Landscape Design For Beginners: Everything You Need to Know

Do you imagine turning your yard into your private oasis? It takes much more than simply adding plants or other landscape features to the landscape. If you want to improve the curb appeal of your home and create a functional and beautiful outdoor space, you must apply good landscape design practices. At Adam Gorski Landscapes, we’ve had the pleasure of turning barren or mundane landscapes into beautiful outdoor spaces. Below, we share some of our best landscape design ideas to give you a better idea of what goes into designing a beautiful landscape.

6 Basic Principles of Landscape Design

When you hire a landscape planner, they will apply the basic principles below to plan the landscape layout for the best results.

• Proportion

This principle looks at the size of the individual components on the landscape. It is important to ensure that the sizes of individual components or groups of components in the landscape are consistent.

• Unity

One should consider the overarching theme of the garden landscape when placing individual components. This will ensure that there is a sense of unity or harmony. For example, adding some form of repetition such as using the same trees along the driveway can help create unity.

• Transition

Transitions within the landscape should be smooth. For example, it is important to have a gradual change from taller trees to a small house. Otherwise the house will look even smaller. Incorporating bushes or a short stone wall can help to make the transition more gradual.

• Rhythm

Incorporating patterns into your landscape helps to guide the viewer’s eye over the landscape. For example, planting a hedge or a row of flowering plants will guide the eye along that straight line.

• Focalization

Focalization involves forcing the viewer’s gaze to a particular focal point within the landscape. This can be achieved through various ways. For example, using consistent arrangement of various elements in the landscape will draw attention to a particular point or feature in the landscape.

• Balance

This refers to creating consistency or equal visual weight within the landscape. For example, you can achieve balance by placing the same sized trees on either side of the yard.

How to Design a Landscape

The following are the five basic elements that should be incorporated into any landscape design.

• Form

Trees, plants and other landscape components come in a wide range of shapes. The shape of each individual component should be considered. The placement of different components will play an important role in achieving balance.

• Color

Plants and flowers come in various colors. You can create a sense of warmth by combining warm colored flowers. Incorporating cool colored plants into your design will help to create contrast. Using a color wheel is a great way to determine what colors to incorporate into your landscape.

• Line

The movement of the viewer’s gaze over the landscape is influenced by line. Line refers to borders and patterns within the landscape. For example, arranging trees in a straight row will create the sense of a boundary to the viewer’s gaze.

• Texture

Incorporating different textures in the landscape helps to create a sense of interest. Planting coarse plants adjacent to smooth or less coarse textured plants will create a sense of interest and depth in your landscape.

• Scale

This refers to the size of the individual components in the landscape relative to adjacent components. Taking scale into consideration will help you create a sense of balance.

We can Help You Bring These Ideas to Life

Want to create a beautiful oasis on your landscape? Contact Adam Gorski Landscape for services in home landscape design in North Bend. You can rely on our skilled and experienced team to bring your vision to life.