The Principles of Landscaping
for
Landscape Class
Mrs. Shaw
Objectives
• To apply the principles of landscaping to an actual
setting to understand the goals of the landscape
profession.
• Describe the three major career fields within the
landscape profession
• List the main objectives of good residential
landscaping
• List the five principles of landscape design and
examples of an application of each principle
• List three hard paving and three soft paving materials
• List the technical procedures for landscape
maintenance.
Objectives
• Calculate the volume of mulch needed to cover a
landscape bed.
• List the basic concepts of xeriscaping
• List ways the soil can be improved to conserve water
• Identify plants that can be used in a xeriscape setting
• Explain why mulches are important.
• Academic Standards:
• Environment and Ecology
• 4.7.10 B
• 4.4.10 A, B and C
Why have landscaping and plants?
• Your answers
Why have landscaping and plants?
• Plants are important
role for:
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Oxygen
Keep us cool
Renew the air
Slows down the wind
Holds soils in place
Provide a home for
wildlife
• Furnish building
material
• Beautify our
surroundings.
Why landscape?
• To beautify our properties
• Increase our property values
• How many of you have seen TV show tell us
how to this?
• Curb Appeal
Before landscaping
Before for Landscaping
After Landscaping
After Landscaping
Before Landscaping
After Landscaping
Before major landscaping
After Landscaping
The Landscape Industry
• Landscape
Industry—also called
the Green Industry.
• Functions to improve
our natural
environment to meet
the needs and desires
of people.
The Landscape Industry
• Landscape
architects—are
professionals who
integrate the disciplines
of art and science, and
know how plants and
landscape factors will
react to the
environments around
them.
• They work with
computer aid design
called CAD.
The Landscape Industry
• Landscape architects—
they often require four
to five years of college
and in some states
require State licensing.
The Landscape Industry
• The landscape plan is a
collection of graphic
symbols, which represent
trees, shrubs, flowers,
buildings, and other
constructed materials
necessary to proposed
landscape.
• When the land dimension
and the symbols are
reduced in the same
proportion, the drawing is
said to be in scale. Ex. (1
inch = 10 feet)
The Landscape Industry
• Landscape contracting—
is the career field which
deals primarily with the
installation of landscapes.
They are the link between
the design and the
management of the
landscape. They must now
scale, how to plant shrubs
and tree and lay out patio
and brick and retaining
walls.
The Landscape Industry
• Landscape
maintenance
contractor—spend
there time totally on
landscaping such as
large estates, shopping
centers and
professional buildings.
They do fertilizing,
pruning, mulching,
flower care, repair
walls, fencing and
driveways.
The Objectives Residential Landscaping
• Residential Landscaping—is to serve the
needs and desires of people in development
of the outdoor environment. The goals of
residential landscape are:
• To determine the exact needs and desires of
the homeowners for their landscapes.
• To determine the capabilities of the land
(site) to fulfill those needs and desires.
The Objectives Residential Landscaping
• To develop the outdoor living areas of the
landscape in a manner similar to the way
indoor living areas are developed.
• To design the landscape in such a way that
maintenance practices do not exceed that
which the homeowner is willing to do.
• To keep costs within the budget of the
homeowner.
The Objectives Residential Landscaping
•
The needs of the homeowner can best be
determined by an interview. Questions
such as the following can be answered:
1. How many family members are there. What
are there ages?
2. How much does the family use the outdoor
area around the home?
3. Does the family entertain frequently. Large
or small groups?
The Objectives Residential Landscaping
4. How much privacy from the neighbors and
passing cars do you desire?
5. How much maintenance are they willing to
do in the upkeep of the landscape?
6. Are there certain plants they are found of
or dislike?
The Objectives Residential Landscaping
7. What service needs will the landscaper
be expected to accommodate? (Examples:
clothesline, trash cans, pets, vegetable
garden, compost pile, garden sheds)
8. Will the family be using the garden after
dark.
The Objectives Residential Landscaping
9. How much does the family want to spend
don the total development of the
landscape? Do they want to spread the cost
over several years?
10. Is the family willing to wait several years to
the plants to reach maturity or do they want
large plants installed for an immediate
effect?
Site Analysis
•
The following are
some of the things to
look for and take
note of during a site
analysis.
1.
2.
3.
Dimension of the
property
Topography of the
site (how flat or
rolling it is
Conditions of the
lawn
Site Analysis
4. Types and condition of existing plants
5. Location of utility lines, meters and utility
easements
6. Good and bad views from the site
7. Locations of glass areas in the house and
where they open onto in the landscape
Site Analysis
8. Architectural style of the neighborhood
9. Environmental setting of the site and the
neighborhood
10. Existing natural features such as streams,
rock outcropping, specimen plants and
wildlife habitat areas.
The Concept of the Outdoor Room
• Public Area—of the home
is that portion which is seen
by anyone coming to the
house. Includes entry foyer,
reception rooms and
enclosed porch.
• Family living area—
includes that room of the
house, which is used, for
family activities and for
entertaining friends.
Includes living rooms,
dining room, family room
and game room.
The Concept of the Outdoor Room
• Service areas—includes laundry room,
kitchen, sewing and utility (mud) room.
• Private living area-- are bedrooms or
dressing rooms.
• Outdoor Use Areas
• Public Area is the front yard, which
everyone driving by or walking can see.
The Concept of the Outdoor Room
• Family living area outdoors should be
connected to the indoor family living area,
when ever possible. This is the area you can
relax in. The area includes patio, barbecuing,
swimming or other activities. Fewer people
should be able to see this area.
• Service area includes hang clothes, store
garbage; house the dog or a vegetable
garden.
The Concept of the Outdoor Room
• All of the outdoor use
areas described so far
are most successful if
they are connected
directly to the indoor
rooms they serve. A
visual connection by
way of a window or
doorway is almost a
necessity. A physical
connection through a
doorway is highly
desirable.
The Concept of the Outdoor Room
• The outdoor wall
defines the limits or
size of as the outdoor
room. It can also slow
or prevent in a certain
direction. Determines
the vertical sides of the
room. Thus outdoor
wall materials should
not be placed in the
middle of the lawn,
where a wall would not
be located.
The Concept of the Outdoor Room
• Materials used for
outdoor walls
• Natural—shrubs, small
trees, ground cover and
flowers
• Man-made—fencing
and masonry
The Concept of the Outdoor Room
• Outdoor floor—provides the surfacing
for the outdoor room. Materials
• Natural—grass, ground covers, sand,
gravel or water
• Man-made—brick, concrete, patio blocks
or title.
• Outdoor ceiling – defines the upper
limits of the outdoor room.
• Such as awning, aluminum covering or
shade trees
The Principles of Landscape Design
• There are five basic principles which guide
the landscape architect or designer in
planning the landscape’s outdoor rooms.
These principles are:
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1. Simplicity
2. Balance
3 Focalization of interest
4. Rhythm and line
5. Scale and Proportion
The Principles of Landscape Design
• The Principles of simplicity—is important to
the overall unity of the design.
• It is accomplished by repeating specific
plants throughout the design an by massing
plant types and color into groups rather than
spacing types so that each plant or color is
seen separately.
• Fewer different objects there are for eye to
focus upon
• Straight lined or gently curing bedlines
around shrubs plantings.
The Principle of Simplicity
The Principle of Balance
• The Principle of Balance—if the left side
of the landscape should have no more visual
weight than the right side. Balance is either
• A. Symmetrical—balance is attained when
one side of the landscape is exact duplicate
of the other side. This common in formal
design.
Symmetrical Design
Symmetrical Design
Symmetrical Design
The Principle of Balance
• B. Asymmetrical
balance—one side of
the landscape has the
same visual weight as
the other side, but the
are not duplicates.
Asymmetrical Design
The Principle of Focalization
• The Principle of Focalization—of interest
recognizes that the viewer’s eye wants to see
only one feature as being the most important
within any given view. All other elements
complement that important feature (the focal
point) but do not compete with it for
attention.
• Focal points may be created using especially
attractive plants (specimen plants), statues,
fountains, pools and plant arrangement.
Focal Point
Focal Point
Focal Point
Focal Point
The Principle of Rhythm and Line
• The Principle of Rhythm and Line—also
contributes to the overall unity of the
landscape design. This principle is
responsible for the sense of continuity
between different areas of the landscape.
• Also giving a design to repeat shapes, angles
or lines between various areas and elements
of design.
The Principle of Rhythm and Line
The Principle of Rhythm and Line
The Principle of Rhythm and Line
The Principle of Scale and Proportion
• The Principle of
Scale and
Proportion—helps
keep all elements of
the landscape in the
correct size
relationship without
towering over the
building when full
grown.
The Principle of Scale and Proportion
Landscape Maintenance
• Landscape Maintenance involves the technical
knowledge of the following skills:
• Replacement of plant material
• Application of mulch to proper depth.
• Application of soil analysis—proper pH levels and
fertility needs
• Pruning
• Weed Control
• Planting and caring for flower beds
• Proper mowing procedures
• Maintenance of landscape accessories (fountains,
pools and lighting
Landscape Maintenance
• Mulch
• The most common type of mulch is in the
form of wood chips
• Hardwood bark
• Pine bark
• Mulch help:
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Aesthetic appearance
Water holding capacity
Organic matter content
Weed control quality
Landscape Maintenance
• Mulch is sold by the cubic yard. There are 27
cubic feet per cubic yard. Too determine the
cubic yards of mulch to be used divide cubic
feet by 27.
• Length in ft. x width in ft. x depth in ft.=cubic yards
27 cubic feet/cubic yards
Xeriscaping
• This is a technique used to practice water
conservation in creative landscapes.
Xeriscaping
• The basic concepts of xeriscaping involve the
following applications of landscape principles:
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Good design and planning
Improving the soil
Turf areas
Use of ground covers
Low water use
Plant selection
Use of mulch
Use of low volume irrigation
Proper landscape maintanence
Xeriscaping
Xeriscaping