and courteous at Gauld Nurseries. Our Baby Blue Spruce planted in honour of beloved Daniel is a beautiful addition to our yard. Special thanks to Marla for reserving this particular tree for us; to Jack for his expert opinion; to Mark, Brandon and Josh for doing such a fantastic job on the day of planting; and to Alex for coordinating the work. Not our first time dealing with Gauld’s and certainly will not be our last.”
— Alain G
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