Landscape Planning for Beginners and the Modern Family

Landscape Planning for Beginners and the Modern Family

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Landscape and garden design are umbrella terms for a variety of disciplines that focus on the practical, aesthetic, and horticultural aspects of an outdoor area of land, generally attached to a property says Local Records Office. Whilst having shared purposes, the two activities can be defined separately – landscaping focuses on the relationship of the garden with its surroundings, the integration of nature with man-made elements such as pathways or the home architecture itself, and the practical side of garden maintenance and upkeep.

Garden design is traditionally concerned with the choice and distribution of various plants, flowers, and shrubbery around the lawn area, but depending on the desired garden, can involve the planning and design of water features, patios, decking, and garden boundaries. When landscape or garden planning, there are key elements to be considered in each case:

Landscape Planning

Practical considerations such as climate, topography, soil and irrigation, planning permission, and construction. View the landscape in terms of things that need to be retained, modified, or replaced – with attention given to how original natural features can act as “borrowed scenery” for a garden. The overall “genius loci” – this term refers to the ambiance or atmosphere of the garden area.

Garden Planning

What will the garden space be used for – i.e. raising vegetation, sports, and relaxation? If you are growing plants or vegetables, they need to have a cohesive growth cycle and bloom-time, to enhance the aesthetic or practical function of the garden. What man-made elements need to be introduced? This can cover water features, raised flowerbeds, greenhouses decking, paved or gravel pathways.

Planning Your Garden

Starting at the front of the property, it is important to remember that your front lawn provides the first impression of a property to any visitor. While a back garden is more secluded and normally has a number of utilitarian functions (clotheslines or tool sheds, for example), the front garden connects your home to the wider surroundings and provides a platform for atheistic display through flower and shrubbery arrangement. Decisions must also be made about human access from the street – will you need driveways or pathways? Do areas need to be covered by gravel, paved slabs, or tarmac?

Generally, the backyard is planned more with your personal recreation in mind. If you plan on entertaining guests in the garden, you might want to think about dining areas, seating, lighting and heating, and cooking structure like outdoor kitchens and barbecues. Having children can have a big influence on garden design – areas for sports such as basketball or soccer need to be devised, and the safety and positioning of elements such as ponds or pools should be a consideration.

If you are a green-fingered gardener keen on raising flowers or vegetables, it’s important to outline their arrangement before planting, to ensure maximum aesthetic value or harvest yield. You will also need to decide how to house your vegetation, whether in raised flowerbeds, rock gardens, or greenhouses.

A Landscape and Garden Software

You don’t need to be a professional landscaper to design a garden, and you don’t need a technical drawing expert to use the special Landscape and Garden software the hard work has been done for you. Using such software is the quickest and simplest method of starting to plan your garden design.

Knowing that a well-designed front and back yard can really boost the resell value of your property means that proper planning and design is imperative before you start digging holes and ripping up trees around your house.