Planning the Home Landscape
A
landscape which is designed properly can be a source of enjoyment for the
entire family, it enhances a community and adds to the resale value of
your property. Landscape design involves much more than placing trees,
shrubs and other plants on the property. It is an art that deals with
conscious arrangement or organization of outdoor space for human
satisfaction and enjoyment.
Some of its major
goals include:
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Organizing and developing
the site for maximum use and pleasure.
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Creating a visual
relationship between the house and the site.
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Reducing landscape
maintenance to a practical level.
Americans spend tremendous
amounts of money landscaping their
businesses, homes, streets, parks, schools, etc. Much of this money is
wasted, however, because of little or no planning. People cannot
understand how to landscape until they know why they landscape. There
are several reasons why people landscape: some think it improves the
appearance of their place; others like to grow plants; still others
just want their place to look pretty. Too often these landscapes
dominate rather than serve. Masses of plants or other materials in the
landscape may take up a large portion of the space and leave little
room for people.
So how does the designer
arrange space so that people will find it useful, beautiful, meaningful
and functional?
His methods include:
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Observing
and analyzing the habits of the people who will be using the space,
including their needs, desires and how much space each of their
activities requires.
-
Studying past landscaping
methods.
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Surveying available
materials to solve design requirements.
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Analyzing
the environment of the site including the view in and around the site.
The ecology of the site should be carefully analyzed since it is
important in determining the design.
Not all landscaping improves
the appearance of a building. The work of
an insensitive designer can subdue a building, conceal important
features or contradict the architect's intent. Good landscape design
can significantly improve the building's appearance by adding warmth,
livability and personality. It can also relate a building to its site
and environment and give it the desired degree of dominance.
Growth and change separate
landscape designs from other arts. Most
works of art such as architecture, sculpture and painting look their
best when new. Landscape designs, however, are at their worst when new
and improve with age. A well-designed landscape will seldom look the
same any two months of the year.
The urge to begin
planting immediately is almost overwhelming. Whether you are
landscaping a newly-built home or redesigning an existing landscape,
the results will be much more satisfying if you plan first. If you
follow the steps provided on this website you can produce a plan that
will result in a satisfying landscape.
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