Landscape Design, Construction , and Maintenance

4CHAPTERDesigningthe Landscape Designing the Landscape OBJECTIVES 1 Explain design considerations associated with the public area. 2 Describe design aspects related to the outdoor living area. 3 Explain principles of design as related to the service area. TERMS focal point private area garden accessory public areacorner planting high interest planting service areadeck outdoor living areadoorway planting patiosenclosuresentry garden 64

LANDSCAPE DESIGN 4-1. This house appears to belong in the landscape. (Courtesy, Church Landscape)IF you were to ask 100 artists to paint the same view of a street scene, would any two of the paintings be the same? It is doubtful. Each artistviews the scene differently. The colors they use would vary. Their brushstrokes would differ. Even the painting style (modern art, impressionist,etc.) would differ. Is it possible then that all 100 of the paintings wouldbe attractive? Of course, it would be possible. The same holds true in designing the landscape. Each landscapedesign project has multiple solutions to the design. As you design yourlandscapes, do not worry about the design being perfect. Follow theguidelines in this book and do your best to provide a functional andattractive landscape plan for the homeowner. 65

66 • Designing the LandscapeTHE PUBLIC AREA Before work with the pencil and paper begins, it helps to have a good understanding of landscape areas to be designed. The good residential landscape design has three main areas: the public area, the outdoor living area, and the service area. Understanding the purpose of each area aids the designer in creating a landscape plan that will meet the needs of the customer. Different functions or activities are designated to occur in each of these areas. THE PUBLIC AREA4-2. The home landscape has three main areas. The public area is the portion of the property that is in full view of the public. It includes the area between the house and the road. It provides people their first impres- sion of the house. For that reason, the public area is designed with the appearance of the house in mind. In the cinema, you often see one or two star actors. The stars are surrounded by a supporting cast of many other actors. In a similar way, the house is the star of the public area, sur- rounded by a supporting cast of landscape elements (trees, shrubs, etc.). In the movies, the sup- porting cast never outshines the star. In the landscape, the house should out- shine all landscape elements. TIP: Design landscapes to improve the appearance of the house and to focus attention on the front door.4-3. A little color helps draw the viewer’s attention to the focal Design the public area so peoplepoint of the landscape, the front door. passing by look at and appreciate the house. A well-designed landscape improves the appearance of the house and focuses attention on the front door. The front door is the most impor-

LANDSCAPE DESIGN • 67tant aspect of the public area. The front door is the focal point, or point of emphasis, of awell-designed landscape. The focal point captures the attention of the viewer. Keep three main goals in mind as you design the public area for a house:1. Soften the architectural lines of the house.2. Frame the house with trees.3. Maintain open lawn areas.Architectural Features 4-4. The house should outshine all landscape elements. Houses are artificial structuresplaced in natural settings. Standingalone, they appear rigid. The linesproduced by the architecture of thehouse are straight. Vertical lines cre-ated at the corners of houses are par-ticularly harsh in appearance. Makeit a priority to design the public areaso the sharp architectural lines aresoftened with plant materials. Study the architecture of thehouse to be landscaped. Note thedominant architectural lines. Con-sider the masses of the house. It issometimes helpful to sketch thehouse in the elevation view. Prop-erly locate the windows, doors, andporches on the drawing. Then, indi-cate the dominant lines and masseson the sketch with colored pencils.TIP: Repeat the dominant lines of the house by using plant materials that have similar lines. The dominant lines of the house 4-5. The vertical lines of this house need to be softened withshould be repeated in the plant plantings.materials. Select trees and shrubs