The Fundamentals of Landscape Design

Creating an overall landscape design is, like anything else, up to an individual’s unique taste and desires. However, there are a few rules of landscape design that should probably be incorporated into your landscape.

These include:

Unity – Unity is about bringing your landscape together using one common theme, color or design. For example, if you are a bird lover, consider a landscape with plants and flowers which attract birds, as well as bird baths, bird houses and bird lawn décor.

Unity gives your landscape a purpose, and helps it “make sense,” so to speak. You can tie your landscape together and create an easy, natural flow when you consider unity.

Simplicity – Simplicity is a good concept for beginner gardeners who don’t know where to begin and tend to go off in several, different directions when designing their landscape.

Simplicity means choosing a color theme, plant theme, or garden décor theme, and sticking with it. A busy landscape with a thousand different things going on at once immediately detracts from the plantings and instead spells “chaos!”

Keep it simple by choosing a few, defining pieces for your garden. The less-is-more idea definitely applies here.

Balance – Balance in your landscape can mean several different things. For example, a balanced landscape is one that has the same shaped beds throughout. It is also one that means both symmetrical and asymmetrical.

A symmetrical landscape may be defined by beds on either side of a walkway having the same types of plants and plant positions, while an asymmetrical landscape may provide unexpected surprises, such as a curved bed on one side of the walkway and a straight-lined bed on the other side.

For beginners, symmetrical landscapes are easier to achieve, and may provide the result they are looking for. Asymmetrical landscapes are better suited to expert gardeners who understand the principals of landscape design and understand the concept of combining different types of textures, colors and designs in the same garden.

Colors – Colors are one of the first things people notice as they walk through your landscape. You can achieve many different feelings through the use of colors. You may choose to create a vibrant garden full of reds, yellows and oranges, or instead create a soothing, cool garden with soft blues and greens.

Your outdoor furniture and lawn décor can add to the overall concept when designing your landscape. Wrought iron furniture and rustic garden décor can add an air of formality, and these details are a good match with a rose garden, for example.

Repetition – The use of repetition throughout your garden gives it a purpose and a sense of unity and thoughtfulness. For example, if you use river rock to accent your landscape in one area and then transition to lava rocks in another, the repetition of the garden is thrown off and becomes messy and unorganized. On the other hand, using the same type of accent rock throughout your garden, regardless of the plants and shrubbery incorporated, will create a sense of consistency and neatness.

By keeping these design principles in mind, you can create a garden that is beautiful, relaxing, and pleasing to both the mind and eyes.