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LANDSCAPE DESIGN
Landscape design is the art of arranging the features of an area
of land for aesthetic and/or practical reasons. It is often divided
into two major components: hardscape (the nonliving elements,
such as pavers) and softscape (the living elements, such as
flowers).
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LANDSCAPE DESIGN

Photo Source: www.hgtv.com

Hardscape can include almost any type of decorative or

practical structure in a landscape, from driveways to fences to
benches. Hardscape is a critical part of landscape design,
providing definition and a sense of organization to the natural
areas and features.
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LANDSCAPE DESIGN

Photo Source: www.carpentersnursery.co.uk

Softscape comprises the animate (living), horticultural elements

of landscape design. More simply put, it refers to the plants.
Softscape elements are complemented by hardscape elements,
such as wooden pergolas, stone walls, tile patios, and brick
walkways.
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LANDSCAPE DESIGN

In landscaping, the design can vary from plant choices, choice of

hardscape and the style of landscape design. The basic elements of
landscape design include:

Color: the reflection of the different bands of light on an object;

Form: the overall outline or silhouette of a plant;
Line: the essence of plant form;
Scale: 3-dimensional grouping of plants;
Texture: the surface qualities of plants.
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Design Components of
Landscape Design
Balance
This refers to the consistency of visual attraction or lack thereof. Using
these principles, landscape designers create landscapes that are pleasing
to look at and even inviting.

Symmetrical balance is used in

formal landscapes when one side
of the landscape is a mirror image
of the opposite side. These
landscapes often use geometric
patterns in the walkways, planting
beds and even how the plants are
pruned into shapes.

Photo Source: http://2ddesignnscc.blogspot.com/

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Design Components of
Landscape Design
Balance
Asymmetrical balance, also known as informal
balance, differs from one side to the other and
appears to be relaxing and free flowing.

Photo Source: www.prettypurpledoor.com Photo Source: www.gardeningknowhow.com

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Design Components of
Landscape Design
Unity (harmony)
Unity is the effective use of elements in a design to
convey a theme. Unity is achieved by implementing
a design consistently over a landscape through
mass planting or repetition.

Ketcheson Neighbourhood Park | Richmond, Canada, PWL Partnership Landscape Architects

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Design Components of
Landscape Design
Proportion
Proportion is the sense or
requirement that the size of the
individual components or
groups of components in a
landscape fit into the whole
landscape harmoniously.

Photo Source: hzcdn.com

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Design Components of
Landscape Design
Transition
Transition is the gradual
change achieved by the
manipulation of the basic
design elements of color, scale,
line, form, and texture.

Photo Source: https://jardindesign.org/

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Design Components of
Plant form Landscape Design

Plant forms can be divided into

three groups—trees, shrubs,
and groundcover. Tree form
• Dominant in the garden because of
their size.
• Trees are also the most functional
plants in the landscape, providing
shade and blocking views,
• Round or Oval trees: creates
shade
• Columnar or pyramidal: good for
screening
• Weeping form: good focal point.
Common Tree Forms
Illustration Source: Gail Hansen
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Design Components of
Landscape Design

FLAME TREE (Delonix regia) NARRA (Pterocarpus indicus)

KATMON (Dillenia philippinensis)

MOLAVE (Vitex parviflora)

ILANG-ILANG (Cananga odorata) BANABA (Lagerstroemia speciosa)
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Design Components of
Landscape Design
Shrub form

• The form of the shrub

determines its most suitable
function.
• Upright, vase, mounded,
and round forms work best
as taller screens and
buffers;
• irregular and spreading
forms work well as
groundcovers; and
• arching, cascading,
pyramidal, and spiky forms
work best as focal points.
Common Shrub Forms
Illustration Source: Gail Hansen
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Design Components of
Landscape Design

CANDLE BUSH (Senna alata) PALAWAN SANTAN (Ixora palawanensis) YELLOW BELL (Tecoma stans)

BOUGAINVILLEA (Bougainvillea spectabilis) RHAPIS/ LADY PALM (Rhapis excelsa)

EUGENIA (Syzygium buxifolium)

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Design Components of
Landscape Design
Ground Cover Form
• Matting, spreading, or
sprawling plants are used to
form a solid, low cover over
large areas.
• Plants that grow in clumps or
short spikes can be used in
smaller masses and work
Ground Cover Forms
well in planters or enclosed Illustration Source: Gail Hansen
areas.

PEANUT PLANT/ PINTO PEANUT CARABAO GRASS FROG GRASS BERMUDA GRASS
(Arachis pintoi) (Paspalum conjugatum) (Cynodon dactylon)
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Design Components of
Landscape Design

STRATEGIES FOR USING FORM

Following are several strategies for using form effectively in
the landscape:
1. Choose the form that best fits the space where the plant
will be located. Form is also closely related to size. A tall,
narrow plant should be used in a narrow space, and a
wide, spreading plant can be used to cover a large space.
2. Choose form based on the function of the plant. A tree
needed for shade should have a vase shape with a wide,
spreading canopy, and a shrub needed as a screen should
have a dense, upright form.
3. Consider the form of adjacent plants. For variety, choose
plants that contrast with strikingly different forms; for
example, place a spiky form next to a soft, mounding form.
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Design Components of
Landscape Design

STRATEGIES FOR USING FORM

4. Repeat a few forms in the landscape to create a unified
design. Too many forms create a disorganized look that
lacks cohesion.
5. Keep in mind that too many complex forms tend to look
chaotic, and too many simple forms can be boring.
6. Choose one or two strikingly different forms for contrast
as a focal point; the rest of the forms should be neutral to
blend well.
7. Remember that vertical forms can block views, and low,
horizontal forms can open views.
8. Emphasize form in a simple color scheme.
9. Establish the bulk of the composition using natural plant
forms, rather than over trimmed forms.
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Design Components of
Plant texture Landscape Design

• The perceived surface quality (regarding

size and shape, not feel) of a plant part
compared
• Texture can be found in the foliage,
flowers, blades, and bark of the plant, as
well as in the plant's overall branching
pattern.
• The size and shape of the leaves
• A plant can generally be described as
having a coarse, medium, or fine texture.

Coarse, medium, and fine textures in foliage, branching,

and blades.
Illustration Source: Gail Hansen
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Design Components of
Plant texture Landscape Design

COURSE TEXTURE
• Coarse texture shows in the
irregular edges, spiny foliage,
and bold branching pattern.
FINE TEXTURE
• Small, delicate foliage and thin
MEDIUM TEXTURE stems give ferns a fine texture.
• Simple leaf shape, smooth
edges, and average-sized
stems create a medium
texture.
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Design Components of
Plant texture Landscape Design
EXAMPLE OF TEXTURE COMBINATIONS
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Design Components of
Plant texture Landscape Design

STRATEGIES FOR USING TEXTURE

 Following are several strategies for using
texture effectively in the landscape:
 Mix textures for a balance of all three—
coarse, medium, and fine.
 Use all of the same texture (mono texture) if
you want to emphasize the form or color of
the plants.
 Choose one texture as the dominant texture;
add just a few plants of the other texture for
specimen plants and contrast. Use the
dominant texture throughout the composition.
 Use texture and color together to emphasize
plants.
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Design Components of
Size Landscape Design

• Size refers to the overall height and width of the plant and its
relative size or scale when compared to other plants,
structures, and spaces in the yard. Plants are most often
sized by height.
• Large plants are trees and shrubs that grow 4–6 ft. or higher at
mature size.
• Medium plants, typically shrubs, range from 2–4 ft. in height.
• Small plants, typically groundcover and bedding plants, are 2
ft. tall or shorter.
• Columnar, pyramidal, and upright plants are narrow and
occupy less horizontal space,
• sprawling, arching, and mounding plants tend to use less
vertical space.
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Design Components of
Size Landscape Design

STRATEGIES FOR USING SIZE

1. Choose the size that best fits the location.
2. Choose the size that best fits the space.
3. Use a tall, narrow plant in a narrow space
and a wide, spreading plant in a large
space. Size is closely related to form.
4. Choose size based on the function of the
plant. A tree that is needed for shade
should have a wide, spreading canopy,
and a shrub that is needed for privacy
should be tall and wide.
5. Keep the plants proportional to the house,
the lot, and the other plants.
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Design Components of
Size Landscape Design

STRATEGIES FOR USING SIZE

6. Interconnect and overlap plant heights, but avoid obvious
layers of low, medium, and high plants.
7. Vary the sizes of plants, particularly the height, for more
complexity and interest.
8. Give plants room to grow. Remember the mature size of the
plant and space plants for that size.
9. Leave a gap (about 2 ft.) between the house and plant
material for air circulation and maintenance. Locate
foundation plants to maintain the gap at the mature size.
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Design Components of
Size Landscape Design

STRATEGIES FOR USING SIZE

10. Keep in mind that even though larger plants are typically
more expensive, they cover more area and fill in a space
more quickly than smaller plants.
11. Keep in mind that even though smaller plants tend to be
less expensive, filling a space with them requires more
plants and more time than larger plants.
12. Remember that very large plants can make a medium-sized
plant look small by comparison, and small plants will be
hardly noticeable.
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Design Components of
Color Theory Landscape Design

• Color is the characteristic that most people notice first in a

landscape, and it is also the characteristic by which most
people select plants.
• Choosing a color theme requires an understanding of the
properties of color and the basics of color theory.
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Design Components of
Color Theory Landscape Design

STRATEGIES FOR USING COLOR

1. Consider the amount of color in each plant. Some plants
have large, showy flowers or big, dramatic leaves with color.
Other plants have tiny flowers but might make up for size by
having masses of blooms.
2. Consider the length of bloom for the flowers. Annuals may
bloom all season, while perennials could vary from several
months to one or two short weeks.
3. Consider the seasonal timing of the color. Plan for a
sequence of flowering color throughout the year for year-
round color.
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Design Components of
Color Theory Landscape Design

STRATEGIES FOR USING COLOR

4. Use a color theme to guide color selection. A simple theme
uses only two or three colors.
5. Use large drifts of color rather than random spots of color.
6. Use fruit, foliage, and branches as a source of color (Figure
18). Flowers may give more color in the spring and summer,
but fruit and foliage often provide fall color.
7. Look for foliage with variegated stripes and mottling to add
color.
8. Keep in mind that bright color makes small plants look
bigger and coarser in texture.
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Design Components of
Color Theory Landscape Design

STRATEGIES FOR USING COLOR

9. Use the least amount of the brightest color and balance with
a larger amount of more subdued colors. For example,
bright yellow is a very intense color, so use a small amount
with a larger amount of darker purple for balance.
10. Use a neutral color to link other colors. Neutral colors are
more subdued and typically created by adding white, gray,
or black. Light pink is an example of a neutral color that
links saturated red and red-orange.
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Design Components of
Focal Point Landscape Design

• “Focal points" guide someone's attention to a particular

location.
 A statue, sculpture or other
piece of art: Using pieces of art,
the creations of artists, as focal
points creates a mood that the
outdoor space that you’re in is
there to be enjoyed.
Specifically. To reflect on
beauty.
 A social area: Gazebos,
porches, decks, collections of
outdoor sofas Specific Gravity by Reg Yuson (2007)
Photo Source: https://www.artsatbgc.org/art_details.php?id=8
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Design Components of
Focal Point Landscape Design

 Water: A Pond, fountain or other ideas:

 Remarkable Natural Features: A Tree,
boulder, or exotic planting: Exotic or
fascinating displays of nature at its
most beautiful are something that
touches almost everyone’s sense of
wonder. Carnivorous plants. Plants of
exceptionally large or small scale.
Large geodes.
 An Activity area: Labyrinth, Bocce ball,
Court, or Jungle Gym: Active space as
a focal point of the area.

St. James Park, Toronto, Canada

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Hardscape Elements
Types of Hardscaping

1. Fire pits: A built-in outdoor fireplace or

fire pit made of brick or stone is
functional hardscaping that can make
your outdoor space more livable and
relaxing.

Photo Source: Susan Schwab Photo Source: Belgard

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Hardscape Elements
Types of Hardscaping

2. Stone pathways:
• Stone walkways are ideal for garden
paths.
• Gravel paths have a "softer"
alternative to brick, concrete, or solid
stone.
• Stone landscape steps have heavy
stone slabs that make beautiful
outdoor steps.

Photo Source: decortips.com

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Hardscape Elements
Types of Hardscaping

3. Retaining walls: Retaining walls are

load-bearing walls that draw the boundary
of a garden at the top of a hill, or the
bottom of a hill, effectively damming up dirt
and water runoff that would otherwise
interfere with growing softscape.
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Hardscape Elements
Types of Hardscaping

4. Gazebos and pergolas: Freestanding structures in your outdoor living

space like gazebos and pergolas—which are partially-shaded walkways—
are forms of hardscaping that come in a variety of shapes, sizes,
materials, and themes. They provide shade and shelter during outdoor
gatherings and make your outdoor space more livable.
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Hardscape Elements
Types of Hardscaping

5. Decks and patios: Structures

like wooden decks and patios are
another form of hardscaping that
can extend living space into an
outdoor area.
Photo Source: luminiestudio.com

Photo Source: Eduardo Calvo Santisbon

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Hardscape Elements
Types of Hardscaping

6. Fountains: Water features like

fountains or paved garden streams
can provide your backyard with a
natural focal point and a peaceful
ambience.

Adams Sangamon Park

Photo Source: inhabitat.com
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Hardscape Elements
Types of Hardscaping

Photo Source: www.ownerly.com

7.Driveways: Driveways provide you with a

car path into your property.
• They can be made from poured concrete,
brick, stone, asphalt, or any other sturdy,
weather and load-bearing material.
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Landscape Plan

A landscape design is like a

floor plan for an outdoor area.
Like a floor plan, a landscape
design creates a visual
representation of a site using
scaled dimensions.
Landscape plans include
natural elements like flowers,
trees, and grass as well as
man-made elements such as
lawn furniture, fountains, and
sheds. Landscape designs
may also include overlays for
irrigation and lighting.
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Landscape Plan
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Landscape Plan
Site layout

• Overhead view of what

the landscape will look
like once it has been
installed.
• Contains the layout of all
the plants, walkways,
patios, retaining walls,
and any other landscape
elements that are
included in the plan.
• The site layout also
includes the house or
any other structures on
the property.
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Landscape Plan
Plant Key

• Tells what plants are

being used and where
they will be placed.
• Each type of plant in the
site layout section of the
plan has a symbol with a
line going to it. That
symbol corresponds with
an identical symbol on
the plant key.
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Landscape Plan
Plant Image

• Reference the image

for each plant
• Give you a better
visual of how the
landscape will look.
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Landscape Plan
Sidebar/ Notes

• Installation instructions
and specifications.
• Specifications
• Other pertinent
information needed to
allow the reader to fully
understand the
landscape design.
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REFERENCES
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REFERENCES
 Beaulieu, David (2020) Guide to Landscape Design, thespruce.com, Retrieved November 2021
from https://www.thespruce.com/what-is-landscape-design-2131075
 Hansen, Gail and Alvarez, Erin (2019) Landscape Design: Aesthetic Characteristics of Plants,
University of Florida. Retrieved November 2021 from https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/EP433
 How to read a Landscape Design, Retrieved November 2021 from
https://wildbloomlandscapes.com/read-landscape-design/
 Murray, Dennis (2018) Using a Focal Point in your Landscape, Meadowbrook Landscape,
Retrieved November 2021 from https://www.meadowbrookdesign.com/using-a-focal-point-in-your-
landscape/
 Sanborn, Dixie (2015), Principles of landscape design, Michigan State University Extension.
Retrieved November 2021 from
https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/principles_of_landscape_design#:~:text=Asymmetrical%20balance
%2C%20also%20known%20as,look%20at%20and%20even%20inviting.
 Reffkin, Robert (2021), Learn about Learn About Hardscaping: 7 Types of Hardscaping,
masterclass.com, Retrieved November 2021 from
https://www.masterclass.com/articles/hardscaping-guide#the-differences-between-hardscaping-
and-landscaping
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END OF PRESENTATION