Orange County Landscaping: Lanscape Design And Construction

Landscaping combines elements of art and science to create a functional, aesthetically pleasing extension of indoor living to the outdoors. Color, form, line, texture and scale are all factors in good landscape design.

Color can be used to visually change distance perspective. Warm colors and light tints like red, orange, yellow and white advance an object or area toward the observer. These colors and tints placed near the foundation of a house would make the house appear closer to the street. Cool colors and deep shades like blue, green and black recede and can be used to make the house appear farther from the street. Cool colors are restful while warm colors express action and are best used in filtered light or against a green or dark background. Color can be used to direct attention in the landscape.

In the overall landscape, line is inferred by bed arrangement and the way these beds fit or flow together. Line is also created vertically by changes in plant height and the height of tree and shrub canopies. Line in a small area such as an entrance or privacy garden is created by branching habits of plants, arrangement of leaves and/or sequence of plant materials.

Form and line are closely related. Line is considered usually in terms of the outline or edge of objects, whereas form is more related to the size of an object or area. Form is basically the shape and structure of a plant or mass of plants. Structures also have form and should be considered as such when designing the area around them.

The texture of surfaces in the landscape includes buildings, walks, patios, groundcovers and plants. The texture of plants differs as the relationships between the leaves, twigs and branches differ.

Scale describes the size relationship between adjacent objects. The size of plantings and buildings compared on the human scale must be considered.

Existing plants should be examined. Tree condition and placement should be recorded. Trees on adjoining property that would affect shade patterns on the customer's lot should also be surveyed. This information is essential, to blend the home into the natural or existing setting, or to create a setting to be functional and to complement the structure. Shrubs, groundcovers and grasses should also be examined as to their condition and potential use.

Natural factors and features of a landscape include house orientation, land form, soil conditions, rainfall distribution, seasonal wind pattern and micro-climatic conditions. House orientation affects the exposure of various portions of the house to the sun.

Architectural style of the house is also of primary importance. Specific details of interest must be identified during the site analysis. Things like the height of windows, the height of house corners from the ground and overhang widths should be considered. Is the house guttered or should it be? If so, locate the outlets. Notice major traffic problems so proper access and movement can be provided.

A general rule of thumb is that the height of plants in the foundation planting should not exceed two-thirds the height of the wall at house corners. Generally, plant height should not exceed the height of a line extending from the doorway to this imaginary point at the house corner. This does not mean every house should have plantings this high.

Entrance
The entrance should be an area of transition between outdoors and indoors. Considerable detail should be given to the planning and maintenance of this area. This is true because a visitor is close to this area and moving slowly or actually standing still. Therefore there is time to view this area and a favorable impression can be developed before a person enters the house.

Plantings in the public area should focus attention to the entrance. This means there should be no doubt in the visitor's mind where to enter the house. If the house can be approached from more than one direction, the focus on the entrance from these different perspectives must be considered and can be achieved through repetition of plant masses. The transition of plant form, color and texture and the bed lines can also help direct attention.

Minimal Maintenance Considerations. Maintenance cannot be avoided, but it can be minimized. Even the perfectly designed and installed landscape will fail if maintenance fails.