Landscape Architecture: Plants and Planting Design

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
PLANTS AND PLANTING DESIGN
BY DAWOD ABDIE
PLANTS AND PLANTING DESIGN
 landscape design that is distinctly different from other
art forms
The “art” is always changing as the plants grow,
environmental conditions change, and people use the
space.
 landscape designers use a design process that
systematically considers all aspects of the land, the
environment, the growing plants, and the needs of
the user
 To ensure a visually pleasing,
 Functional, and
 Ecologically healthy design.
 Elements and Principles
 Design process begins by
 Determining the needs and desires of the user and
 The conditions of the site
 organizes the plants and hardscape materials
the visual qualities of
 line,
 form,
 color,
 texture,
 visual weight—the elements of design
 The principles are the fundamental concepts of composition—
like
 proportion,
 order,
 repetition,
 unity
that serve as guidelines to arrange or organize the elements to
create an aesthetically pleasing or beautiful landscape.
 Elements of composition are the visual qualities that people see and respond to
when viewing a space
 Line
Line in the landscape is created by the edge between

two materials, the outline or silhouette of a form, or
a long linear feature
Landscape designers use lines to create
patterns, develop spaces, create forms, control
movement,
establish dominance, and create a cohesive theme in
a landscape
Line can also be created by long and narrow
materials, such as a fence or wall
Landscape lines are created several ways: when the edge
of an object is visible or contrasts with a background,
such as the outline of a tree against the sky; or by the
placement of a material in a line, such as a fence
Properties of Lines
 The properties of lines determine how people respond to the
landscape, both emotionally and physically.
 Straight lines
 structural and forceful;
 create a formal character, are usually associated with a
symmetrical design, and lead the eye directly to a focal point.
 Diagonal lines are straight lines with an intentional direction.
 Straight lines are most often found in hardscape edges and
material.
Curved lines
 Curved lines create an informal, natural, relaxed character
 associated more with nature and asymmetrical balance
 lines move the eye at a slower pace and add mystery to the
space by creating hidden views.
Vertical lines
 Vertical lines move the eye up, making a space feel larger.
 An upward line can emphasize a feature and has a feeling of
activity or movement. Vertical lines in the landscape include
tall, narrow plant material, such as trees,
Horizontal lines
 Horizontal lines move the eye along the ground plane and
 can make a space feel larger. Low lines are more subdued
 and create a feeling of rest or repose. Horizontal lines can
 spatially divide a space or tie a space together. Low lines are
 created by low garden walls, walkways, and short hedges.
Form
 Shape is created by an outline that encloses a space, and form
is the three-dimensional mass of that shape.
 Form is found in both hardscape and plants, and it is typically
the dominant visual element that spatially organizes the
landscape and often determines the style of the
garden.
Formal, geometric forms include circles, squares, and
polygons.
Plant Forms
 Form is the most enduring quality of a plant
 Form is the most consistent and recognizable characteristic of
plants
 the massing of plants, where the overall mass creates a
different form than an individual plant
 A strong form that contrasts with the rest of the composition
will have greater emphasis within the composition
 A highly contrasting form must be used with care—one or two
work well as a focal point, but too many create chaos
 Natural plant forms, rather than over-trimmed forms, should
establish the bulk of the composition
Tree forms
 Common tree forms include round,
columnar,oval, pyramidal, vase shaped,
and weeping.
 Different tree forms are used for visual
appeal, but the form is also important for
function.
 Creating a shady area in the garden
requires a round or oval tree,
 while a screen usually requires a more
columnar or pyramidal form, and a
 weeping tree form makes a good focal
point.
Shrub forms
 Shrub forms include upright, vase shaped, arching, mounding, rounded, spiky,
cascading, and irregular.
 Choosing shrub forms often depends on whether the shrub will be used in a mass or as a
single specimen.
 Mounding and spreading shrubs look best in a mass, and
 cascading and vase-shaped shrubs do well as specimen plants.
Groundcover forms
 Groundcover forms include matting,
spreading,clumping, sprawling, and short
spikes.
 Almost all groundcovers look better in
masses because they are typically small,
ground-hugging plants that have very
littleimpact as individual plants.
Properties of Form
 Repetition of form is essential to the creation of pattern, which
is the basic organizational structure of the landscape.
 Form compatibility is also a major component of unity in
 design—one or two strikingly different forms are good for
 contrast and emphasis, but generally all other forms should
 have some similarities for a unified look.
Texture
 Texture refers to how coarse/rough or fine/smooth the surface
of the plant or hardscape material feels and/or looks. Texture is
used to provide variety, interest, and contrast
 Coarse texture is more dominant than fine and
 also tends to dominate color and form
 Coarse texture is more dominant than fine and also tends to
dominate color and form
 while fine texture is more subordinate to other qualities and
tends to unify compositions
 Fine texture exaggerates distance and gives the feeling of a
larger, more open space
 Rough texture minimizes distance—plants appear closer
Coarse texture Fine texture
large leaves; leaves with very Small foliage; thin,
strappy leaves (grasses)
irregular edges; bold, deep or tall, thin stems; tiny,
veins; variegated colors; dense twigs and small
thick twigs and branches; branches; long stems
leaves and twigs with spines (vines); and
or thorns; and bold, thick, and/ small, delicate flowers
irregular forms
Medium texture
Most plants are medium
texture,
medium-sized leaves
with simple shapes
and smooth edges
Properties of Texture
 Texture affects the perception of distance and scale. To make
a space feel larger, locate plants so that the fine textures are
along the outer perimeter, the medium textures are in the
middle, and the coarse textures are closest to the viewer.
 The small size of the fine texture recedes in the Landscape and
is perceived as being farther away.
Color
 Color in plant material and hardscape adds interest and
variety to the landscape.
 The most temporary element
clour schemes
 Monochromatic scheme
 A monochromatic color scheme uses only one color. A

garden that is all green depends more on form and texture
for contrast and interest.
 One color can have many light and dark variations, which
can add interest.
 An example of a monochromatic scheme is a white garden
with white flowers, white variegated foliage, and white
garden ornaments.
Analogous scheme
 Analogous (sometimes called harmonious) color schemes
are any three to five colors that are adjacent on the color
wheel, such as red, red-orange, orange, yellow-orange,
andyellow, or blue, blue-violet, and violet.
 The colors are related to each other because they typically
include two primary colors mixed to form a secondary and two
tertiary colors, which means they share common properties.
Complementary scheme
 Complementary colors are those that are opposite eachother on
the color wheel. They tend to have high contrast between
them. The most common sets are violet and yellow,
 red and green, and blue and orange. Complementary colors are
often found aturally in flowers; a common pair is yellow and
violet.
 Color is found in the flowers, foliage, bark, and fruit of plants.
Foliage typically provides the overall background
 color for flower colors. Green foliage in all its various shades
is the dominant color by quantity, but other colors capture
 attention more readily because of their high contrast to the
color green.
 Color is also found in buildings, rocks, pavers, wood, and
furniture. Most colors in natural materials, such as stone
 and wood, are typically muted and tend to be variations of
brown, tan, and pale yellow. Bright colors in the
 hardscape are usually found in man-made materials, such as
painted furniture, brightly colored ceramic containers or
 sculptures, and glass ornaments.
Properties of Color
 Color is an important element for creating interest and
variety in the landscape. Colors have properties that can affect
emotions, spatial perception, light quality, balance, and
emphasis.
 Warm colors tend to be more exciting and should be used in
areas for entertaining and parties.
 Cool colors tend to be calming and should be used in areas for
relaxation and serenity.
 Focal points can be created with bright colors
 bright yellow, which has the highest intensity, also has a high
contrast with all other colors
 Visual Weight
 Visual weight is the concept that combinations of certain features
have more importance in the composition based on mass and
contrast.
 Some areas of a composition are more noticeable and memorable,
while others fade into the background.
 A composition where all features have high visual weight often
looks chaotic
 High visual weight usually comes from a group of
plants with characteristics of
Upright or unusual forms
large size
Colors,
Bold texture,
Diagonal lines.
 Low visual weight is found in

Low horizontal lines, Visual weight by mass and
contrast
prostrate or low forms,
Fine texture, and
Subdued or dull colors
 Principles of Design
Design principles guide designers in organizing elements
for a visually pleasing landscape.
 A harmonious composition can be achieved through
the principles of proportion, order, repetition, and
unity
Proportion
 Relative proportion is the size of an object in relation to other
objects.
 Absolute proportion is the scale or size of an object. An
important absolute scale in design is the human scale (size of
the human body) because the size of otherobjects is considered
relative to humans.
 Plant material, garden structures, and ornaments should be
consideredrelative to human scale. Other important relative
proportions include the size of the house, yard, and the area to
be planted.
Proportion in plants
 Proportion can be found in plant material relative to people the
surrounding plants, and the house. When all three are in
proportion, the composition feels balanced and harmonious. A
feeling of balance can also be achieved by having equal
proportions of open space and planted space.
 Using markedly different plant sizes can help to achieve
dominance (emphasis) through contrast with a large plant.
 Using plants that are similar in size can help to achieve rhythm
through repetition of size.
Proportion in plants and hardscape

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What are the elements of design in landscape architecture?

What principles guide designers in organizing elements?

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE

PLANTS AND PLANTING DESIGN

Line in the landscape is created by the edge between

 A monochromatic color scheme uses only one color. A

 Low visual weight is found in

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