A beautiful, well-balanced landscape design doesn't happen by accident. It requires an understanding of basic landscaping principles to turn a well thought out landscape design plan into a reality.
The right type home garden landscaping can add beauty to your property, increase its real estate market value, and add to the functionality of your dwelling.
A Practical Approach to Landscape Design
Even if yours is a do it yourself project, professional looking results are possible when applying basic lawn landscaping design techniques.
One thing that can contribute to landscaping design success is the use of native plants and turf. This not only helps ensure healthy vegetation with minimal yard maintenance requirements. But the use of native plants helps ensure that landscaping features are compatible with the climate and terrain, and will not look out of place.
As much as possible, try to preserve existing natural resource elements by integrating them into your landscape idea. This includes soil that is rich, rock ledges, wild grasses, turf, trees, etc.
A successful home landscape design will also make use of the property's most attractive features; including trees, brooks, and scenic vistas. While at the same time, covering up or downplaying negative aspects; such as unattractive views, steep slopes, rocky soil, etc.
Also, exploit the benefits of color when formulating landscaping plans. A strategically placed flowering bush, a walk-through flower garden, or a raised flower bed bordering the home's foundation will help capture the attention of onlookers more than any other aspect of landscaping.
The Use of Color for the Ultimate Landscape Design
As any interior designer will attest, color does more than add aesthetically to a room.
Color can be used to evoke just the right mood or emotion.
Color can also be used to define the outside environment; enhancing visual appeal, and adding dimension to the landscape. Helping to divert attention from trouble spots, while inviting nature into the yard for a more serene, welcoming atmosphere.
When formulating an herb garden design, a natural gardening display, or even when selecting landscape art, color scheme is important. That is because color has meaning; the human eye relates to certain colors in different ways.
For instance, reds, oranges, yellows, and neutrals of black and brown are warm colors. Greens, blues, violets, grays, and neutral whites are in the cool category.
Warm colors create excitement; they inspire and motivate. One reason why the colors associated with fall are so invigorating and soul stirring.
Cool colors on the other hand tend to have a calming effect. They can be cold and impersonal, or comforting and nurturing - depending upon where they fall on the color spectrum.
Gardening tip: try combining cool colors with rich warm colors for high visual appeal; both soothing and stimulating.
More About the Importance of Color
When making foliage selection for your front or backyard landscaping design, consider the affect of the change of seasons on each plant. A plant that changes to more vivid coloring in winter months can either enhance the yard and add interest, or look fake and out of place. Especially in informal or rural settings.
If your home is white or cream, nearly any color foliage will do. However, foliage color for plants surrounding a structure painted a vivid color must be chosen with care.
Placing cool colored plants to the rear of the yard or garden can make the area seem larger. Plants with warm colors are great for dramatic displays. Planted along side cool colors, warm colored specimens will appear closer; cool colored plants further away.
Effective color schemes to add just the right touch to your landscaping design include:
- Monochromatic - using various hues of the same color throughout. The lack of contrast creates a more subtle, sophisticated affect; clean and elegant.
- Analogous - using colors closely related - with one as the more dominant, surrounded by others used to enhance the effect. Although not as vibrant as contrasting colors, an analogous theme is richer and offers greater variances than a monochromatic scheme.
- Complementary - this type scheme uses two opposite colors; a warm and cool color combination. Use one color as the background, and the other a sharper color to highlight key elements; making a vibrant, attention-attracting statement. Tip: so that colors won't clash, select the first color to be dominant, with the second as its compliment.
- Split Complementary - a variation of the complementary; it consists of one key color with two others adjacent on the color wheel. While every bit as visually impacting as complementary themes, split complementary offers more distinction.
- Triadic - the use of three colors equally spaced on the color wheel; a cool, a warm, plus a hue somewhere between the two. Not as contrasting as the split and complimentary schemes, but favored by some because it is more harmonious. Tip: select one color to be used in larger amounts, with the other two as accents.
Tips for a Professional Touch
The following aspects of landscape architectural design are tricks of the trade used by professionals. Each help ensure landscaping success:
- Visualize your landscape as three dimensional - think of the ground within your property boundaries and property lines in terms of floor and walls; structures, trees, and other elements overhead as its canopy.
- Take into consideration the layout of your home when formulating your landscape design. Consider the house interior in relation to the outside landscape. Your home's floor plan, primary living areas, entrances, and window locations should be used to determine the placement of the landscape's features and elements.
- Consider the layout of your property and its orientation to prevalent winds, the sun; and positioning in regards to neighboring yards. Also take into consideration views into your property from adjoining areas.
- When developing landscaping plans, bear in mind your family's lifestyle, activities, and interests - as well as those within your neighborhood.
- Landscape design should be as functional as it is appealing.
- Determine how much time and money you are willing to invest to create and maintain your landscape.
Also, using the skyline or background trees as a frame for your house will add depth to your landscape. This is one reason why professionals usually position taller trees to the back of the property, and smaller landscaping tree or small shrub specimens to the front.
Find the Right Landscaping Professional
Whether looking for a local groundskeeper or landscaping services, TrustedPros.com is your best bet at locating just the right professional at just the right price.
Locating a landscape design contractor, landscaping architect, or an expert landscaper anywhere in the USA is quick and easy. Sign up without cost or obligation, and post your landscaping project online with our easy-to-use tools. And then sit back and wait.
Member service providers in your area will vie for the job; providing competitive bids in days - even hours from project posting.
View each candidate's portfolio online at your convenience. Including company profile, references, licensing/insurance/certification information, and photos of recently completed projects. And then make an informed hiring decision, or hire no one at all. Remember, you are under no obligation, and membership is free.
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