Landscape Design Tips
When creating a landscape, you should work to get the most out of plants and landscape features by arranging them to perform more than one function. For example, not only can plantings increase the beauty of a landscape, but they can provide shade, wind screens, and sight and sound barriers. In fact, screening unsightly areas and blocking loud byways are two of the easiest functions to accomplish when developing planting designs.
The first step in creating such designs is to divide your landscape into outdoor rooms or use areas, just as you divide a home or business into areas of different activities and uses. This step is important in creating a strong and useful design. After all, achieving multiple functions from your plantings demands that you first understand the problems in your landscape’s use areas. These include concealing one incompatible outdoor area from another, masking or de-emphasizing an area with a necessary function that also is unattractive, or screening-both visually and audibly-a noisy area.
Principles of landscape design
Unity is the goal in all landscape design. A design achieves unity when attractive components of the landscape mesh to form an equally attractive whole. This stems from the rhythm of natural landforms, a variety of vegetative types, and buildings and human uses that are harmonious with their surroundings. As a guide for making design decisions and selecting plant material, remember that unity results from:
Balance. Carefully distribute accents and masses over an area, but do not restrict yourself to symmetrical spacing.
Contrast and harmony. Harmoniously flowing lines are pleasing to observe. However, the bold contrast of a curve with a straight line can be interesting if you design it carefully. To achieve contrast with plant material, mix fine foliage with coarser foliage, rounded outlines with vertical or spiked growth, the harmony of blended flower and foliage color, and the sharp contrast of white flowers against red or yellow, or orange against purple.
Color. Color gives physical landscapes that final dimension of real life, definition and interest. In general, people consider reds, oranges and yellows “warm” colors that seem to advance toward the viewer. Cool colors, greens and blues, seem to recede in a composition. Gray is a neutral color and is best used in the background with bright colors in the foreground. The color we see in the landscape is affected by the reflective values of the surfaces, as well as by the quality of light and the color reflections of adjacent objects and shadows. The play of light adds considerably to the range of color available to the landscaper. Consider all of the colors of the composition-plants and their seasonal changes, as well as structures. To increase depth in a landscape, bring dark and coarse plant material to the foreground and place fine textured and light colored plant material in the background.
Elegance of line and shape. Create or control patterns by using lines. You should design lines so that they are visually pleasing. They should guide the eye smoothly from one part to another and should be uninterrupted. You can express lines through paths, rock walls and fences. In a landscape composition, a carefully planned group of lines will direct the attention of the viewer to a particular area of interest. Lines can also lead the eye out of the picture. This should be avoided.
Emphasis. A form that contrasts sharply with its surroundings draws the eye to that portion or object within the overall composition, creating emphasis. Secondary points of emphasis result from features that contrast with their surroundings somewhat less. Vertical elevations can be dramatic, especially in flat landscapes, and so have a high-emphasis value.
Form. Generally speaking, if a plant is tall, it has vertical form. If it is low and spreading, it has horizontal form. When you place vertical plants together in large enough numbers so that the group is wider than it is high, the mass of plants has a horizontal appearance and could be used for a windbreak, for example. To establish a relationship between plant forms and topography, repeat the basic shape of the topography with plant material.
Proportion and scale. Create a pleasing relationship among the three dimensions of length, breadth, and depth or height. All elements must relate to the human scale.
Repetition. Repetition gives variety meaning and expression. A variety of lines, forms, textures and colors is vital to an interesting landscape but this does not mean that every shrub and tree must differ within a design. You usually can achieve repetition by placing plants in groups of a single species. In a large-scale landscape, you can repeat these masses.
Simplicity. Eliminate excess details or “frills” that have little to do with the overall composition.
Texture. Texture is a plant’s coarseness or fineness of appearance. Seen close up, texture is a function of the size, surface and spacing of leaves and twigs at different seasons. At a distance, texture is the mass effect of plants and the quality of light and shadows. The patterns that light and shade create are an important part of texture. Uniform texture is monotonous. You can obtain contrast through textural variations, but avoid extreme contrasts. Remember that the texture of deciduous plants changes with each season.
Variety. This is a critical element in design. Too little variety is monotonous, while too much is chaotic. Strive for a balance between the two extremes.
Use plant material and structures in ways consistent with these ideas, and you will achieve unity.
Consider also the following:
Space: Space is air or volume defined by physical elements and man’s visual imagination. Rooms are space. They are defined by floors, walls, ceilings. Landscape spaces are defined by earth, trees, plants, buildings etc.
Mass: Mass is the opposite of space. They define each other and depend upon each within the composition.
Light and Shade: They are constantly changing, ever altering the view.
Scent and Sound: Bring in all the sences. A babbling stream, flowering plants that attract birds, strong scented plants, all enhance the landscape experience. Close your eyes and walk through your garden. Do you still enjoy it?
Time, Climate and Season: Plants grow and look different each season. Plants change shape and color with age. An average North American landscape will require revision within a 5-7 year cycle because of the influence of growth.
Tenancy: The most dramatic influence on landscapes is made by those who look after them. Consider each change you make. It may be changed by future tennents.
Motion: Design for many views. Too often landscapes are designed for only one view. Consider what you will see as you walk through the landscape.
Transition: Defines the experience or the visual definitions between elements of the landscape. A garden gate or pergola, an entry through a planting or a hedge. Remember, interest is maintained by presenting a partial picture.
Entryways
A common problem with front-door entryways is that the landing is too small. Often, there is barely room enough for two people, and when the screen or storm door opens, it nearly sweeps them off the step. The solution, of course, is to enlarge the landing. Sometimes an extended deck or a stone or brick patio can make the difference. The architecture of the home can help guide you to a solution. For example, if the house is built of stone, use flagstone. Or, if the house is constructed of brick, use more brick or at least a material that does not clash with brick. In any case, an add-on structure should look as if it belongs with the rest of the house.
A garage extending forward from the house creates a corner from which you can construct a deck or arbor. An arbor with growing plants provides an outdoor “room” in front of the home where residents can enjoy a cold drink on a hot day. This also creates a great opportunity to incorporate hanging baskets and containers using climbing vines, as well as landscape around the arbor with attractive plants.
Another common design problem is the narrow strip of ground that often exists between straight walkways and walls. These strips often are just 3 feet wide and can be 20 or more feet long. To overcome the awkwardness of these strips, plant them with material consistent with the overall design. By using plant material similar to that in the adjacent landscape, you create the appearance that the walk is merely proceeding through the plant material, which seems to “jump” the walk and continue onward.
Many times, landscapes entirely hide the house with plant material. When this is the case, the walk becomes even more important. It is an invitation: “Please follow me.” When following the walk to the front door, visitors pass through the landscape. This is a different effect than sitting on a patio to enjoy a stationary view. The front landscape, then, should be interesting from many angles, and its design should account for the following:
– The front landscape should draw visitors to the front door.
– Visitors should find it interesting as they leave the home and walk back to their car.
– The view through windows from inside the house also should be appealing.
– The landscape should frame the house from the perspective of the parking area and street.
– Lighting, especially near steps, is important. Guests often arrive or depart in the evening.
– The walk to the front door should be wide enough for two people to walk comfortably side by side.
– With a modern home design, it is not always necessary to hide all of the foundation. Today’s homes, built on level ground, generally do not have unsightly foundations. A vertical stone wall rising up from the lawn can be pleasing to see, especially on homes built of native stone.
Plant material
In warmer climates, a small shade tree near the front door is welcome relief. If you use a tree in this manner, treat it as part of the landscape and not as an afterthought. The important process in design is to follow a theme.
When selecting a tree to enhance the front door, ensure the tree does not create a nuisance with dropping fruit, disease or other problems. Choose an adapted, disease-resistant tree that has form, texture and color that fit the design theme. Use common sense. Certain trees, such as those with low-hanging branches or surface roots, obviously are poor choices for use near a pathway.
Frame the home by placing plant material along the sides. Use a variety of plant forms to add interest. Corner plantings help soften the angles of the structure. As a rule, you should avoid plant material that, when mature, reaches higher than two-thirds of the distance from the ground to the eaves. Where there is a low window, select lower plant material.
To help focus attention on the front entryway, draw an imaginary line on the walls closest to the front door. Select a point two-thirds up the wall at the corner and bring the line to the center of the front door step. Select plant material that stays below this line along the sides of the front door.
Avoid using plants that, when mature, will grow above existing window sills. Also, do not use tall plant material on each side of a window; the silhouette of the planting should form a pleasing line and direct the viewer’s eye to the entryway, not in other directions. Locate plants a sufficient distance from walls or other structures to give them room to grow.
Design your plant composition to create a gradual transition from the house to the lower level of the lawn. Layering-using taller shrubs in the background with lower shrubs in front-creates a pleasing effect. Plant shrubs in groups of three or more to keep the design simple.
When an overgrown landscape is already present, go slowly. Study the existing plant material before removing it. Sometimes, overgrown trees or shrubs require no more than pruning to bring them into scale with a new design. These plants can lend an appearance of maturity to the new planting and help create the illusion that the landscape is not really new.
When adding flowers to the entryway landscape, use only a few colors, in large groupings. A diverse mix of many small spots of colors creates visual chaos and destroys design unity.
Select plant material suitable for the available light. For shady areas, choose shade-tolerant plants. In sunny sites, choose hardy plants. Do not allow stressed plants to “enhance” the entryway.
Things to Do
– Use ground covers or low growing plants against foundations to enhance or expose decorative exterior materials
– Place plants well in front of foundations to enhance, repeat and strengthen the architecture
– At corners, use plants with horizontal breanching habits – to soften the strong vertical lines
– Frame the house with larger plants, placed well away from foundations lines
– Study the architecture
– Do somthing creative without getting carried away
– Use color schemes that work with the architecture and interior of the house
– Design a garden to be viewed from the inside using plant colors and hues that match the interior design
– Design hardscape features that reflect the unique architectural details of the home and include your ersonality
– Plan a walk or terrace that echoes the building lines
– Build an arbor or a fence to match existing features
– Extend the architecture of the house into the garden
– Construct bold sweeping bed lines that flow throughout the landscape
– Use plants in strong lines, decisive masses and convincing drifts and punctuate these broad strokes with a minimum of specimen plants.
– Use the specimen like a sculpture
– Increase the contrast with a simple setting for the specimen plants
– Make spaces for living, dining, seating, viewing, arriving, working and wandering. Landscapes are for people.
– Create outdoor rooms
– Design the entire landscape as a series of related, connected spaces
– Use landscaping to solve functional problems: eroding slopes, poor drainage, faulty circulation routes screen downspouts, hose spigots, air conditioners, heat pumps, pool equipment
– Plan for the growth of all plants
– Make the landscape dynamic with seasonal color
– Install the landscape properly the first time
– Create grades that allow for positive slopes away from foundations (1-2% min.)
Things not to Do
Plant shrubs and plants under and between each window
Use upright plants against columns or pillars
Plant pointy plants flanking the doorways
Group plants of every imaginable color, its gawdy
Design beds using every possible line on your French curve
Plant an excessive quantity of weeping, dwarf and exotic plants, its visually disturbing
Construct humpy-bumpy berms or free form islands throughout, populated by plant, gravel and other display material, its tacky
Mound soil and mulch against the siding or above the footing line – establish grades that show 4-6″ of the foundation
Grade to allow water to run back against the footings
Plant trees or shrubs without first studying their individual growth habits
Our designs should enhance or create a sense of place, and acknowledge the positive characteristics of site, neighbourhood and region. A home in an island subdivision should not look like it’s trying to be at the shore with vast stretches of beach gravel or accents of driftwood, giant shells, log pilings and fishnets. Fred Spicer, RLA (Quoted from American Nurseryman, April 1, 1996)
Some questions to ask to self-evaluate your landscaping
Is it too:
– Busy?
– Crowded?
– Cute?
– Conspicuous?
Some tips to get you started
Create a simple Goose Egg plan – as close to scale as possible – to illustrate the various space allotments of the site.
Prepare a site analysis listing site elements including:
– topography,
– drainage,
– existing plant material,
– existing structures
