What’s the difference between a landscaper and a gardener?

Times are difficult for many of us in the current economic climate, but with Spring firmly in the air, now is a great time to focus on your outdoor space and how you can get the most from it.

Maintaining a beautiful outdoor space is essential for enhancing the appearance and value of your home, not to mention the mental health benefits of spending time outside.  Whether you’re a homeowner or a property manager in Lincoln and the surrounding areas, you may need the services of a professional to help you achieve your outdoor space management goals.

In this blog, we’ll explore the difference between a gardener and a landscaper and help you choose the right professional for your needs.

What is a Gardener?

According to Wikipedia, a gardener “is any person involved in gardening, arguably the oldest occupation, from the hobbyist in a residential garden, the home-owner supplementing the family food with a small vegetable garden or orchard, to an employee in a plant nursery or the head gardener in a large estate.”

In this blog, we’ll concentrate on gardeners who are professionals that specialise in the care and maintenance of gardens, lawns, and outdoor plants. Gardeners can offer a wide range of services, including lawn care, plant care, garden design, and garden maintenance. They’re skilled in pruning, weeding, fertilizing, planting, and watering outdoor plants.

Lawn Care Services

Gardeners can maintain your lawn by mowing, edging, and fertilizing it. They can also provide services like aeration, weed control, and pest management to keep your lawn healthy and green. There are so many to choose from in our local area, and whilst ALS Landscaping isn’t affiliated with any of them, we quite like GreenThumb Lincoln which provides a wide range of affordable lawn maintenance services.

 

Plant Care Services

Gardeners can also help you to take care of your outdoor plants by pruning, fertilizing, watering, and protecting them from pests and diseases on an ongoing basis, which is perfect for time-poor homeowners, property managers, or those who love to spend time in the garden but don’t necessarily want to work ‘on’ the garden. With their knowledge of the local climate, they can also help you choose the right plants for your garden ensuring they’ll thrive without too much maintenance.

Garden Maintenance Services

IMP Garden Services offer a garden maintenance service to help keep your garden looking neat and tidy by removing weeds, deadheading flowers, and keeping pathways clear. They can also help you maintain garden structures such as trellises, arbors, and fences.

Garden Design Services

Professional gardeners can also help you design your garden by creating a plan that incorporates your vision and goals. They can help you choose the right plants, hardscaping elements, and other features to create a beautiful and functional outdoor space, but they won’t usually be able to offer the installation of any hardscaping such as patios, decking, or pathways.

 

What is a Landscaper?

Broadly speaking, and according to Career Explorer, “landscapers elevate the appearance of outdoor spaces and make them beautiful. They do this by planting flowers, plants, and shrubs; manicuring lawns; and trimming hedges so as to make residential, commercial, and public spaces more aesthetically pleasing.”

A landscaper is a professional who specialises in the design and construction of outdoor spaces. Landscapers like ALS Landscaping offer a wide range of services, including 3D garden design, hardscaping, soft scaping, and outdoor space management. They are skilled in creating outdoor spaces that are both beautiful and functional. We discussed the landscaping costs in 2023 in an earlier blog.

Hardscaping Services

Landscapers can create outdoor structures like patios, decks, pathways, and retaining walls. They can also install features like water fountains, fire pits, and outdoor lighting to enhance the appearance and functionality of your outdoor space.

Soft landscaping Services

Landscapers can also design and install ‘soft’ landscaping elements like trees, shrubs, flowers, and other plants. They can also incorporate features like mulch, rocks, and other natural elements to create a cohesive and attractive outdoor space. At ALS Landscaping in Lincoln, we’ve completed many projects combining both hard and soft landscaping.

Outdoor Space Management

Landscapers can manage your outdoor space by providing services like irrigation, drainage, and erosion control.

Differences between a Gardener and a Landscaper

The main difference between a gardener and a landscaper is the type of services they offer. Gardeners specialise in plant care, garden maintenance, and garden design, while landscapers specialise in hardscaping, soft landscaping, and outdoor space management. Both professionals have specific skill sets that are valuable for creating and maintaining beautiful outdoor spaces.

Which Professional Should You Choose?

Choosing the right professional for your outdoor space management needs depends on your goals, budget, and the type of work you need. If you want to maintain your lawn and garden, a gardener may be the best choice. If you want to create an outdoor living space or incorporate hardscaping elements like patios and pathways, a landscaper may be the best choice. Be sure to ask for references and look at the professional’s portfolio before hiring them.

As a premier approved Brett installer, ALS Landscaping are here to help you to make the decision that works for you. So, whether you’re looking to completely overhaul your existing outdoor space, or you just want a new outdoor entertaining area installing, get in touch today!