landscape design is more complex than one would imagine. When I was first doing the landscaping at our new house I thought I would go to the store pick out everything I thought was pretty, bring it home, slap it in and it would radiate the neighborhood. Little did I know that what ended up happening is that I bought a lot I plants and shrubs that were pleasing to the eye just not when lumped all together in my flower bed. I always have loved those carefree flowing flower beds but really there is a tremendous amount of work that goes into making them look like they are carefree flowing flower beds.
These simple tips will help you to save money and create a landscape design that not only compliments your home but also makes you the envy of the neighborhood.
The Five Basic Principles in Landscape Design
1) Harmony: This is the most important of all the tips listed. Harmony to any landscape design can be created by repetition. For instance when creating a border for the bed you would not want to layer the bed with a plastic edging and then switch and do another section with wood. It is best to keep the material the same. Another element that is important in creating harmony is to keep the different elements consistent size, texture and colors are all very important. Many people consider themed gardens to help create harmony in their landscape design.
2) Minimalism: This is for all of us beginners. It is important to start small and simple and build on later. For instance pick a plant you love and triple it. Then look around and find a bush that resembles the flower in shape, texture, color shade and chose that. Do not wonder around aimlessly buying every pretty plant that you see that is not minimalism. Start with a few items, come home set them up and begin expanding from there. Simple is for sure a good place to start. Remember that space fills in quickly as your garden matures.
3) Equilibrium: This is what helps create a feeling of balance. It helps your flower bed not to feel like a random jungle. Symmetry is useful in creating balance. Often you will find rows used. Taller plants take up the back and as you move forward the plants tend to get smaller turn into ground covers for edging. Another way to create equilibrium is to use small groupings throughout your garden.
4) Tints and Shades: By now you can see this is a common sense principle in landscape design. It is not important to have every color of the rainbow represented in your garden. Complimentary colors work best in creating a landscape design. Often we become kids in a candy shop when you let us loose in the garden section of a store. Try to resist the urge to mix orange with fuchsia. You get the drift.
5) Effortless Change: Make the transitions from one section of your flower bed to another seamless. What you don’t want to create is separate spaces for your garden. You want it to look and feel like it all flows together as one. You want it to appear that Mother Nature placed the plants in your yard naturally so that you create unity with the landscape design, home and yard.
Hopefully these tips will inspire your next landscape design project. It often helps when moving into a new home or replacing the old to clean out what you don’t like about the old before you go to the store. You might find once the rubbish that is not eye catching is cleared away that a few simple moderations can create a huge difference without spending a ton of money.