Softscape: the living layer of a landscape and the water it will need.

The living and soil elements of a landscape: prepared soil, lawn and ground cover, shrubs, hedges, climbers and trees, along with mulch. Hardscape covers the built elements. Most landscape contracts price the two separately because the skills, sequencing and risks differ.

By climate and rainfall, soil and drainage at the site, water quality and availability, sun and shade across the site, the use each area will take, and the maintenance capacity available. Native and locally adapted species are preferred where possible because they materially reduce water and maintenance.

As much as it will genuinely use and can afford to water. Lawn is the highest-input element in most landscapes (regular irrigation, mowing, edging and feeding) and large decorative lawn areas that nobody uses are the most common source of avoidable landscape running cost. Ground cover and shrub massing serve visually at a fraction of the input.

Because plants perform to the soil they are in. Compacted, shallow or debris-laden soil produces weak growth and permanent irrigation dependence regardless of what is planted. Correcting the profile before planting is far cheaper than replacing failed planting into the same bad soil twice.

Timed to the season, for most Indian sites at or around the monsoon, so establishment runs on natural rainfall and the plants face less transplant stress. Out-of-season planting is possible where irrigation is assured but carries higher losses and higher watering cost.

Typically a few months of intensive care after planting for shrubs and ground cover, with trees needing attention across the first two summers. The period should be specified in the contract along with who waters, who weeds and who replaces failures, because that is where most post-planting disputes originate.