The Basic Principles Of Landscape Design
By: More articles by stevethelandscapedesignsite.comWhether you plan to borrow ideas or plan on creating your own landscaping design you should have at the very least a basic understanding of the principles of landscape design.
Dont feel that you have to apply every principle to every part of your plan. Just having an understanding of these principles can help you generate ideas and increase your creativity.
Great landscaping lies in the eyes of the its creator. So while the principles of landscape design are great guidelines to follow dont feel like theyre the have to rules of landscaping. Abstract and creativity are allowed.
Unity should be one of your main goals in your design. It may be better understood and applied as consistency and repetition. Repetition creates unity by repeating alike elements like plants plant groups or decor throughout the landscape. Consistency creates unity in the sense that some or all of the different elements of the landscape fit together to create a whole.
Unity can be created by the consistency of character of elements in the design. By character I mean the size height texture color schemes etc. of different elements.
A good example would be in the use of accent rocks and boulders. If youve ever seen a landscape design that had several different colors and sizes of boulders then youve seen that unity wasnt created by this particular element.
This is just one example but the principle applies to all other elements such as groups of plants and materials.
A simple way to create unity in your landscape is by creating theme gardens. Creating a theme garden is easier when its related to something youre interested in or have a passion for.
If youre interested in butterflies for instance you could create a theme using plants that attract butterflies as well as using statues ornaments and other decor that are related to butterflies.
Unity should be expressed through at least one element in your landscape and preferably more. Using elements to express a main idea through consistent style and a specific theme is what creates harmony.
Simplicity is actually one of the principles in design and art. Its one of the best guidelines you can follow as a beginner or do it yourselfer. Just keep things simple to begin with. You can do more later.
Simplicity in planting for instance would be to pick two or three colors and repeat them throughout the garden or landscape. Keeping decor to a minimum and within a specific theme as well as keeping hardscapes such as boulders consistent is also practicing simplicity.
Balance in design is just as the word implies. A sense of equality. There are basically two types of balance in landscape design. Symmetrical and Asymmetrical.
Symmetrical balance is where there are more or less equally spaced matching elements areas and shapes of the garden design. With a garden equally divided both sides could share all or part of the same shape form plant height plant groupings colors bed shapes theme etc.
You may remember creating something like this when you were a kid in art class at school. Where you take a piece of paper splash paint on it fold it in half unfold it and then it magically creates an interesting symmetrical design. So symmetrical balance or design is somewhat of a mirror image or reflection.
Asymmetrical balance on the other hand is one of the principles of landscape design thats a little more complex. While textures forms colors etc. may remain constant to create some unity shapes and hardscapes may be more random. This form of balance often has separate or different themes with each having an equal but different type of attraction.
Asymmetrical may be better understood as actually being unbalanced abstract or free form while still creating unity and balance through the repetition of some elements.
A good example of this would be where bed shapes or paths differ on both sides of the landscape dividing line while still sharing some of the same elements and plants. One side could be curved with a sense of flow while the other side is straight direct hard and completely opposite. Again unity and balance will be created through other elements.
Contrast can be very interesting and this type of form can create a neat contrast. Flowing lines are pleasing to the eye but the bold contrast of a curve combined with a straight line can be very interesting.
Asymmetrical balance isnt dependant on the shape of your garden. It can be but generally its not.
An example might be where one side of the garden is mostly large shade trees while the other side is predominately a lower growing flower garden or even a mix of both examples. Like I stated earlier the landscaping can be abstract while still maintaining unity through other elements such as rocks plants and decor.
Contrast and harmony can also be achieved using plants. Fine foliage verses coarser foliage round leaves verses spiked leaves as well as color compliments and contrasts.
Plant height color and texture may be varied from one area to the next but each area should stay consistent within its own theme.
Youll hear me talk about themes a lot. Many successful do it yourself designs follow a basic theme to achieve most of the principles of landscape design described on this page. Its a simple starting point for do it yourselfers that can be added to later.
Color adds the dimension of real life and interest to the landscape. Bright colors like reds yellows and oranges seem to advance toward you and can actually make an object seem closer to you. Cool colors like greens blues and pastels seem to move away from you and can make an object seem farther from you.Grays blacks and whites are considered neutral colors and are best used in the background with bright colors in the foreground. However to increase depth in a landscape you can use dark and coarse textured plants in the foreground and use fine textured and light colored plants in the background.
Colors can also be used to direct your attention to a specific area of the garden. A bright display among cooler colors would naturally catch the eye.
Natural transition can be applied to avoid radical or abrupt changes in your landscape design. Transition is basically gradual change. It can best be illustrated in terms of plant height or color but can also be applied to all elements in the landscape including but not limited to textures foliage shape or size and the size and shape of different elements.
In other words transition can be achieved by the gradual ascending or descending arrangement of different elements with varying textures f