Principles of landscape design

• Landscape design involves functional use of plants combined with artistic composition

– Functional use of landscapes:

• Visual or acoustic screens
• Framing off-landscape views
• Microclimate control (e.g. shading, protection from wind)
• Creating enclosures (absolute or implied)
– Functional uses should be considered first; landscape
viewed as different units with different functions
Principles of landscape design
• Artistic composition derived from physical properties of plants

– Form:
• Plants can be viewed as mainly horizontal or vertical
– Horizontal shapes are less dramatic than vertical shapes
• Tree forms depend on branching patterns
• Shrub forms result from growth habits (e.g. upright or
creeping)
Principles of landscape design
• Physical properties of plants important in landscape design

– Texture:
• Stems, leaves, bark, and buds determine texture of plant
– Large or widely separated plant features create effect of coarseness
– Thick, tight foliage results in finer texture
– Simple leaves appear coarser than compound leaves
• Distance of view affects texture;
farther you stand from plant, the
finer its texture appears
Principles of landscape design
• Physical properties of plants important in landscape design

– Color:
• Warm colors: yellows to reds
– Bright, inviting and lively
• Cool colors: greens to violets
– Restful, receding, not as conspicuous
• Foliage most often considered in
landscape design, but flowers,
bark and fruit also important
Principles of landscape design
• Unity in landscape design
– Landscapes need some characteristics to tie together
different (functional) units and plants within a unit
• Characters that provide unity in landscape design
– simplicity
– variety
– emphasis
– balance
– sequence
– scale
Principles of landscape design
• Unity in landscape design
– Simplicity (repetition)
• Created with repetition of form, texture, colors, or specific
plant species
• Must prevent
monotony; variety is
used to ‘control’
repetition
Principles of landscape design
• Unity in landscape design
– Variety
• Varying forms, textures and shapes to prevent boredom
Principles of landscape design
• Unity in landscape design
– Emphasis
• Drawing attention to important features of landscape
– Can draw attention to front door of residence by using plants that
offer variety in color, texture or form near the door
Principles of landscape design
• Unity in landscape design
– Balance
• Symmetrical balance = elements on either side of an axis
are identical (formal feel)
• Asymmetrical balance = unlike elements of equal visual
weight on each side of an axis (less formal)
– achieved by balancing forms of unequal size (e.g. 1 tree balanced
by 3 shrubs)
– Color adds visual weight; brightly colored plant may need to be
balanced with several plants of equal size but not brightly colored

– Coarse textures are visually heavier than fine textures (more fine-
textured plants needed to balance coarse-textured plants)
Principles of landscape design
• Unity in landscape design
– Balance
Principles of landscape design
• Unity in landscape design
– Sequence
• Move viewer’s eyes over landscape in orderly fashion
– Achieved by
gradual
progression of
form, texture or
color
– Any plant that
breaks gradual
progression
becomes a point
of emphasis
Principles of landscape design
• Unity in landscape design
– Scale
• Relative scale or proportion of landscape affects viewer’s
mood
– Most landscapes
should be
proportional to
human height or
height of
structure