Principles of Landscaping

Landscaping• The use of plants and inanimate materials to

enhance the utility (function) and beauty (aesthetics) of an outdoor area

Value of landscaping• Manipulate environmental conditions

– Shade, light wind• Increased property value• Exercise, therapeutic• More satisfying living experience

– Increased privacy– Refuge for animal life– Control vehicular and pedestrian traffic– Hide unattractive areas– Reduce noise

Cost of landscaping

• Cost– Quality of plants, materials– Procurement & installation– Age/size of plants– Recurrent costs

• Water, chemicals, mulch

• Time– Maintenance

• Water, fertilizer, pest control, controlling plant growth

Landscape design

• Surfaces: lawns, patios, terraces• Paths: materials (lawn, ground cover, stone,

etc.)• Level changes: steps, slopes, retaining walls• Boundaries: walls, fences, hedges• Structures: garden buildings, pergolas, arches

Landscape design

• Ornamental plants– Trees, shrubs, climbing

plants, ground covers, herbaceous plants (annuals & perennials)

– Specimens

Landscape design

• Garden features– Kitchen garden, herb

garden– Water features (pond,

flowing water, fountain)– Ornaments & pots

Garden styles• Formal (clipped hedges, topiary, Oriental, still

water, statuary)

Garden styles• Informal (Cottage)

Garden styles

• Informal (woodland)

Garden styles• Themes (color, shape, repetition)

Garden styles• Modern (contemporary)

Landscape design

• Site• Needs• Landscape principles• Plants• Materials/objects

Site analysis

• soil texture & quality, drainage • utility of existing plants• location of underground and above

ground utilities• good and bad views• focal points of interest• negative features of buildings and

landscape• window locations• aspects of climate (sun rise/set,

sun/shade patterns, wind directions)

Site analysis - views

Needs Analysis

EW

Elements of design

• Features of plants that create moods– Color– Texture– Form– Line

Elements of design – color

Color principles• Colors influenced by light intensity• Background color important for

effect of foreground plants• Reds, yellows – advance• Blues, greens - recede

Elements of design – texture

• Leaves• Branches• Mulch

Elements of design - form• The 3-D shape of the plant canopy

Plant forms

Plant forms

Elements of design – line • Line is a boundary

element• Shape & structure are

defined by line

Line

• Curved lines vs. straight lines

Principles of design

• Simplicity• Balance• Focalization of interest• Rhythm & line• Scale or proportion

Principle of simplicity

Principle of balance

Balance

Balance

Balance

Focalization of interest

Rhythm & line

Rhythm & line

Scale/proportion

Scale/proportion

Scale/proportion

Scale/proportion

Landscape plan

Design in stages

Public area

Public area

• Driveway– Shape, paving materials

Public area

• Planting beds– Trees form the backbone

• Placement of new trees is critical• Keep large trees away from house (scale)

Public area• Foundation plantings• Corner plantings• Line plantings

Planting bed guidelines

• Edging materials– Plastic, timbers, stone

• Mulch or groundcover• Large, curved beds more

attractive than small, angled beds

• Mass shrubs of same species, use only a few species

• Avoid lawn ornaments

Private area• Shade

– Where & when?– Dense shade trees vs. light shade trees

Private area

• Privacy– Fences vs. plants

Private area• Deck/patio

– Materials, maintenance, cost

– Timing of sun/shade

Service area

• Screening• Vegetable garden• Cut flower garden

Online landscape design resources

• http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/extension/homelandscape/home.html

• http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/library/hort2/samplers/S4.asp

Selecting plants for the landscape• Evergreen vs. deciduous• Categories: vines, groundcovers, shrubs, trees• Size: small, medium, large• Plant adaptability

– Temperature, sun, soil• Maintenance requirements

– Pruning, fertilization, pest control

• NCSU Plant fact sheets

Acquiring plants• Home propagation

– Cuttings, seed• Transplant from wild

– Deciduous should be dormant– Evergreen during new growth

• Mail order– Large selection, cheap– Shipped “bare-root”

• Grown in field, dug up when dormant• Shipped in moist wood shavings, wrapped in plastic• Increased risk of plant death (minimal root system)• Should plant ASAP

– Use “Garden Watchdog” to preview vendors

Acquiring landscape plants

• Nurseries, etc.– Bare-root– Balled & burlapped plants

• Dug and wrapped • Limited soil base

– Container grown plants• Propagated & grown in a pot• Minimal root damage• May be root bound

Shopping – branches

Shopping – branches

Shopping - crotches

Crotch damage

Shopping - Trunk taper

Shopping – roots

Shopping – balled & burlapped roots

Planting landscape plants

• Fall in the South (Spring ok)• Digging the hole

– 12” Wider than root ball– 6” Deeper than root ball

• Amend Backfill• Fertilize in moderation

Planting depth & soil types

Slicing the root ball

Planting balled & burlapped trees

Planting bare-root plants

Berm for irrigation

Irrigation of new plants

• Weekly soakings for the first year

• Mulch for water retention

Mulching

Tree support – staking & guying

Guying

Staking damage

Tree root growth

Root deflectors

Landscaping related careers

• Landscape architect• Landscape contractor• Landscape maintenance• Nursery production