How soft landscape design shapes our urban spaces

A landscape architecture firm needs to offer various kinds of services, as this is a very broad line of business. Apart from site surveys, consultancy services, landscape planning and design, a landscape architect will be of great assistance when it comes to ensuring that you are designing something aesthetically pleasing, environmentally friendly and in compliance with the law. One of the main drawbacks of some landscape architecture firms is that they tend to focus too much on hard landscape design. There is no doubt that this is extremely important, and probably one of the most noticeable aspects of a finalised project. However, soft landscape design needs to be complemented with hard landscape design.

 Soft landscape design is that special extra touch given to the hard landscape design. Visually, and practically, it tends to be as important as hard landscape design, and so it is important to place enough importance on this aspect.

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Soft planting schemes make up a significant part of soft landscape design. This can be informal or somewhat unusual and original, or else more formal and traditional. Choosing the right plants is very important. Plants need to thrive to bring out the best of your landscape and so choosing them well is of utmost importance. Tree planting sizes range a great deal and an experienced landscape architect will be able to help you choose the most suitable ones for your landscape. Trees need to be complemented with shrubs, hedging and other features.

Moreover, in many cases planting of flowers will come into play. This will involve seeding, choice of bulbs, as well as irrigation systems. Sometimes it is more feasible to opt for turfing.

Topsoils and subsoils will need to be evaluated, as the planting decisions will revolve a great deal around them. At times ground works might be required too. Sometimes, river and lake works might have to be dealt with as well. These are just some of the most common considerations a soft landscaping design service includes.

Many soft landscaping projects will be in small areas, such as city centres, small courtyards, business premises and private estates. In such cases outdoor space will be somewhat restricted, and it takes a great deal of experience and creativity to come up with practical and aesthetically pleasing solutions. For larger projects, such as public parks, hotels, hospitals, universities, schools and areas that are somewhat spacious, there will be more room to elaborate further on the visual impact. However, regardless of the space limitations or otherwise, it is important to make sure that the right choice of plants is made, that the soil is ideal, and that irrigation is adequate to maintain the trees and plants thriving.

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The soft landscape design service will revolve around all of these considerations. The different plants, shrubs and trees have the purpose of improving the landscape’s design, and so the designer will be taking into account the seeding, the turfing, and the likely need for earth moving and soil amelioration so as to improve the growth of the plants and trees. The soft landscape design will require a plan which will show which plants and trees are going to be planted and where. Maintenance operations will be taken into account too. The planting strategy is ultimately a long term plan that is not only about the initial planting, but also for the maintenance and management of the different plants in that landscape. Sunlight considerations and climate conditions will need to be taken into account at this point too.

Hence, there is no doubt that professional soft landscape design is a job that should be handled by experienced and professional landscape specialists. Handling different kinds of landscapes helps to equip the designer with more ideas, and it is an added way of managing to strike a good balance between what is beautiful and practical. Soft landscape design is just like an art, and it should thus be handled with utmost care and professionalism if one is to achieve satisfactory long-term results.


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Matthew Okafor