Dear students, how are you all?!. This PPT will give a basic idea for planning, designing and principles of Garden. You all can use this PPT as notes for your exams.

1. Srimad Andavan Arts & Science College (Autonomous)
Affiliated to Bharathidasan University
Reaccredited with ‘A’ Grade by NAAC
An ISO 9001 – 2015 Certified Institution
Tiruchirappalli – 620005.

2. Exploiting Natural Characteristics
•Start with existing condition
•Natural site features are used
•Slopes may be used efficiently
•Poorly drained and sunken areas for bog garden
and moisture loving plants
•Rubble or sub soil left from construction works can
be used as the base of a tree or gravel garden.

3.  Changes of level
• If changes are necessary in the site, the changes should be specified in the drawing.
• Building of any hard feature may also be decided at this stage
 Assessing Existing Features
• Position of existing trees should be marked in the design as they are in the site.
• The position of the trees, shrubs, hedges and perennial plants, to be planted are
marked in the design.
• The estimates should be based on the current and eventual sizes of the trees and
shrubs.
• Separate list is made for all the hard elements of the garden, such as patios, walls,
paths, green house, pools and pergolas.
• The materials to be used for these structures, their condition and their purpose have
to be specified in the design.
• This information will help us to decide which plant to be planted or removed and
which hard elements has to be modified while establishing the garden.

4.  Measuring the site
• The area and boundaries of the selected site should be surveyed properly to
have a clear idea of the area to work with.
• If the site is irregular in shape, it is divided into small sections with clear, fixed
points and measured each section individually.
 Making a rough plan
• It is useful to sketch a rough outline of the garden site to note down the main
elements that are to be included in the garden.
• Keeping in view a rough plan should be made on a paper.

5. - In a rough plan you need
- Mark a position fixed for features of garden like house, wall boundaries, a tree
etc.
- Leave some space for compost pit, a tool shed and store house. Space for
these features should preferably be allocated at a less visible area.
- Allocate approximate areas for flexible features like beds, borders, a lawn,
pool, patio and others.
- Assign spaces to access the sun and shade position of the area.
- The positioning of the flower bearing plants should be done in the areas
where the sunlight is available for atleast 4 – 5 hours a day.
- The foliage feature, Eg. Shrubbery border, etc. can be allotted in the shady
area of the site. The lawn grass should also be positioned accordingly.

6. Preparing the First plan
• The site measurements are blotted on to a paper to create a scale –
based plan of the garden; is should include the boundaries together
with all elements required in the garden. Eg. Trees, shrubs, paths and
walls.
• While making several different design for comparison purposes, draw
each one on tracing paper fixed over this scale plan so that the
details can be altered easily without redrawing the original outline.
• In the plan, plants which are essential but be realistic to fit in the
garden, are sketched at proper locations; otherwise the design may
lack cohesion and appear unnatural.
• The overcrowding features are avoided.
• The placement of unrelated elements together like a cactus with a
water body should be avoided in the first plan.

7.  Making a scale plan
• A scale diagram of the site is drawn based on the rough plan to have a more precise
idea of final garden going to look like
 Choosing the Design style
• After drawing the scale – up plan of garden, the style f plant growth has to be
decided. It is done on the basis of –
• Personal taste – a person may like only one colour or multicoloured garden in
contrast colours or harmonious colours.
• A formal or informal style with too many hard features
• Exactly which plants can grow successfully in the area.
• Balance and harmony. Features that complement each other and the overall setting
to create a cohesive whole should be placed at proper places
• Scale and proportion of the area with garden plants.
• Some adjustment may be needed when finally marked out scheme is displayed on
the ground.

8.  Drawing up the Final Design Plan
• This working plan is drawn accurately to – scale on squared paper, using numbers or
symbols for the various features.
• Trees and shrubs are spread precisely to make sure that efficient space is allowed for them
in relation to other plants and elements.
• Plants indicated on paper may sometimes appear unsatisfactory when they are displayed
on the ground.
• In such cases, plants and their respective positions may be slightly changed.
• Before preparing the final design on site, the locations are marked out on the soil using a
string and pegs.
• If the sizes and proportions of the features and areas work well together, then the design
is incorporated in the plan.
• While designing beds and borders, their outlines are marked in the main plan and the
detailed planting plan is worked out separately.

9.  Establishment of the Garden
• After drawing the final plan, a planting plan is drawn on a separate paper to a larger
scale.
• As the elements are shown in larger scale, they can easily be displays a simple and
realistic look to the garden.
• Proper spacing should be given according to the specific need of plants
• This is particularly important for trees and shrubs.
• Construction works are better done in the summer.
• Planting works are done in the rest of the year.
• Operations such as sowing, planting, transplanting and turfing should be done during
the monsoon.
• Repair and renovation work are performed all the year round especially except the
rainy season
• New construction should be completed before the beginning of the cultivation
• The area may be cleaned in rainless months

10. • The planting operation involved the following steps-
• Hedges and Edges are planted in linear system
• Trees are planted in square, rectangular, hexagonal, diagonal
or triangular system
• Borders are grown along the sides of the foot paths.
• Arch is erected at the entrance of the garden.
• Pergolas are created over the foot path.
• Rockery is created at an elevated place.
• Shrubs, flower beds and lawn are grown at suitable
locations in the garden
• Climbers and creepers are planted near the walls, pillars,
arches and pergolas and allowed to grow over them

11. • A green house is constructed in a suitable location in the
garden.
• Sunken garden is established in natural depression.
• Water garden is established in water pools.
• Trophy is made on slopes
• Ground forms, structures and plants should be organized
in to a pleasing composition.
• Shade trees should be planted in suitable places to
protect shade loving plants in the garden.
• The planting distance vary depending up on the species
and elements to be formed.

12. • Herbs and grasses need closure spacing than shrubs
and trees.
• In borders, shrubs are placed very closely than those in
the interior of the garden but are cut at certain height.
• Drip irrigation and sprinkler irrigation are usually
practised in gardens for different types of plants.
• They reduce labour and cost of irrigation
managements.
• After planting, the garden should be maintained with
out weeds, diseases and pests and the plants should
be kept healthy.
• A neat and nicely kept garden is the pride of the
landscapists.

14.  Hedges
• A row of shrubs planted close
together to form a boundary for a
garden is called hedge.
• A beautiful live hedge is essential to
enclose the garden.
• Plants in the hedges are frequently
pruned to maintain a height of 50 –
100cm.
• Thevetia neriifolia (Ponnarali),
Plumbago (chitharagam) etc. are
grown in hedges.

15. • In some cases, trees such as
Casuarina, Polyalthia etc. are
grown in hedges.
• Hedges give clear demarcation to
the garden area.
• Shrubs such as Lantana
(unnichedi), Duranta (agaya poo),
Aralia etc. are grown in internal
hedges.
• These hedges divide the garden
into several components each of
which is unique in specific types of
plants.

16.  Edges
• A row of bushes planted close together
along the sides of foot path in a garden
is known as edges.
• It forms a clear border which divides the
beds from the foot path. Dwarf plants
such as Coleus (Thazhuthaalai),
Plumbago etc. are grown as edge
plants. In general, these plants are
pruned to a height of 25 – 30cms.
• Edges are used for dividing individual
beds from one another, for lining to a
lawn or for separating beds from foot
path.
• In some cases, small brick walls or
concrete slabs are used as non – living
edge in the garden.

17.  Trees
• Trees are grown along the
boundaries of the garden in order
to reduce noise from outside and
to provide a prospective beauty to
the garden.
• In large public gardens, spreading
trees with beautiful or fragrant
flowers provide picnic ground for
people.
• Besides this, trees give shade to
shade – loving plants and people
visiting the garden to enjoy the
beauty

18.  Flower beds
• Dense growth of herbaceous annuals
producing beautiful flowers in a small
compartments is called flower bed.
• It looks like a flower carpet over the ground
and hence the name flower bed.
• The flower beds are made along the
foundation of buildings or sides of path
leading to entrance of a house, office or sides
of foot path.
• In large gardens, they are grown in outward
stratches of lawn.
• Cosmos, Gaillardia, Ipomoea, Kochia,
Petunia, Zinnia etc. are grown in flower beds.
• Usually only one species is grown in flower
beds.

19. • Narrow flower beds with more length than the
width are called borders.
• Heterogeneous plants are grown in borders.
• Plants Alyssum, Iberis, Phlox, Viola, etc. are
grown in borders.
• If herbaceous plants are grown, the border is
called herbaceous border.
• If shrubs are grown in border, then it is known
as shrub border.
• If two or more species make up the border,
then it is known as mixed border.
• In general, borders are created on the sides of
foot path, drives or in front of large shrubs.

20.  Lawn
• Dense growth of grasses over the soil in
a garden is called lawn. It looks like a
green carpet over the ground.
• Lawn is an important component of a
garden.
• It increases the beauty of the garden.
• It is constructed in wide areas receiving
full sun shine.
• Grasses such as Cynodon dactylon,
Stenotaphrum secundatum, Festuca
rubra, Agrostis tenuis, Zoysia japonica
etc. are usually grown in lawns.

21.  Shrubs
• A much branched woody perennial that
has no central trunk is said to be a shrub.
• In natural designs, shrubs are planted
usually at the corners of gardens.
• In informal gardens, the shrubs are not
at all trimmed, but in formal gardens
they are trimmed at regular intervals to a
particular height.
• They form a border on the sides of foot
path.
• Usually only one species is grown to
form a border.
• In formal gardens, the shrub border is
created with more than two kinds of
shrubs. Such a shrubby growth is called
shrubbery.

22.  Climbers and creepers
• Beautiful climbers and creepers
are grown over walls, Archery,
pergolas, arbours, pillars are
large trees.
• These plants display the dazzling
beauty in the flowering season.
• Plants such as Bougainvellea,
morning glory, sweet pea, India
Ivy, money plant, Philodendron
(Illati Malavalai) etc. grown in
gardens for their aesthetic value

23.  Paths
• Foot paths or roads are an important
part of gardens, which protect garden
parts from foot step of visitors and
facilitate easy management of the
gardens.
• The paths may be constructed with
earth, brick, concrete or paved.
• Paving with irregular shaped flat
stones or tiles gives a crazy path.
• It is mainly done in the formal gardens.
• Perennial grasses may be grown in
between the stones to increase the
beauty of the crazy paths.

24.  Arches
• The curved structures that
forms a gateway for the
garden is called an arch.
• It may be built with
concrete or steel works.
• Plants that need supports
for their growth are used to
grow over the arches to
give the appearance of
green flags from the arches,
Eg. Bougainvillea.

25.  Pergolas
• A pergolas is a covered walk path
composed of many pillars and a roof of
climbers.
• The pillars are found along the sides of
the walk path.
• Curved steel rods are fitted on the top of
the pillars and fixed with some cross bars.
• Climbers and creepers are planted along
the sides of the path and allowed to grow
over the arched supports.
• Such a plant covered walk path is known
as pergola.
• Eg. Bougainvellea glabra, Aristolochia
elegans (Easwara mooligai), Antigonan
leptopus (Kodi roja)

26.  Rockery
• Artificial mound of large stones and
mud planted with rock plants is called
rockery
• It brings together a mountain – like
appearance within a small space in the
garden
• Plants are planted in the crevices of the
stones or between the stones.
• Rockery seems to be a small mountain
with a peak, ranges and a few valleys.
Thus it increases the aesthetic value of
the garden.

27.  Carpet beds
• Dense growth of herbaceous plants, which
are trimmed frequently to have some
designs or letters, is called carpet bed.
• Plants with attractive foliage are more
preferred than plants with attractive
flowers to make carpet beds
• These plants grow for long time without
being affected from trimming operations.
• Overgrowth of the plant is avoided in order
to preserve the designs or letters in the
carpet bed.
• Barren rocks are more suitable than
wealthy mountain to create beds because
of poor weed growth and overgrowth of
plants.

28.  Topiary
• Topiary is a plant which is
trimmed and clipped in to
ornamental shapes such as
cone or bird or animal.
• Shrubs with bushy habit are
generally suitable for topiary
works.
• Eg. Casuarina, Cupressus
(Saru), Bougainvellea etc.
• These shrubs withstand
frequent trimming and
bending for clipping to form
definite shapes.

29.  Trophy
• Arrangement of potted
plants with colourful foliage
and attractive flowers
around a tree or a central
large object, is called trophy.
• Flowering shrubs or annuals
are grown in pots and the
pots are placed around the
tree or statue.
• In some cases, potted plants
are kept in different tiers
around the statue.

30.  Green house
• The building constructed with glass walls
and roofs and used to grow green plants,
is called green house.
• This is a conservatory wherein required
shade, humidity and temperature are
provided for the growth of the plants.
• It had been used to grow plants which
cannot thrive in direct sunlight and wind.
• Shade may be provided by growing
climbers over the roof of the green house.
• Plants can be propagated inside the green
house and then planted in the garden.
• Ferns, Anthurium (tail flower) etc. are
frequently grown in the green house to
protect them from sunlight.
• If more humidity is required inside, a
small pool is constructed in the green
house or water is sprinkled over the
plants at regular intervals.

31.  Sunken garden
• Gardens created in natural
depressions with in the garden area
are called sunken garden.
• Here potted plants are kept on a
series of terraces to the depression
or small pool.
• In some cases where the depression
has enough wide space, flower beds
and lawns are made on every
terrace of the depression.
• Sunken garden makes use of
depressions to bring out natural
beauty within the garden limit.

32.  Water garden
• Water pool of a garden with
attractive plants is called water
garden or lily pool.
• Water pool within the garden limit is
used to create water garden
• Water lilies, Pistia, Lemna,
Nymphaea sps. etc. are introduced in
to the water pool to make a water
garden.
• It gives an additional beauty to the
garden