3 Major Differences Between Landscapers and Gardeners

Gardening and Landscaping are two extremely popular home improvement techniques that mainly center around using rocks, plants and other features to enhance natural beauty. However, in particular, gardening mainly involves growing plants which can range from tending to one plant to a garden with dozens of different plants. It requires either caring for or growing plants in the ground or in pots.

Landscaping is More Professional

Landscaping is a more professional form of gardening in simplistic terms. It involves the construction of topiaries, ponds, and sculpture. Landscaping or landscape design as it is called is an art and science of enriching the outdoors by using certain organizational techniques. The focus is obviously on aesthetics. Though landscaping mainly involves working on large scale projects like recreational areas and public gardens. Compared that to gardening which includes activities like pest control and growing plants as opposed to aesthetics the way landscaping mainly focuses on it. Though many landscaping services will also include gardening.

Gardening Can Be Done by Anyone

Becoming a gardener does not require a great deal of education or study. You don’t have to take a course on horticulture, CAD design, and construction the way you need to for landscaping. Almost anyone with some interest in plants can become a gardener. Though admittedly both require experience you need far less experience to become a gardener than you do to become a landscaper.

In most cases, gardeners are hired by home and business owners to look after already existing plants. They may water those plants, make sure that the right type of manure is used and prune when necessary. However, gardeners can’t perform functions like designing the layout of a garden or choosing one type or species of plant over the other for the best aesthetic presentation. That’s the domain of a landscaper.

Landscaping Requires Extensive Planning, but Gardening Does Not

Landscapers are often working on acres of land. Landscape design at its smallest level requires a great deal of planning to execute successfully. However, gardening, on the other hand, does not require planning. Gardeners are not responsible for strategically planning how the plants should be laid out. Also, gardeners are not responsible for the overall aesthetics of the final product the way a landscaper is. That said often times landscapers will bring gardeners onboard for planting and taking care of the lawn.

Landscapers need to plan for contingencies like water features, irrigation and other aspects of maintaining the landscape. Gardeners don’t have to because their job is to tend to the plants something which may require watering them a couple of times a week. That can be achieved via sprinklers or some already installed form of irrigation.

Conclusion

The decision to hire a landscaper verses a gardener will depend on the work you need. If you want a landscape designed from scratch, you’ll want to hire a qualified landscaper. If you want someone to look after your plants and lawn, then a gardener is best suited for this job.