Landscaping vs. Construction: What’s the Key Difference?

If you manage a commercial property like an apartment complex, health care campus or retail center, you’ve probably worked with both construction crews and landscaping teams. While both work on your property’s outdoor space, they do very different jobs.

This article breaks down the differences between construction and landscaping. We’ll explain where the two overlap, what kinds of projects fall into each category and how they work together to create long-lasting, useful outdoor spaces. Our goal is to help you know when you need a construction crew, when you need a landscaping company and when you might need both.

Understanding The Difference Between Construction and Landscaping

At a basic level, construction and landscaping have the same main goal — to transform a piece of land into something useful, attractive and built to last. However, the way each one does this is where the difference lies.

What Is Construction?

Construction is the process of building something new or making changes to something that already exists on a piece of land. This could mean creating brand-new features, like a garage, fence or even a whole building. It can also mean updating or fixing things that are already there, like making an office bigger or replacing a cracked parking lot.

What makes it “construction” is that it involves working on parts of a property that are built to last and are important to how the property works. These include big structural components, like the foundation, walls and support beams, as well as important systems like plumbing, electrical wiring and drainage.

Construction jobs require specialized skills, including:

• Site planning and engineering
• Building code compliance
• Structural and drainage expertise
• Heavy equipment operation
• Safety and logistics management
• Proper use of heavy machinery

What Is Landscaping?

Landscaping is all about shaping and enhancing the outdoor areas of a property to make them attractive, functional and easier to care for over time. While construction focuses on the structural parts of a property, landscaping deals with the visible, natural and decorative features — the finishing touches that make the space feel complete and inviting.

This work can involve a wide range of tasks. Some of the most common include lawn installation, planting trees, shrubs or flowers, spreading mulch or soil, laying sod, seeding a lawn and landscape construction work like building patios or walkways.

The skills required to do a landscaping job properly include:

• Horticultural knowledge
• Aesthetic design sensibility
• Long-term maintenance planning
• Seasonal adaptability (especially in Michigan)
• Attention to pedestrian flow and experience

When Is Landscaping Considered Construction?

Most new commercial buildings need some landscaping after construction is complete. Once the building, parking lots and sidewalks are done, the landscaping team handles the rest — grading, planting, building outdoor gathering areas and setting up drainage systems.

Some landscaping projects include building things that require the same skills and tools used in construction. For example:

• Retaining walls must be engineered to handle soil pressure, water flow and long-term stability.
• Irrigation systems require trenching and integration with your water infrastructure.
• Outdoor gathering spaces like patios might need pavers, steps or lighting.
• Walkways involve grading, laying a base layer and using concrete or stone.
• Green roofs and courtyard gardens need structural planning to support soil, plants and water runoff.
• Drainage improvements often mean reshaping the land and installing underground systems.

In these cases, you’re not just planting flowers — you’re making permanent, functional improvements that qualify as landscape construction. Depending on the scope, you might need a landscape team that understands construction or can coordinate with a construction team effectively.

How Does Landscaping Support Commercial Construction Projects?

It’s important to recognize that landscaping plays a critical role in the success of any construction project, especially when it comes to commercial properties. Here’s how:

• Site drainage and erosion control: Landscaping can prevent water pooling and soil erosion by incorporating swales, rain gardens or properly graded slopes, which supports the longevity of your new construction.
• Boosts curb appeal: No matter how functional a new building is, the outdoor space surrounding it greatly impacts how people experience it. Landscaping helps create that “finished” look that attracts tenants, customers or visitors.
• Improves everyday functionality: Courtyards, patios and outdoor walkways require thoughtful design and durable, well-installed materials — elements that fall squarely under landscaping but work in tandem with construction.
• Thermal comfort and energy efficiency: Well-placed trees and shrubs can reduce heat gain on buildings, lower cooling costs and help create shaded areas for outdoor use, all of which contribute to a more sustainable and comfortable environment.
• Accessibility: Landscaping helps guide foot traffic with clear visual clues such as plant borders, paths or lighting. This supports compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and improves navigation throughout the property for employees, tenants and visitors.
• Creates privacy and reduces noise: Strategically placed plants and berms can help reduce noise pollution from nearby roads or neighboring properties while also creating a sense of privacy around entrances, courtyards or patio spaces.
• Restores the land after construction: After major construction, the land may be compacted or disturbed. Landscaping repairs and stabilizes the site, improves soil health and ensures the property is ready for regular use without long-term damage.

Planning Considerations for Construction and Landscaping Projects

Even though landscaping usually takes place near the end of a construction project, it’s important to include it in the planning process from the very beginning. Here are a few key points to keep in mind:

• Plan ahead: If installing a new building or structure, don’t wait until the end to think about landscaping. Engage with landscaping professionals early so they can plan drainage, grading and plant selection around the site layout.
• Know when to coordinate: Your construction and landscaping partners should be in sync, especially for large-scale projects. Having both sides communicate openly helps avoid conflicts like poorly placed utility lines or incompatible materials.
• Budgeting for both: It’s common to invest heavily in construction but underfund landscaping. Doing so can leave a property looking incomplete or lead to more expensive fixes later. Allocate proper resources to both aspects from the start.
• Seasonal strategy: In Michigan, your landscaping plan should account for snow, ice and seasonal plant changes. A proactive landscape design ensures your site looks good and functions well through all four seasons.

Whether overseeing a busy health care campus or managing a group of retail properties, balancing construction and landscaping is about creating a usable, safe and attractive environment for the people who visit, work or live there. Construction lays the groundwork. Landscaping brings the experience to life. If these two projects aren’t aligned, the final result can feel disconnected or cause operational problems later. That’s why it’s necessary to treat landscaping as an essential part of the broader development process, not just an afterthought.

Get Landscaping Support From a Team That Knows Michigan

At DJ’s Landscape Management, we’ve spent over 30 years helping Michigan businesses take care of their outdoor spaces — before, during and after construction. From plant care and maintenance to snow and ice management and irrigation services, we offer full-season support tailored to commercial properties like yours. 

We have several locations across Michigan, so you can rest assured that our team is just around the corner when you need us. And if you have questions or suggestions about a project, your dedicated account manager will be there at every step.

If you’re planning a construction project or looking to refresh your property’s landscape, get in touch with our team today. We’d love to discuss how we can support you through every phase.