Landscape Design Style

The right landscape design style for your yard will depend on the appearance of your home, as well as your personal preferences and needs. There are many different styles to consider, each with their own unique characteristics, and each offers a number of individual variations for different tastes and purposes. Listed below are various types of garden styles. See which one will work best for your property. Formal Gardens have linear patterns, defined shapes, and an overall neatness describe the formal garden style. The Georgian Garden is a perfect example of this design style and many other prominent estates feature the uniformity of a formal landscape design. While formal gardens are spectacular displays, they require extensive maintenance and can be quite costly. Informal Landscape Designs are natural and relaxed, featuring imperfect shapes and meandering curves. The key to an effective informal design style is planning a natural layout with native plants that grow in overflowing flower beds full of color and texture. This type of landscape has an unkempt, laid back appearance and is easier to maintain than a formal garden, but it still requires careful thought and regular upkeep. The English Garden Style is a unique blend of formal and informal garden styles, the English, cottage, and country garden designs are colorful and relaxed with an intriguing air of elegance amidst the simplicity. These gardens are characterized by quaint borders and hedges, vibrant, lush blooms, and intimate outdoor living areas. Oriental Landscapes are peaceful, balanced, and serene, oriental gardens reflect the relaxing effect of nature. These Asian influenced styles highlight the beauty of the outdoors, often on a miniaturized level. Lush bamboo provides privacy and shade, charming foot paths and bridges add elegance, and the natural flow of water brings even more tranquility to these outdoor designs. Tropical Outdoor Designs are lush, with vivid colors, and depend greatly on a warm, moist climate. Ferns, shrubs, and fruit trees with oversized leaves create a wonderful backdrop for the bright blooms common in a tropical landscape. Comfortable island style accessories with splashes of color create an outdoor paradise with a flair of the tropics. Desert Garden Styles are dependent upon warm weather, but requiring a more arid environment, southwestern landscape designs make the most of a dry, hot climate. These gardens typically include a variety of native plants like cacti and saw grass. Desert style landscapes demand careful planning, especially in plant selection. Contemporary Landscape Design is a more modern approach to outdoor design follows a formal garden style with defined lines and geometric shapes, but contemporary garden styles integrate various angles and patterns with innovative outdoor materials as well. Unique garden sculptures, rare plant species, and groups of similar flowers and shrubs are common elements in this style. Natural Gardens are a completely informal landscape style, natural gardens are typically seen in commercial areas with large expanses of land or outdoor parks rather than residences. Also referred to as Xeriscape, this style incorporates native plants in carefully planned natural areas for a landscape that reflects the pure qualities of nature. Mediterranean Style Landscape Design with its warm, breezy Mediterranean coast was where gardening seen its origin so it is not surprising that there are a variety of design styles within this broad category. The Italian Renaissance style, also referred to as Palazzo, falls neatly into this category and features refined patterns and formal designs that reflect the period of classic Rome. Tuscan landscape designs are one of the most popular Mediterranean garden styles These quaint and rustic outdoor spaces are influenced by Old World Tuscany and feature natural materials with elegant accessories.

Landscape Design Plans

Landscape design plans are critical to any beautiful outdoor area. These detailed diagrams contain all the information needed to construct and install the landscape of your dreams, including scaled representation of everything within your property. Your design plan will illustrate the size of your property, as well as any special terrain features, and will display existing structures, existing hardscape designs, and plants and trees that will remain in your outdoor space. Creating Design Plans Some homeowners use special software programs to help produce an accurate, detailed landscape design plan, while others attempt to draw the plans by hand based on a plot map. There are a number of free design plans that can aid in the process as well, but the best way to get a professional and precise plan is to hire the services of a professional designer. There are many different elements within a complete landscape design. Specialty designs, like lighting or irrigation, are typically illustrated with a separate plan. Swimming pool design, hardscapes, and even planting layouts each have their own design plan as well. Your plan set may include just one or two types of designs or could contain several, depending on exactly what your landscape design entails. Types of Landscape Design Plans Plot plans are the foundation of every other design plan for your yard. Extremely precise, these topography charts are usually obtained from a surveyor to ensure accuracy. Plot plans map out the existing structures and land elements on your property, including: Accurate property lines, adjacent roads, driveways and sidewalks, walls, and fencing. Buildings, storage sheds, your house, and other elements that may interfere with your design, like a play set or heating unit. Natural features, including slopes, drainage issues, and both natural and man-made water elements. Concept plans are the master design plans that bring everything together into a single diagram. Also called a site plan, this design is typically in AutoCAD format, but may be drawn by hand, and is often a resource used by contractors to develop an estimate on installation. Elevation plans are typically integrated into other landscape design plans to provide more detail on vertical features. Structures like gazebos, walls, and fireplaces can be seen more clearly to ensure a more accurate installation. Hardscape plans are often found within the concept plan but can be illustrated in a separate design plan as well. These plans are important for precise installation measurements on sidewalks, drives, fencing, and other structural landscaping elements. The appropriate materials, colors, and related details are outlined on the plan as well. Planting plans are extremely detailed instructions for the installation of the vegetation within your landscape design. Using symbols and a comprehensive legend, the exact location of each plant is noted and the types of planting materials required are clearly stated. Planting plans can include shrubbery, hedges, flower beds, trees, and any other vegetation in your outdoor area. Irrigation plans are not a part of every landscape design and are often integrated into an existing outdoor design. These plans include the layout of piping and the placement of sprinkler heads, helpful illustrations, and details on the necessary parts and equipment for installation. Drainage plans are necessary parts of many landscape designs to eliminate excess water after a rain. These plans are also quite detailed, containing measurements on the exact grade needed and information on the best materials. Lighting plans are optional as well, but are usually seen in most high-end outdoor designs. Illustrations and diagrams detail the types of lighting fixtures, along with their placement and positioning throughout the yard. Wiring and installation instructions are outlined and special lighting techniques are also noted.

Landscape Design Ideas

When you are looking for landscape design ideas it is wise to keep in mind that good landscaping can significantly improve your home's appearance by adding style, livability and personality. You will not be able to create a design until you understand why you are landscaping your property. Some research will provide many exciting ideas and produce a landscaping plan that will result in a satisfying project. There are many different designs that can suit the different features that make everyone's yard unique. Trees, shrubs, plants, sun plants, and ground cover are a few ideas you will want to consider. You must be realistic about the amount of work and energy you are prepared to expend before you decide on your plan. Home improvements can be very expensive and you must start out with some definite landscape design ideas or you will wind up spending much more than planned, and waste a lot of extra time before finally finding one you like. Landscape design is generally considered to be a part of the larger field called landscape architecture. A great way to add character and enhance your property is with an attractive landscape. You need to get started on your project now to make your landscape design a reality. Soon your landscape design ideas will come to life before your very eyes. Visualizing our finished project is usually difficult for most of us by just looking at a layout, and there are some excellent programs that can make it much easier to design your landscaping. Most of the original software was developed for professional landscapers. They have now been modified for the beginner who want to do-it-themselves, and you can find many do-it-yourself design programs on the internet that are reasonably priced. These programs allow you see a virtual picture of your design and enable the user to make your changes come to life. You can import a photo of your home or building in many of these programs and it will design the landscape around the photo. Most of the programs will offer advice on using and placing different elements into your design. Your landscape will always change with time and these programs can allow you to visualize what it will look like in the future when the plants and trees have matured. Online design programs that allow you to design your landscape online are very popular, and are less expensive than the software you can purchase. What is the best type of landscaping design for your yard? Plant selection should be the first part of your design because it is what catches the eye in each of the four seasons. Looking through home improvement and landscaping magazines is always a good way to get fresh ideas. Properly landscaped yards can increase the value of the property by as much as 15% in some cases. Utilize all your ideas by thinking through your landscape design ideas.

Landscaping Design

Principles refer to standards or prescriptions for working with or arranging various elements to produce the intended landscape design. Good landscape design follows a combination of seven principles: unity, balance, proportion, focalization or emphasis, sequence or transition, rhythm, and repetition. Unity refers to the use of elements to create harmony and consistency with the main theme or idea of the landscape design. Unity gives the landscape design a sense of oneness and interconnection. Unity in landscape design can be achieved by using plants, trees, or material that have repeating lines or shapes, a common hue, or similar texture. However, too much unity in landscape design can be boring. Therefore, it is important to introduce some variety or contrast into the landscape design. Balance gives the landscape design a sense of equilibrium and symmetry in visual attraction. There are three ways by which balance may be presented in landscape design. Symmetrical or formal balance is achieved when the mass, weight, or number of objects both sides of the landscape design are exactly the same. Asymmetrical or informal balance in landscape design suggests a feeling of balance on both sides, even though the sides do not look the same. Asymmetrical balance in visual attraction may be achieved by using opposing compositions on either side of the central axis. Landscape design with radial balance has a center point. A sunflower, a wheel, and the cross-section of an orange all have radial balance. Proportion describes the size relationship between parts of the landscape design or between a part of the design and the design as a whole. A large fountain would cramp a small backyard garden, but would complement a sprawling public courtyard. Additionally, proportion in landscape design must take into consideration how people interact with various components of the landscape through normal human activities. Focalization or Emphasis directs visual attention to a point of interest or prominent part of the landscape design. This could be a hanging earth-forms sculpture, a stone-finished Corinthian garden fountain, a mass of architectural herbaceous perennials, or an elegant spruce. Emphasis in landscape design may be achieved by using a contrasting color, a different or unusual line, or a plain background space. Paths, walkways, and strategically placed plants lead the eye to the focal point of the landscape without distracting from the overall landscape design. Sequence or Transition creates visual movement in landscape design. Sequence in landscape design is achieved by the gradual progression of texture, form, size, or color. Examples of landscape design elements in transition are plants that go from coarse to medium to fine textures or softscapes that go from large trees to medium trees to shrubs to bedding plants. Transition in landscape design may also be used to create depth or distance or to emphasize a focal point. Rhythm creates a feeling of motion which leads the eye from one part of the landscape design to another part. Repeating a color scheme, shape, texture, line or form evokes rhythm in landscape design. Proper expression of rhythm eliminates confusion and monotony from landscape design. And finally, repetition in landscape design is the repeated use of objects or elements with identical shape, form, texture, or color. Although it gives the landscape design a unified planting scheme, repetition runs the risk of being overdone. However, when correctly implemented, repetition can lead to rhythm, focalization or emphasis in landscape design.