Landscape Design Principles
Home landscape designs vary according to family needs and preferences, but successful designs have certain underlying principles in common. A landscape has unity when its predominant features have some visual characteristics in common. For example, plants with similar forms, colors and textures can create unity, both on your lot and in your neighborhood. This is also true of lawns and paving materials. Repeating a design pattern, color or texture in several different locations helps create...
LowMaintenance Landscapes
All plants and structures require some maintenance, but you have some choice as to whether your landscape will require a lot of maintenance or a little. Many homeowners enjoy lawn and garden work and knowlingly choose plants and structures that require a lot of maintenance. Others want an attractive and functional landscape, but would rather not spend evenings and weekends weeding, mowing, watering, edging and pruning. If you are in the latter category, you should work toward a low-maintenance...
Step Plan Outdoor Use Areas
The location and design of outdoor use areas will depend on family needs and preferences. The particular uses planned and amount of space available will determine use area size. Consider relationships between indoor and outdoor activities. You'll want to keep areas near bedrooms quiet, while locating noisy outside areas near the kitchen, or perhaps away from the house if space permits. Two general areas should be part of any home landscape design - public and private areas. The public area...
Shrubs
Deciduous and evergreen shrubs are an important part of most home landscapes. Planted in groups, they create screens and barriers or serve as foundation plantings or understory plants beneath trees. Although most shrubs work best in groups, they may also be used as accents - accent shrubs can help lead visitors to your entrance, for example. Masses of shrubs effectively delineate different use areas in the yard, much as walls delineate the rooms of a house. A heavy planting of shrubs at house...
Planting for Energy Conservation
Proper selection and placement of plants can reduce home energy consumption. Deciduous trees planted 15-25 feet away from the house on the east, south and west sides shade the roof and walls in summer, reducing surface temperatures. After the trees have dropped their leaves in fall, winter sunlight can reach the house to provide passive solar heating. Windbreaks, mainly evergreen plantings, located four to six times their ultimate height away from the house on the north and west sides can...