Landscape Design
Competencies 17.00-21.00
Landscaping Careers
What is Landscaping?
Landscaping is a profession that includes
designing, installing, and maintaining the
outdoor human environment.
 There are 3 branches of the landscaping
industry

Landscape Architecture
 Landscape Contractors
 Landscape Maintenance

Landscape Architects
Licensed professions
 Conceptualize and plan the outdoor
environment or landscape for residential
and commercial clients.
 Landscape designers usually do actual
drawings for residential landscapes.

Landscape Contractors
Carry out the installation or actual
construction of the landscape plan
 Often use subcontractors to do special
work such as pools, electrical work,
stonework, etc.

Landscape Maintenance

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Extended care of
existing landscapes
The care and upkeep
of the landscape after
installation
Design-build Firms

Landscape businesses that handle
everything from the initial contact with the
client through design and construction as
well as long-term care and maintenance.
Landscape Nursery Worker

Professional who sells and installs landscape
plants and related materials.
Types of Landscape Plans
Types of Landscape Plans

There are three types of plans used in
landscaping
Sequential
 Computer Assisted
 Graphics

Landscape Plans
Sequential Plans
Each part of the plan is increasingly more
specific and detailed.
 Includes

Functional diagrams
 Preliminary designs
 Final Plans

Sequential Plans-Functional
Diagrams
Begin the arrangement of the client’s
program on the site.
 Called “bubble diagrams” because they
use loosely drawn freeform shapes to
represent areas or spaces
 Help the designer make decisions
concerning layout and sizes and the use of
each area.

Sequential Plans-Preliminary
Designs
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Break the “bubbles” to show first draft vision of
how each landscape area will be shaped.
Landscape is given its form, type of materials to
be used, and application of landscape design
principles.
Simple without real details, but the horizontal
and vertical relationships between objects and
areas are now included.
A number of these may be shown before final
plans are made.
Sequential Plans-Final Plans
Use suggestions and reactions of the
client to make a master drawing that is
graphically detailed and specific in its
intent for the landscape.
 Include identified plants, paving patterns,
and other specific information.
 Can also include construction drawings for
the landscape contractor or subcontractor
 Graphics are designed to impress

Computer Assisted


Also called drawing
board
CAD (Computer
Aided Design)
systems are
accelerated drafting
systems, designed to
draw landscape plans
using a personal
computer.
Graphics

Consists of letters and numbers
Free-hand lettering
 Mechanical lettering
 Computer lettering

Landscape Principles and
Procedures
Principles of Design
Balance
 Focalization of Interest
 Simplicity
 Rhythm and Line
 Proportion
 Unity

Balance

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Materials are distributed evenly on opposite
sides of a central axis
Three types of balance:

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Symmetric
Asymmetric
Proximal/distal
Macro-range-the viewer sees the landscape
from the most distant vantage point
Closer range-the views from other locations not
as distant
Symmetric Balance


One side is a
reflective mirror
image of the opposite
side
Most formal type of
balance
Asymmetric Balance
Each side has as much interest as the
other
 Not a duplicate of the other side

Proximal/Distal Balance

Balances right and left as well as near and
far
Focalization of Interest
Selects and positions visually strong items
in the landscape composition to create
focal points
 Draws the eye of the viewer to one major
feature in each use area

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Example: corner planting
Simplicity
Seeks to make viewers comfortable within
the landscape
 Excludes any unnecessary changes in
shape, color, direction, etc.

Rhythm and Line
Repeating something at a standard
interval or pattern creates rhythm
 Lines establish the shape and form of the
landscape
 Replicating strong existing lines such as
the lines of a house or a pool
 Functions of line plantings include
foundation plantings, block a view, frame a
view, and provide privacy.

Proportion

The size relationships
between all the
features of the
landscape including
vertical, horizontal,
and spatial
relationships
Proportion

Will maintain proper
proportional
relationships in a
landscape between

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Buildings and people
Buildings and plants
Plants and people
Plants and plants
Masses and soils
Unity
All the separate parts contribute to the
creation of the total design
 Ties together individual parts of each area
by:

Repeating prominent colors
 Repeating construction materials
 Continuing interior design themes to outdoor
rooms
 Repeat plant species
 Raise patios, decks, and porches to door level

Landscape Processes
Process is a sequence of steps to reach a
goal
 There are three parts to the landscape
process

Project development
 Project maintenance
 Design

Project Development Process
Includes determining need or objective
 Design process
 Accepting the design
 Contracting and subcontracting
 Landscaping
 Acceptance
 Billing and payment

Project Maintenance Process
Determining need or desire
 Selecting landscape maintenance
company which assesses the needs and
presents a proposal
 If the proposal is accepted, the company
schedules and does the work
 Customer is billed

Design Process

Site analysis and program analysis
Interior Landscaping
Interior Landscaping

Called interior plantscaping or interiorscaping
Purposes of Interior Landscaping

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Add color
Add textures
Add softness
Add life
Increase employee
productivity
Decrease employee
absenteeism
Add oxygen
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Provide herbs for
cooking, medicine, or
fragrance
Add beauty and
comfort by combining
all of the previously
mentioned purposes
Benefits of Interior Landscaping
Adds color, texture, softness, life and
oxygen to interior plantscape
 Increases employee productivity
 Decreases employee absences from work
 Provides herbs for cooking, fragrance, or
medicine

Disadvantages of Interior
Landscaping
Reduced light
 Reduced root system
 Dependant upon people for watering
 Build-up of soluble salts from fertilizer
 Plugging stomata from dust on leaves
 Damage from heating, air conditioning,
and cleaning chemicals

Disadvantages of Interior
Landscaping
Growing medium
 Only plants that will grow inside can be
used
 Picking or breaking leaves by people using
the interior building area

Benefits of Exterior Landscaping

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Adds color, texture, and life
Adds aesthetic value (beauty)
Adds economic value to property
Adds comfort (shade)
Adds privacy—borders, fences, etc.
Helps prevent erosion
Can use larger exterior plants
Rain natural soil provide most of required water
Gets natural light
Disadvantages of Exterior
Landscaping
May get too much rain and drown
 Natural soils may have diseases, insects,
improper pH, etc.
 Natural soils may be shallow or rocky
 Natural outdoor soils may be subject to
erosion
 Weed and insect control is more difficult
 Large areas of landscaping costs more
 More labor is required to establish outdoor
landscape

Methods of Planting Ornamental
Plants
Planting Ornamental Plants

Tools vary depending
upon type and size of
plants from bulb
planter, trowel, spade,
shovel to power
augers and front end
loaders.
Planting Ornamental Plants
Hole should be larger than plant roots and
soil prepared so that new roots will grow in
it.
 Methods of installation are determined by
root form whether bare-rooted, balled-andburlapped or containerized

Balled and Burlapped Plants
Balled and burlapped plants have a round
soil ball of roots wrapped in burlap fabric.
 Planted in flat-bottomed, straight-sided
hole that is deeper and wider than the ball.
 Backfill soil should fill the hole enough to
raise the plant to the level at which it grew
in the nursery.
 Loose burlap around top of plant.
 Mounded ring of soil around plant to catch
water.

Balled and Burlapped Plants
Containerized Plants
Use the same type hold, mounded ring,
etc. as balled and burlapped.
 In addition, the plant must be removed
from the container
 Roots should be unwound or cut at two
inch intervals if pot-bound

Bare-rooted Plants

Have to have a
mound or dome in the
bottom of the hole to
spread roots and
direct roots to grow
downward.
Planting Ornamental Plants
Tall plants, even small trees, need to be
staked to prevent blowing over.
 Mulching should be done to help retain
water, prevent weeds, improve
appearance, and minimize temperature
fluctuations.
 Water adequately and frequently enough
for healthy plants.

Handling Ornamental Plants
Balled and burlapped plants should be
handled by the root ball
 Container grown plants should be handled
by the container until removed and then by
the root mass
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