The document discusses principles of landscape design, including using plants functionally for visual/acoustic screening, framing views, and microclimate control. Artistic composition considers plant forms, textures, and colors. Texture depends on plant features' size and separation. Color ranges from warm to cool tones. Unity principles include simplicity through repetition, variety to prevent boredom, emphasis to draw attention, symmetrical/asymmetrical balance, sequence through gradual progression, and using relative scale to affect mood.

1. Principles of landscape design
• Landscape design involves functional use of
plants combined with artistic composition
– Functional use of landscapes:
• Visual or acoustic screens
• Framing off-landscape views
• Microclimate control (e.g. shading, protection from wind)
• Creating enclosures (absolute or implied)
– Functional uses should be considered first; landscape
viewed as different units with different functions

2. Principles of landscape design
• Artistic composition derived from physical
properties of plants
– Form:
• Plants can be viewed as mainly horizontal or vertical
– Horizontal shapes are less dramatic than vertical shapes
• Tree forms depend on branching patterns
• Shrub forms result from growth habits (e.g. upright or creeping)

3. Principles of landscape design
• Physical properties of plants important in
landscape design
– Texture:
• Stems, leaves, bark, and buds determine texture of plant
– Large or widely separated plant features create effect of coarseness
– Thick, tight foliage results in finer texture
– Simple leaves appear coarser than compound leaves
• Distance of view affects texture;
farther you stand from plant, the
finer its texture appears

4. Principles of landscape design
• Physical properties of plants important in
landscape design
– Color:
• Warm colors: yellows to reds
– Bright, inviting and lively
• Cool colors: greens to violets
– Restful, receding, not as conspicuous
• Foliage most often considered in
landscape design, but flowers,
bark and fruit also important

5. Principles of landscape design
• Unity in landscape design
– Landscapes need some characteristics to tie together different
(functional) units and plants within a unit
• Characters that provide unity in landscape design
– simplicity
– variety
– emphasis
– balance
– sequence
– scale

6. Principles of landscape design
• Unity in landscape design
– Simplicity (repetition)
• Created with repetition of form, texture, colors, or specific plant
species
• Must prevent
monotony; variety is
used to ‘control’
repetition

7. Principles of landscape design
• Unity in landscape design
– Variety
• Varying forms, textures and shapes to prevent boredom

8. Principles of landscape design
• Unity in landscape design
– Emphasis
• Drawing attention to important features of landscape
– Can draw attention to front door of residence by using plants that
offer variety in color, texture or form near the door

9. Principles of landscape design
• Unity in landscape design
– Balance
• Symmetrical balance = elements on either side of an axis
are identical (formal feel)
• Asymmetrical balance = unlike elements of equal visual
weight on each side of an axis (less formal)
– achieved by balancing forms of unequal size (e.g. 1 tree balanced
by 3 shrubs)
– Color adds visual weight; brightly colored plant may need to be
balanced with several plants of equal size but not brightly colored
– Coarse textures are visually heavier than fine textures (more fine-
textured plants needed to balance coarse-textured plants)

10. Principles of landscape design
• Unity in landscape design
– Balance

11. Principles of landscape design
• Unity in landscape design
– Sequence
• Move viewer’s eyes over landscape in orderly fashion
– Achieved by gradual progression
of form, texture or color
– Any plant that
breaks gradual
progression
becomes a point
of emphasis

12. Principles of landscape design
• Unity in landscape design
– Scale
• Relative scale or proportion of landscape affects viewer’s
mood
– Most landscapes
should be
proportional to
human height or
height of
structure