Principles of Landscape Design

The Principles of Landscape Design

“The Principles of Landscape Design – in conjunction with the Elements of Art” for your Landscape Project.

Landscape design is the art of developing property for its greatest use and enjoyment. Effective landscape design is also a science because it involves understanding the environment around your home and selecting plants that will perform and thrive in that environment.

Proper landscape design combines the Elements of art with functional value, creating an aesthetically pleasing extension from indoor to outdoor living areas.

Decide on your level of commitment

True landscape design involves far more than buying and sticking a plant into the ground. Design requires careful thought and learning how trees, shrubs, and construction materials can be used to develop a long-range plan for your property.

Your level of commitment to the task determines the approach you decide to take in developing a landscape design for your property.

A good landscape starts with a plan. Whether you’re spending five hundred dollars or five hundred thousand dollars on your landscape you need a plan. One would not build a home without a plan nor would they hire three people to draw up this plan. The same holds true for your landscape.

The landscape plan puts on paper your designs for the property. Essentially, the design for your property is a scheme for increasing the aesthetic, economic, functional, and environmental value of your property. The plan acts as a guideline or blueprint for using plants to make that scheme come alive in the land.

**What makes a good Landscape Design?**

The following are combinations that are incorporated for any Landscape Design to become complete.

The Basic Principles of Landscape Design are Unity, Balance, Transition, Proportion, Rhythm, Focalization, Repetition, and Simplicity.

Unity– is obtained by the effective use of components in a design to express a main idea through consistent style. Unity is emphasized by the consistency of character between units in the landscape. Use of elements to express a specific theme within units creating harmony.

Balance– refers to the equilibrium or equality of visual attraction. The idea is to balance the visual weight of objects in the landscape.

Symmetrical balance is achieved when one side of the design is a mirror image of the other side. There is a distinctive dividing line between the two sides. Equal lines, forms, textures or colors are on each side of a symmetrical design.

Asymmetrical balance uses different forms, colors, and textures to obtain a balance of visual attraction. These opposing compositions on either side of the central axis create equal attractions. (i.e. mass may be opposed by color or linear dimension by height).

Transition

Is a gradual change. Transition in color can be illustrated by the radial sequence of the color wheel. Transition can be obtained by arranging objects with varying textures, forms, or sizes in a logical sequential order.

Proportion

Refers to the size of parts of the design in relation to each other and to the design as a whole. Proportion in landscape design is usually related to people and their activities. The desired size relationships of components in a design should pose little problem for a Landscape designer who considers this principle routinely in a systematic thought process.

Rhythm

Is achieved when the elements of a design create a feeling of motion that leads the viewer’s eye through and even beyond the designed areas. Tools like color schemes, lines, and form can be repeated to attain rhythm in landscape design. Rhythm reduces confusion in the design.

Focalization

Involves the leading of visual observation toward a feature by the placement of this feature at the vanishing point between radial or approaching lines. Since focalization can be used to direct attention to a point, traffic in an area is usually directed to that point. Therefore, focalization could be used to direct traffic in a garden area, Guidance of view toward features of commercial, aesthetic or cultural value may attract the eye of the unaware without a conscious effort.

Repetition

Refers to the repeated uses of features like plants with identical shapes, lines, forms, textures, and or colors. Too much repetition creates monotony but when used effectively can lead to rhythm, localization, or emphasis. Unity can be accomplished by repetition. Think of repetition as not having too much variety in the design which creates a cluttered or busy appearance.

Simplicity

Simplicity– goes hand in hand with repetition and can be achieved by the elimination of unnecessary detail. Too much variety creates confusion of perception. Simplicity is the reduction of a design to its simplest, functional form, which avoids any unnecessary costs and maintenance.

Elements of Art are Color, Line, Form, Texture, and Scale.

Color– Color can best be explained on a color wheel. The primary colors are red, blue, and yellow. Secondary colors are orange, green, and violet because they are a combination of two primary colors. Colors are combined into a color scheme for practical applications. Three basic color schemes are monochromatic, analogous, and complementary.

Line -is related to the eye movement or flow. The concept and creation of a line depend upon the purpose of the design and existing patterns. In the overall landscape, line refers to the bed arrangement and the way these beds fit or flow together. Line can also be created vertically by changes in plant height, and tree and shrub canopies.

Form and line are closely related. The line is considered usually in terms of the outline or edges of objects, whereas form is more encompassing. The concept of form is related also to the size of an object or area. Form in terms of individual plant growth habits or as the planting arrangement in a landscape.
Texture – describes the surface of an object. Surface in the landscape includes buildings, walks, patios, groundcover, and plants. The textures of plants differ as the relationships between the leaves, twigs, and branches differ.
Scale– refers to the size of an object or objects in relation to the surroundings. Size refers to definite measurements while scale describes the size relationship between adjacent objects. (The size of planting and buildings compared on the human scale must be considered).

A little time devoted to professional planning the very best planting arrangement, design, and species combined with any hardscape feature can pay off handsomely. Landscaping not only helps by increasing property values but also helps in the reduction of energy.