Landscape Design
For the uninitiated, building a blueprint of landscape design might be a daunting idea. After all, if you watch any serious landscaping show on television the host will make you thing that the decision of where to plant the antique rose in the design can bear just as much weight as where you decide to build the deck. Rest easy and read the tips below and you will be on your way to a beautiful landscape.
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Landscape design has five basic elements. These elements are very beneficial to the landscape designer by providing hints and guidelines when faced with that clean slate of bare land. These fundamentals apply in general design as well as in the garden. They make the designing of the space much easier. These five elements are:
- unity - the common thread that runs throughout all landscape designs with the use of repetition and consistency. It is often achieved with the use of a theme.
- balance - symmetrical: Both sides mirror one another in plant height, plant groupings, colors and bed shape. Asymmetrical: The complex arranging of elements so the balance is there, but more abstract.
- transition - the flow of the design elements in relation to their differences; the gradual change from one extreme to another: From low-growing plants to tall; from one color to another.
- proportion - refers to the size of the elements and their surroundings in relation to each other. A large element in a small space would create an unbalanced relationship. As would a single, small plant in a large bed.
- line - the most structural of the elements within landscape designs. Formal: forcefully straight walkways and bed edges; informal: curved lines are prominent.
When designing a landscape for yourself or for others, you should not stop at the “green” portion of the design. The deck or patio is just as much a part of the backyard landscape as are the flowers, shrubs and trees. By treating this area as an outdoor room, many families have truly extended the square footage of their homes. Outdoor kitchens, for example, have grown in popularity. Many kitchen appliances have found homes on the patio, as have kitchen sinks and even kitchen furniture.
