PRINCIPLES & ELEMENTS OF LANDSCAPE DESIGN

Tom Stephens — Landscape Architect

Your Landscape Solutions

FORM OR MASS - All elements and objects in the landscape, whether buildings, structures, or plants, have a shape or mass with three dimensional form. This form and its relative size and relationship to other elements in the landscape is a primary design consideration.

SPACE - All form is surrounded by space and some forms contain space. Therefore, the consideration of the space as well as the form of an object must be thought out and addressed early in the design process. Small changes in the arrangement of objects or forms and the spaces surrounding them and enclosed within them can have significant effect on the usefulness and appearance of the object and space.

PROPORTION AND SCALE - The relationship of sizes of objects and spaces or the propotion and scale in relationship to the human scale is another valuable design principle. Spatial size in relation to the scale of the user has strong psychological effects on feelings and behaviors. The ancient Orientals understood that to have significant spaces and places you must have enclosures, and that the size, shape, and character of the enclosures often determines the quality of the space or place. The lack of effective enclosure is often the key to unsatisfactory spaces or places.

COLOR - There are four principles that are inherent to all objects, whether inanimate structures or living and growing plants and animals. Color is the first of these, whether natural or applied color, as with paint or stain. I usually recommend the use of natural color whenever possible, unless the color changes drastically as with redwood and cedar that may change the intended design effect over time. Bold or warm colors such as red, yellow, and orange tend to advance or move forward. These colors are often used on front doors and entrance gates to give a welcoming and comfortable feeling. Pale or cool colors such as blue, green, and gray tend to recede or move away from the viewer. These are used to make small spaces such as fenced and enclosed patios and decks seem larger and more open.

TEXTURE - another inherent principle, has several variables. Rough or coarse textures as with concrete, brick, or large-sized leaves such as Cottonwood, Maple, and Oak can be used for light, bright and airy effects. Reflective surfaces such as still water and mirrored surfaces can be effective by reflecting objects, thereby creating the illusion of larger sizes of objects and spaces. Some objects or plants might have an oily or slick surface, thus giving a shiny appearance. Some surfaces may be grainy, rough, or fuzzy giving an uneven and coarse appearance.

LIGHT & SHADOW - Light reflects from all objects to some degree depending on the color and texture. Shadows are cast by all objects, depending on the light source and the angle of the light source in relationship to the object and other surfaces such as the ground, walls, fences, etc. Light and shadows, the last of the inherent principles, can be used effectively to emphasize objects and areas or to give a light and airy effect to otherwise dark and drab areas or surfaces.

These first four basic design principles, along with the design of physical movement and circulation systems and surfaces, are of primary importance in the initial design step, that of site planning. The arrangement and relationships of objects, spaces and the circulation systems should be the first concerns of a landscape designer. If these principles are properly addressed and satisfactorily considered and solved, then the remaining design considerations of grading, structures, plantings, lighting, etc. can be addressed with greater success.

SIZE - primarily regarding plants. When dealing with the sizes of plants, a designer must be aware of three additional principles, that are also often overlooked at the beginning of a project, but become apparent after years of plant growth. The first of these principles is the consideration of the rate of growth of plants. Often we plant small, low-cost plants too close to buildings, structures, surfaces, and each other - then as the plants grow and mature, we are forced to drastically prune and trim or even eventually remove the plants to avoid the overcrowded appearance and the possible deforming of specimen plants. I call this the "puppy dog" syndrome. Small plants often become Great Danes, and we often don’t know what to do with them.

The ultimate or mature size and shape of plants should be considered early in the design process. There are numerous books and plant lists with mature sizes and shapes indicated, although many of these sources may not be accurate or in agreement. When considering the use of plants, a landscape designer should research the plant statistics and growth information and use this information in the selection and location of plants in a landscape project.

The third size related principle is length of useful life. Many plants, particularly evergreen and deciduous shrubs, planted at standard nursery sizes, will reach maturity between ten and fifteen years after planting, depending upon the variable growing conditions of a particular site. They also have a limited useful life span. It is best to at least consider the renovation of a landscape with shrubs after 15 to 18 years. However, if properly spaced in the initial planting, shrubs can last for 25 to 30 years in a location if properly maintained and not over pruned. Deciduous shade and evergreen trees can reach mature size and shape between 25 to 150 years and live to have a useful purpose and appearance for 100 to 200 years if properly maintained. However, they can reach very large sizes that will overpower a small space or place and may change the intent of the original design.

LINE - creates a sense of dimension such as length, width, and height. It can also create a sense of movement or direction. A good designer will consider the major lines of buildings such as the ground line where the building meets the ground surface or other hard surfaces, the eave line or roof overhang, the roof line, whether low, flat, tall, steep, or angular, and the window pattern and the repetition of window sizes and locations.

UNITY - Many new students and inexperienced designers find that their preliminary landscape design solutions seem to lack something. Often this something is a lack of unity or the sense of completeness or wholeness. All successful landscape projects have a sense of unity. The following principles are often used to create this unity.

REPETITION - is probably the primary principle I use, and recommend my students to use, to create the desired feeling of unity. The repetition of forms, spaces, lines, textures, colors, plants and the arrangements of objects and spaces help to provide the sense of completeness. A string of unrelated objects, plants, and spaces often creates very unsatisfactory projects.

RHYTHM - The repetition in a regular sequence or rhythm, as in music, creates a comfortable and pleasing effect. By evenly spacing objects such as plants, fences, boulders, lights, etc., a designer can create a consistent movement and arrangement of elements in a landscape design.

VARIETY - avoids dullness or monotony. Avoid the use of too much of any one element, object, or plant in a design. Achieve variety by varying the use of repetition, rhythm, color, texture, line, and light and shadow. Variety is the spice of life, however, too much variety can also create a boring or even chaotic design.

EMPHASIS - Draw attention to an object or an area by the use of emphasis. Emphasize a landscape element by using the principles of color, texture, line, and form. Also, by properly framing a view of an object or space a designer can emphasize the importance of the view to the landscape design. Framing can be achieved by the proper location of plants, fences, other structures, and the viewing point, to take maximum advantage of the view. This principle is especially important when a property or site has an outstanding view of the mountains, a body of water such as a lake, river, stream or waterfalls, a rock outcropping or spire, a man-made object or element, and arrangement of plants or flowers for a particular effect; or a specimen plant. Emphasis can create a dramatic and pleasing visual effect.

BALANCE - the use of equilibrium in the landscape design is another principle, that when lacking, often gives a feeling of uneasiness and incompleteness to the viewer. Man-made balance often is geometrical and symmetrical, while natural balance is often asymmetrical. Balance can be used to avoid monotony and to create interest in the landscape design. During the Renaissance in Europe, between the 14^th and 17^th centuries, landscape designers such as Andre Le Notre established a garden design style that was basically formal and geometric in character and balance with elaborate long reflecting pools, canals, water features, vistas, and grand parterres. Le Notre was the royal gardener for King Louis XIV of France and the garden at Versailles is his best known landscape creation. Asymmetrical balance is best seen in the naturalistic landscape designs of Chinese and Japanese, the 18^th century English landscape school of "Capability" Brown and Humphrey Repton, and the American landscape architects such as Frederic Law Olmstead and Jens Jensen.

CONTRAST - Another method to avoid monotony is to use the principle of contrast in a design. By contrasting or breaking from surrounding objects, colors, textures, etc., a designer can add to the overall mood and visual vitality of a landscape project.

FLEXIBILITY - provide for multiple uses of objects, elements, or spaces whenever possible. Also provide for easily changeable uses as the desires and needs of a client or user group changes and matures.

SIMPLICITY - KISS - Keep it simple, student! Simplicity will help control costs, clutter, and confusion. I usually apply this principle at several points during the design process, either in my studio or my courses, to help make the design practical and comfortable. Over-designing a project will lead to very unsatisfying results both financially and visually.

Applied properly and with thorough consideration, these basic landscape design principles can aid in creating outstanding landscape projects. As a client, student, or do-it-yourself homeowner, it is important to know about and understand the application of these principles. The perception of these principles as we see and experience the landscape world around us can add to our understanding and enjoyment of good landscape design and development. Most of my clients and students often comment on how much better they see and appreciate their surroundings after learning about and applying these basic design principles.

Ideas for Garden Color, Sunset Books, Lane Magazine & Book Co., revised 1972.

Landscape Design, A Practical Approach, Leroy Hannebaum, Prentice Hall, 2^nd Edition, 1990.

Plants in the Landscape, Phillip L. Carpenter & Theodore D. Walker, W. H. Freemen & Co., 2^nd Edition, 1990.

Sitescapes, Outdoor Rooms for Outdoor Living, Gregory M. Pierceall, Prentice Hall, 1990.