While we may think of landscaping in terms of plants, trees, flowers, and shrubs, that’s only part of the story. Even if your garden was designed to look like a meadow of wildflowers, chances are you have some non-living component, like rocks or a fence. That’s the “hardscape,” and the plants are the “softscape.”…
Source: LifeHacker – The Difference Between Hardscape and Softscape, And How to Use Both in Your Garden