Landscape Design Consideration

Landscape Design Consideration

Landscape designing should be carefully planned so that you don’t have to spend unnecessary time and money correcting mistakes in the future. This applies whether you are landscape designing from scratch or altering an existing design. It is important to know what you want before you meet with a landscape architect.

It can be tempting to head straight to the nursery and start picking out beautiful plants and garden décor. However, you don’t want to later realize these are wrong for your landscape. Careful planning will help you develop a landscape design that is beautiful, thriving, and functional.

Where to start

I like to start with the style or theme. This should be based on the style and architecture of your home since the yard is simply an extension of your house. Themes can be simple such as reoccurring shapes and colors or complex such as the inclusion of an oriental garden design. As with Interior design collect lots of pictures. This will help guide you in your plant and material selections. You may want your landscape to be neat and geometrical or you may want a more natural feel.

The next decision will be based on who and what the yard will be used for. The front yard design might be purely for aesthetics and curb appeal. The backyard design will be based on whether you have kids and pets, or whether you like to entertain for example. It will also be based on how much time and money you are planning to spend on maintenance and the initial installation.

At this time you should make a list of all features you wish to include.

Below is a list of feature considerations for landscape design:

  • Furniture
  • Putting Green
  • Pool
  • Hot Tub
  • Dining area
  • Sun Chair area
  • Lounging Area
  • Vegetable Garden
  • Play Structure
  • Bocce Ball Court
  • Themed Garden
  • Particular plants or trees you love
  • Storage Shed
  • Water Features
  • Outdoor Kitchen
  • Covered Patio Areas
  • Fire Pit
  • Trees for Bird Feeders
  • Lawn Area
It is important to know what you will want to include before you start placement. Planning will ensure that you have the space for all you wish to include. Planning will also allow you to eliminate or modify features due to space. Carefully consider your lifestyle and budget and what you plan to do outside. At this point create a map of your yard that shows where the house is, with its doors and windows marked. On this map mark  areas in regards to where there is sun, shade and partial shade. Also carefully mark any existing plants or features you are planning to keep.

The process

Once you have the map you can start placing the items from your list. You can consider views from windows, distances to walk from the door, sun exposure and so forth. Start with the larger items from the list and place them in what you would consider the ideal spot. Consider which features will be highlights just as you would a focal point in a room. Highlights could be features or a favorite tree or plant. It is important to get accurate sizes of your chosen features before placing them on your map. I like to use graph paper and have a scale for the squares. Some features such as a vegetable garden design will need their own planning before you can decide what size they are. Features such as outdoor kitchens will need consideration of where the utilities are. Next consider how you will link these spaces, and what materials you will use for the paths that link. You may want to add some secret openings. All areas other than your features and paths will be potential planting beds. If you decide there are too many you can plant in clusters in one area of the bed or extend the area around a feature. If there are too few for the amount of greenery you desire you may have to remove features. This is a good time also to consider if you want high hedges for privacy or noise barriers, low hedges to border areas and if you want any secluded areas.

Now the planting

Now let’s consider plant choices. It is important to consider your yard’s climate, topography and soil type. For this the USDA plant hardiness zone map is extremely helpful, the Sacramento area is in zone 9. Check plant details when you purchase to see if they require sun or shade, consider the drainage  requirements. Drainage should be going away from your home and ideally to plants that require more water. What is the function of your plants? Are you trying to create shade, barriers from noise, boundaries for spaces, food, fragrance, or maybe color. If you like blooms with color choose plants that will bloom at different times of the year and consider placing each in a different space so that you have a different pop of color in a different space throughout the year. Three planes of planting that should be considered for interest. Consider the area above you, add trees. Consider what you see at eye level and layer with larger plants at the back. Consider ground level where you will add groundcovers and low lying plants. Remember to check the sizes of the fully grown plants for the future so that you don’t have to remove any later due to overcrowding. Landscape and specialized garden designing is essential whether you are working on the backyard or front yard landscape design. Your landscape architect will be pleased to know that you have done your homework, as this will help your landscape design come to fruition faster and more efficiently!. Argan design can guide you with the process of landscape designing.