Sustainable
Landscape
Design
Prepared for
Master Gardener Training 2009
By Dr. Lois Berg Stack,
Extension Specialist, Ornamental Horticulture
Successful landscapes are:
Functional … they solve problems.
Attractive … they complement their surroundings.
Alive … they change with needs and desires.
Good landscapes are the result of good process.
First define the space and determine the goals.
Then install the elements that solve problems,
create beauty and remain flexible enough to
accommodate changes over time.
Step one
Assess what is good in the existing landscape, and
what should be eliminated.
Step two
Define the environment, both above
and below ground.
Step three
Think about what you want
your landscape to do (“function before form”).
Step four
Make a list of the things you’d like to see in your
landscape (ideas, objects, plants, etc.).
Step five
Develop a
theme (or
themes)
for your
landscape,
to use as a
filter when
making
decisions.
Step six
Design
the
structure
and layout
of the
landscape
(like the
walls and
floor plan
of a
house).
Step seven
Determine which functions
might be served by
hardscape items, and which
ones by plants.
Step eight
Design for beauty and sustainability, applying
these elements of art:
Color
Space
Texture
Pattern
Line
Light
Form
… and these principles of design:
Balance/Style
Dominance (Focal point)
Rhythm/Repetition
Transitions/Tension
Proportion
Scale
Contrast
Unity/Simplicity
Color
Color produces an emotional reaction.
In the landscape it may be seasonal or year-round.
Texture
Texture describes surface quality.
It is visual or physical, and can be
fine to coarse.
Line
Line is one-dimensional, visual or physical.
It provides structural framework, direction, control.
Form
Form describes the contour
of 3-dimensional materials.
Form is created when mass
occupies space.
Space
Spaces are open areas or voids.
Space can be “visually borrowed” from an adjacent
landscape.
Pattern
Pattern is the
relationship between
solid objects and open
space(s).
Light
Light is the illumination
necessary for vision.
It can be natural or artificial.
Balance / Style
Balance provides visual
or physical stability. It
can be symmetrical or
asymmetrical.
Style can be formal or
informal.
The design at the top is
symmetrically balanced and
formal.
The design at the right is
asymmetrically balanced and
naturalistic.
Dominance / Focal Point / Focalization
Dominant elements contrast strongly with their
surroundings, dominating subordinate elements.
Focal points sometimes require the support of line.
Scale and Proportion
Scale is a measurement of size.
Proportion is the ratio of an image or object to the
frame of reference.
We also use the term “scale”
to describe our personal
relationship to size of spaces.
We’d be more comfortable in
the “human-scale” space on
the left than we in the very
large-scale space below.
Rhythm / Repetition
Repeated colors,
textures or other
attributes provide a
visual path through the
landscape, and help us
connect individual
objects into a unity.
Transition / Tension
Transitions add intrigue and
mystery. They offer a change of
view and function, and allow many
types and styles of gardens to be
side-by-side without detracting
from each other.
Contrast
Opposites and variety add
interest, provide a balance
between extremes, and create a
diversity that prevents monotony.
Unity / Simplicity
Unity (“oneness”) and
simplicity are created when
all the design elements and
principles are functioning.
Step nine
Consider labor and the financial
costs of long-term maintenance.
Step ten
Develop a
budget
(both labor
and money)
for the
entire
project, and
for
subprojects.
Step eleven
When installing a
landscape,
complete as much
of the hardscape
(walks, walls, steps,
fences, etc.) as
possible before
planting.
Step twelve
When selecting and planting plants:
- Use your theme to filter your plant choices.
- Choose plants by function and suitability to site.
- Consider hardiness, size, color, texture, seasonality.
- Develop effective, sustainable plant combinations.
- Follow good planting and establishment practices.
When selecting and planting plants:
- Use your theme to filter your plant choices.
- Choose plants by function and suitability to site.
- Consider hardiness, size, color, texture, seasonality.
- Develop effective, sustainable plant combinations.
- Follow good planting and establishment practices.
When selecting and planting plants:
- Use your theme to filter your plant choices.
- Choose plants by function and suitability to site.
- Consider hardiness, size, color, texture, seasonality.
- Develop effective, sustainable plant combinations.
- Follow good planting and establishment practices.
When selecting and planting plants:
- Use your theme to filter your plant choices.
- Choose plants by function and suitability to site.
- Consider hardiness, size, color, texture, seasonality.
- Develop effective, sustainable plant combinations.
- Follow good planting and establishment practices.
3
4
4
Plant Hardiness
Zones of Maine
Average minimum winter
temperatures:
Zone 3 = -40 to -30 F
3
Zone 4 = -30 to -20 F
5
Zone 5 = -20 to -10 F
When selecting and planting plants:
- Use your theme to filter your plant choices.
- Choose plants by function and suitability to site.
- Consider hardiness, size, color, texture, seasonality.
- Develop effective, sustainable plant combinations.
- Follow good planting and establishment practices.
When selecting and planting plants:
- Use your theme to filter your plant choices.
- Choose plants by function and suitability to site.
- Consider hardiness, size, color, texture, seasonality.
- Develop effective, sustainable plant combinations.
- Follow good planting and establishment practices.
Ten Tips for a Sustainable
Landscape
Ten Tips for a Sustainable
Landscape
1. Check local regulations and
resources
Ten Tips for a Sustainable
Landscape
2. Choose native plants to help
Maine keep its natural look, and
add non-invasive non-natives
where appropriate
The Benefits of Planting Native Plants
Great variety from Maine’s nearly 1500 native plants.
Beauty from plant form, texture, fragrance and color.
Native plants are well adapted to Maine conditions.
Native plants can provide screening, windbreaks, water
protection, food and shelter for wildlife, and good visual
interest in all seasons.
Native plants are increasingly available at local garden
centers and nurseries.
Using native plants keeps Maine looking like Maine!
Protect natural
plant communities.
Ten Tips for a Sustainable
Landscape
3. Be cautious when bringing
materials and plants from off-site;
be even more cautious of plants
that appear on their own.
Avoid Invasive Plants
Lythrum salicaria, “Purple loosestrife”
(invasive plant)
Ten Tips for a Sustainable
Landscape
4. If your landscape is on the water,
install a buffer planting.
Buffer plantings protect the water
A natural or planted area adjacent to the waterway.
A community of trees, shrubs and other plants,
forming layers of vegetation.
A protective buffer between the waterway and
activities like farming and construction.
An esthetic addition to the landscape.
An effective waterfront buffer can ...
Improve soil quality
Improve water quality
Stabilize the banks of streams, rivers and lakes
Decrease the damage caused by floods
Help replenish groundwater supplies
Muffle noises
Improve wildlife habitat
Increase property value
Ten Tips for a Sustainable
Landscape
5. Avoid open soil … plant
groundcovers or apply mulch.
Waldsteinia fragarioides,
“Barren-strawberry”
(native groundcover for shade)
Native creeping juniper,
lowbush blueberry and
mosses in a developed
landscape
Ten Tips for a Sustainable
Landscape
6. Reduce your garden’s carbon
footprint.
Ways to reduce your garden’s
carbon footprint:
Collect rain water in rain barrels for irrigation.
Use porous paving/path materials.
Make compost from kitchen waste for nutrient use.
Avoid oil-based chemicals and fertilizers.
Mow with a manual push mower.
Buy locally produced plants and hard goods.
Grow your own fruits/vegetables.
Plant appropriate native and non-native plants.
Plant “the right plant in the right place.”
Ten Tips for a Sustainable
Landscape
7. Use chemicals as a last resort:
Avoid over-fertilizing in general.
Learn Maine’s new phosphorus law.
Use pesticides wisely.
Ten Tips for a Sustainable
Landscape
8. Develop your landscape over time:
Don’t take on more than you can
handle.
Keep notes over time for reference.
Learn from other good gardeners.
Ten Tips for a Sustainable
Landscape
9. Think long-term:
Flexibility allows change as needed.
Providing for lower maintenance
will help you garden when older.
Ten Tips for a Sustainable
Landscape
10. Maintain an open mind:
Global warming, water issues,
environmental concerns, invasive
plants, new pests … there’s so
much to learn!
Thank you!