If you are a homeowner, you might be looking for an answer to the difference between a lawn and a garden. The main difference between a lawn and a garden is basically its purpose.
A lawn is a large piece of land covered in grass with a plain field for playing, gathering, and picnics. A garden contains aesthetic plants, flowers, and fruit trees for display.
The difference between the two is often observed with its size, where a lawn is usually larger than the size of a garden.
Let us look at the difference and purposes of both. Further, we will also look at the effort each type needs and the advantages of maintaining one.
What is a Lawn and how is it different from a Garden?
A lawn is a large piece of land that is covered with soil and planted with grass. You can also plant other durable plants such as clover plants maintained up to a short height using a lawnmower.
The purpose is to create an aesthetic feel of the environment for recreational purposes. A lawn only has grass species planted on the ground, making it susceptible to weed and other pest plants.
A lawn owner usually has only one purpose: to maintain the grass’s color and keep it as green as possible. This can be achieved by watering the grass regularly and taking action depending on the weather.
The lawn’s height is usually kept low by mowing it using a lawnmower, but it is not defined as such.
Many commercial buildings, office blocks, residential areas maintain lawns to certain square meters around. These areas are designed to create an outdoor look, making the buildings look greener and more welcoming.
You can find several city parks with large lawn areas for children to play in and have a picnic with their families. Some countries have different names for these areas like pitch, turf, or simply green.
The term “lawn” dates back to the 16th century that defines any space containing managed grass.
When the suburban expansion began and people moved away from natural habitats, it became compulsory for residential areas to have a managed lawn area to bring nature into cities.
Some countries have laws that require homeowners to maintain a lawn and manage the grass in certain ways. If the laws are not followed, the government fines the owners heavily.
What Constitutes a Garden and How is it Different from a Lawn?
On the other hand, a garden is a space with proper planning and setting to create an aesthetic feel of the display of flowers, fruits, and trees.
This area is created outdoors with human-made waterfalls to complete a look that makes the onlooker feel like nature. The term “garden” is a common one used for spaces displayed at home.
Zoos, for example, display wild animals, which are kept in their natural habitats, and they were called zoological gardens.
Western gardens usually display plants alone but are now popularly known as botanical gardens. Any space that shows a beautiful display of flowers or anything aesthetically pleasing is called a garden.
You will often find gardens that contain human-made waterfalls, ponds, creeks, arbors, fountains, and even dry creek beds. While some people create and maintain a garden as a hobby, others do it to earn money.
The demand for international fruits and flowers has increased across the world, and to meet this demand, people are growing them in their own gardens. Some have created a business out of it.
People who own large pieces of rich land plant fruits and vegetables for an earning. Others plant exotic fruits and flowers to sell to interested buyers. A perfect example of a human-made garden is the Dubai Miracle Garden that contains a beautiful and enormous display of flowers worldwide.
People from all over the world spend hours exploring and delighting their senses in this display. Another garden in Dubai is the Butterfly garden, where exotic butterflies are kept in their artificially created environment.
A place like Dubai that has the only desert and scorching temperatures can give its visitors an experience of a lifetime.
A gardening activity is a great hobby, which thousands of people around the world find peace in. The desire to stay close to nature has always been a human need.
Gardening gives just that, fresh oxygen, the sound of birds in the early hours of the morning, and the coolness of a summer night.
Professional gardeners often work with municipal offices aiming to bring nature to urban areas. The desire to combine green with concrete started as early as early industrialization.
What is Easiest to Maintain: Garden or Lawn?
While you need less equipment to maintain a lawn, you will require more supplies for a garden. A lawn usually requires a water hose, soil, and continuous care. You will need to add more manure once in a while and water it regularly to maintain the grass’s green color. The changing seasons would mean the green color disintegration often and turning to yellow patches all over the lawn.
This goes away when the season changes. Ample sunlight also plays an important role in how green the grass is on the lawn.
You will need to keep an eye out for weed and other pests that usually sprout all over the grass. These need to be plucked out by hand otherwise;, they can take over the entire lawn area.
A garden, on the other hand, takes more time and effort. You will need to invest in several gardening tools; pests control sprays, gloves, pots, and seeds. If you wish to create an environment in your home’s dedicated area for gardening, your options are open to several flowers, fruits, and vegetables.
You can buy the flowers and plant them in good quality soil and wait for growth. If you wish to see your first flower grow, you can plant the seeds yourself and see what happens.
Most people choose the colors and plant them according to the picture they wish to create, and then it grows bigger. This way, there are no surprises about the colors and texture of the flowers.
