Designing the Landscaping Plan

Previous | Next

Page 1 of 5

A landscape which is designed properly is a source of enjoyment for the family, enhances a community and adds to the resale value of your property. Landscape design involves much more than placing trees, shrubs and other plants on the property. It is an art which deals with conscious arrangement or organization of outdoor space for human satisfaction and enjoyment.

Goals of landscape design include:

Organizing and developing the site for maximum use and pleasure.
Creating a visual relationship between the house and the site.
Reducing landscape maintenance to a practical level.

We spend tremendous amounts of money landscaping businesses, homes, streets, parks, and schools. Much of this money is wasted, however, because of little or no planning. People cannot understand how to landscape until they know why they landscape. Some think it improves appearance of their space, others like to grow plants, and still others just want their space to look nice. Too often these landscapes dominate rather than serve. Masses of plants or other materials in the landscape take up a large portion of the space and leave little room for people.

So how does the designer arrange space so that people will find it useful, beautiful, meaningful and functional?

Observing and analyzing the habits of the people who will be using the space, including their needs, desires and how much space each of their activities requires.
Studying past landscaping methods.
Surveying available materials to solve design requirements.
Analyzing the environment of the site including the view in and around the site. The ecology of the site should be carefully analyzed since it is important in determining the design.

Next: Designing Your Landscaping Plan (Cont.)