Glossary

Landscaping terms, defined

A plain-language reference to the words behind backyard, garden, and patio design — what they mean and why they matter for your project.

A

  • Artificial turf

    Artificial turf is synthetic grass installed over a prepared base as a no-mow, no-water lawn substitute.

    2 min read
C

  • Compost

    Compost is decomposed organic matter, such as food scraps, fallen leaves, and grass clippings, that breaks down into a dark, crumbly material used to enrich soil and feed plants.

    2 min read

  • Cottage garden

    A cottage garden is an informal, densely planted style that mixes flowers, herbs, and edibles in a relaxed, layered look.

    3 min read

  • Curb appeal

    Curb appeal is how attractive a property looks from the street, driven mostly by the front yard and entry.

    2 min read
D

  • Drip irrigation

    Drip irrigation is a watering method that delivers water slowly and directly to plant roots through a network of tubing and small emitters, releasing it drop by drop at low pressure instead of spraying it over the whole surface of a yard.

    2 min read

  • Drought-tolerant plants

    Drought-tolerant plants are species that survive and stay healthy on minimal water once their roots are established, drawing on deep roots, water-storing tissue, or low-evaporation foliage to endure dry spells with little or no supplemental irrigation.

    2 min read
F

  • Focal point

    A focal point is the element a landscape is designed to draw the eye to first — a tree, a water feature, a sculpture, or a framed view.

    2 min read

  • Foundation planting

    Foundation planting is the bed of shrubs and plants along the base of a house that ties the building to the yard.

    3 min read

  • French drain

    A French drain is a gravel-filled trench with a perforated pipe that collects water and carries it away from a problem area.

    3 min read
H

  • Hardscaping

    Hardscaping is the set of non-living, built elements in a landscape, including patios, walls, walkways, decks, steps, and edging, that give an outdoor space its permanent structure and surfaces.

    2 min read

  • Hydroseeding

    Hydroseeding is a planting method that sprays a wet slurry of grass seed, mulch, fertilizer, and water onto bare soil through a hose, establishing a lawn or covering exposed ground faster and more evenly than hand-sowing.

    2 min read
L

  • Landscape design

    Landscape design is the planning of an outdoor space — its layout, planting, and built features — before anything goes in the ground.

    3 min read

  • Landscape edging

    Landscape edging is the defined border between two areas — usually lawn and a planting bed — that keeps each in its place.

    2 min read

  • Landscape lighting

    Landscape lighting is low-voltage outdoor lighting used to make a yard usable and attractive after dark.

    2 min read

  • Lawn aeration

    Lawn aeration is the practice of perforating turf with many small holes so air, water, and nutrients can reach the grass roots, relieving soil compaction and helping a lawn grow thicker and healthier.

    2 min read

  • Lawn alternative

    A lawn alternative is any planting that replaces traditional turf grass — clover, a native meadow, ground cover, or moss.

    2 min read
M

  • Mediterranean garden

    A Mediterranean garden is a style built around drought-tolerant plants, gravel, and warm hardscape suited to hot, dry summers.

    3 min read

  • Modern landscaping

    Modern landscaping is a clean-lined style built on simple geometry, a restrained plant palette, and strong hardscape.

    2 min read
N

  • Native plants

    Native plants is plant species that evolved and occur naturally in a particular region, adapted to its local soil, climate, rainfall, and wildlife rather than being introduced from elsewhere.

    2 min read
P

  • Paver patio

    A paver patio is an outdoor floor built from individual units — concrete, brick, or stone — set over a compacted base.

    3 min read

  • Perennial

    Perennial is a plant that lives more than two years and returns each growing season, dying back or resting through cold or dry months and then regrowing from the same roots rather than being replanted.

    2 min read

  • Pergola

    A pergola is an open overhead structure of posts and crossbeams that defines an outdoor room and filters sunlight.

    2 min read

  • Pollinator garden

    A pollinator garden is a planting chosen and arranged to feed bees, butterflies, and other pollinators across the seasons.

    2 min read
R

  • Rain barrel

    Rain barrel is a container, usually 50 to 100 gallons, that sits under a downspout to capture roof runoff during rain so the stored water can be used later to water the yard.

    2 min read

  • Rain garden

    A rain garden is a shallow planted basin that catches runoff from roofs and paving and lets it soak into the ground.

    3 min read

  • Raised garden bed

    Raised garden bed is a planting area built above the natural ground level, usually inside a frame of wood, stone, metal, or block and filled with imported soil so plants grow in a contained, elevated bed rather than in the native earth.

    2 min read

  • Retaining wall

    Retaining wall is a structural wall built to hold back soil and resist the lateral pressure of a slope or change in ground level, keeping earth in place where it would otherwise slide or erode.

    2 min read
S

  • Soaker hose

    Soaker hose is a porous rubber or fabric hose that weeps water slowly along its entire length, wetting the soil directly at the root zone instead of spraying it through the air.

    2 min read

  • Softscape

    Softscape is the living part of a landscape — lawn, trees, shrubs, flowers, and ground cover.

    2 min read
T

  • Topsoil

    Topsoil is the dark, nutrient-rich upper layer of soil, usually the top few inches, where most plant roots, microbes, and organic matter sit and where almost all garden and lawn growth happens.

    2 min read

  • Tropical landscaping

    Tropical landscaping is a lush, layered style built on big-leaf foliage, bold color, and dense planting.

    2 min read
U

  • USDA hardiness zone

    USDA hardiness zone is a region on the U.S. Department of Agriculture map, numbered 1 through 13 and split into "a" and "b" halves, that groups areas by their average annual lowest winter temperature so gardeners can tell which plants will survive the cold there.

    2 min read
W

  • Water feature

    A water feature is any built water element in a landscape — a fountain, a pond, a bubbling rock, or a small stream.

    2 min read
X

  • Xeriscaping

    Xeriscaping is a landscaping approach that designs a yard to thrive on little or no supplemental irrigation by combining drought-tolerant plants, water-retaining soil, mulch, and efficient watering methods.

    2 min read
Z

  • Zen garden

    A Zen garden is a minimalist Japanese-influenced style using raked gravel, stone, and sparse planting to create calm.

    2 min read

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