Do you think a garden and a lawn are the same too? It’s okay. That’s not your fault. There is a popular misconception that they are the same as they are both denoted to space beside your house. To be honest, if I didn’t know any better, I’d think the same.
It’s easy to misunderstand this concept. After all, both of them denote the same space beside a house. Since you’re here, I’m guessing you want to change that and want to know what the difference between a garden and a lawn is.
Don’t worry. Rest assured. You’ve come to the right place. Keep reading this article as I show you all the possible facts and differences between lawns Vs gardens.
What Is the Difference Between a Lawn and a Garden? [Differences]
The main difference between a garden and a lawn is related to the components of the place. For example, what you plant, cultivate, or look at.
In a garden, you can plant different types of flowers, herbs, shrubs, and so on. On the other hand, if you fill the piece of land with different types of grasses only, then it will be a lawn.
What are Lawns and Gardens?
Since I’ve already told you about the main differences, you might now have an overall idea of what they are. But there is more to it than what I’ve already shown.
So, before looking into the difference, you need to have a proper idea on which is what. What defines a lawn? And what defines a garden? I’ll give you a description of what they are before discussing their differences.
What is a Lawn?
An area that is covered with soil and different types of grass, moss, type of plants maintaining a short height are called a lawn.
The height of the plants is only as much as allowed when you use a lawnmower. Commonly, everyone plants only different types of grasses.
Maintaining such kinds of lawns is sort of hard because grasses normally attract weeds and pests. So, you have to clean, control pests, and do other maintenance work to conserve its color and health regularly.
You can consider any grassy space around houses, offices, commercial buildings, or apartments as lawns. Sometimes you can also see lawns in different parks or other recreational spots.
The concept of ‘Lawns’ started in the 16th century. The lawn creates an aesthetic environment around constructed buildings. So, it creates a scope of interaction with nature. Besides that, it creates a refreshing environment around the house.
What is a Garden?
A particular space–preferably outdoors–used to plant different kinds of vegetation and their cultivations, is called a Garden. Normally, a garden is a decorated place where you can relax. It can also connect you with nature.
A garden can be both man-made and natural. The most common form of garden nowadays is a sort of residential garden.
The residential gardens can be on your balcony or your apartment terrace if you don’t have any space in front of your apartment building.
Did you ever visit a zoo? Of course, you have! A zoo is a place where various types of wild animals are displayed.
Did you know the zoo was once called a type of garden? During the 20th century, everyone knew zoos as zoological gardens. That zoological garden is the zoo you and I see today.
Western people, however, think gardens are only spaces decorated with plants only. They thought that the garden is the short form of a botanical garden. In the eastern areas, there are Zen gardens.
Those are special types of gardens that hardly use any plants. People around those gardens keep the usage of plants as little as possible. If they can, they use no plant at all.
There are also some food-producing gardens. Those gardens look like a Lowkey farm. The flower garden is the most popular among them.
You can decorate a garden with any type of vegetation. For example, follies, herbs, shrubs, creepers, ferns, and so on. Proper plantation of this vegetation with proper order can make your land look more attractive.
Moreover, using fountains, swings, or ponds will also enhance the look of your gardens by manifold. So, in that sense, a garden is used for only ornamental purposes.
Another positive side of having a garden is, you can make it anywhere you want. Indoors or outdoors, you name it!
You can decorate outdoor gardens with fountains, ponds, or any other items. Indoor gardens, on the other hand, will enhance the look your house has from the inside.
Differences in a Nutshell…
Overall, you can notice some major differences between a lawn and a garden from their explanation. For your convenience, let me present those differences in a table.
| Lawn | Garden |
| 1. A portion of land beside a building filled with short plants like grasses or moss | 1. A fixed space for planting different plants and vegetation |
| 2. Filled with grasses or mosses | 2. Filled with different kinds of plants |
| 3. Can exist only outdoors | 3. Can exist in both indoors and outdoors |
| 4. Consist of natural land | 4. Do not necessarily need natural land |
| 5. Cannot occur without grasses or similar-sized vegetation | 5. Can occur even if there are no plants or very few plants [example: Zen gardens] |
| 6. No other type of decorator used | 6. Other decorators like ponds, fountains, etc. can be used |
| 7. There are no types of lawns | 7. Can be of various types according to the origin of identity |
| 8. Fewer facilities of recreation | 8. More facilities for recreation |
| 9. Cannot be a source of hobby | 9. Can be a source of hobby |
| 10. More prone to weeds and insects | 10. Less prone to weeds and insects |
| 11. Maintenance is a hard work | 11. Maintenance is comparatively easy |
| 12. Moderate interaction with nature | 12. High interaction with nature |
Final Words
A garden and a lawn are very close to each other, but there are some slight differences between their concepts, place of occurrence, maintenance, and so on.
I’ve described everything you need to know in detail. Now, you can use this knowledge to design your lawn or garden however you like.
Since you’re reading this part, I’m guessing you’ve read everything mentioned. Thank you for sticking to the end!
You May Read Also