6 Principles of Landscape Design - Rost Landscaping Columbia, Missouri (2024)

Elements and Principles of Landscape Design

Creating a striking, well-balanced landscape design can be a challenge with exciting solutions and unexpected pitfalls. Whether you are starting from scratch, or adding elements to an existing landscape, a little industry insight can take you from good to great.

What are the Principles of Landscape Design?

Principles of landscaping design are guidelines that designers employ to design landscapes that are visually appealing, and functional. A proper layout will incorporate the 6 principles of landscape design: balance, focalization, simplicity, rhythm/line, proportion, and unity. Needing backyard landscaping ideas? Read on to learn more about how you can apply these landscaping design principles to create the yard of your dreams.

Before the first line is drawn, a site analysis noting drainage, space, exposure, and shape/style of existing structures is key to adding function rather than new eyesores. The scale and condition of the site will impact every element from hardscapes to bed lines and plant selection and must be accounted for.

When forming our bed lines, it’s better to do fewer, grander curves that draw the eye and create interest for both our bed and turf areas. Small, wavy bed lines detract from the plantings and fail to add shape and rhythm to our plantings and straight bed lines are boring and harder to keep looking clean. Movement in beds and plantings draws interest and creates focal points. These focal points are often specimen plants such as ornamental trees or a showy hardscape feature. Drawing focus to a few key features prevents the eye from being overwhelmed and promotes proper balance in the design.

While many of our focal points are usually made up of a single tree or small cluster of elements, filler plantings should be massed plantings that promote simplicity and unity. Try to avoid the old-fashioned rows of alternating plants following the A-B-A-B-A-B pattern or planting in a completely straight line. We like to use the shape of our shrub plantings to form large pockets in the front of the beds to fill with perennial color. This gives us a great pop of color throughout the Spring and Summer without crowding the beds and giving us a bulky feel.

To that point, selecting appropriate plants for the space is paramount. Plant selection should include a variety of sizes and statures all while keeping the mature size of the plant in mind. Failing to do so can result in overcrowded blobs of foliage that detract from the landscape as a whole. Plants of the same variety look much more natural when planted in mass and growing together but a mix can turn into a shapeless blob of foliage. Local vendors are knowledgeable of your climate and how the plants react locally and can save you some headaches. Bear in mind, plantings are ever-changing as plants mature. Conditions such as water needs, sunlight, and negative space will change from season to season so be prepared to adapt as the landscape matures.

Following these 6 landscape design principles will lay a solid foundation for a stylish landscape that will serve you for years to come. If you have any questions, stop by Superior Garden Center in Columbia, Missouri to find out more about what the pros know!

6 Principles of Landscape Design - Rost Landscaping Columbia, Missouri (1)

6 Principles of Landscape Design - Rost Landscaping Columbia, Missouri (2024)

FAQs

6 Principles of Landscape Design - Rost Landscaping Columbia, Missouri? ›

A proper layout will incorporate the 6 principles of landscape design: balance, focalization, simplicity, rhythm/line, proportion, and unity. Needing backyard landscaping ideas? Read on to learn more about how you can apply these landscaping design principles to create the yard of your dreams.

What are the 5 basic elements of landscaping? ›

An aesthetic landscape design incorporates five key elements: line, form, texture, color and scale.

What are the 7 steps to landscape design? ›

  1. Step 1: Plan a Landscape Project. Like any home project, planning is one of the most important aspects of re-landscaping your yard. ...
  2. Step 2: Remove the Lawn. ...
  3. Step 3: Install Hardscape. ...
  4. Step 4: Build a Healthy Soil. ...
  5. Step 5: Install an Irrigation System. ...
  6. Step 6: Purchase & Install Plants. ...
  7. Step 7: Water Efficiently.

What are the principles of landscape design? ›

The principles of landscape design include the elements of unity, scale, balance, simplicity, variety, emphasis, and sequence as they apply to line, form, texture, and color. These elements are interconnected. Landscape design is a process of developing practical and pleasing outdoor living space.

What are the 7 principles of landscape design pdf? ›

Design principles include unity, balance, transition, focalization, proportion, rhythm, repetition and simplicity.

What are the 10 principles of landscape design? ›

Principles for landscape architecture include line, form, texture, color, scale, proportion, order, repetition, unity and rhythm. These principles are the foundation of effective landscape design and help designers and architects develop a set of rules to use on projects.

What are the fundamental factors you consider before landscaping? ›

Think about your regional climate, the topography of your site, and your soil type when planning your landscape. Using the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map is a great place to start.

How to plan a landscape design? ›

If you're working on a simple project, graph and tracing paper might be all you need. A professional landscape designer starts with a property survey and topographical map, and then typically creates a series of conceptual sketches, preliminary elevations and final renderings as your vision evolves and crystallizes.

What is pattern in landscape design? ›

Patterns are visual arrangements of elements that create a sense of order, rhythm, and harmony in landscape design. They can be geometric, organic, or abstract, and they can vary in scale, contrast, and repetition.

What are the six rules of landscape design? ›

A proper layout will incorporate the 6 principles of landscape design: balance, focalization, simplicity, rhythm/line, proportion, and unity. Needing backyard landscaping ideas? Read on to learn more about how you can apply these landscaping design principles to create the yard of your dreams.

What is the first rule of landscaping? ›

01: OBEY THE "LAW" OF SIGNIFICANT ENCLOSURE

The law of significant enclosure says that we feel enclosed when the vertical edge of a space is at least one-third the length of the horizontal space we're inhabiting.

What is the golden ratio in landscape design? ›

The golden ratio is 1.618, and it can be used in a myriad of ways. The “Golden Rectangle” takes it a step further: the ratio of the short side to the long side should equal to the ratio of the long side to the sum of the long and short sides.

What are the seven 7 basic principle of layouts? ›

The fundamental principles of design are: Emphasis, Balance and Alignment, Contrast, Repetition, Proportion, Movement and White Space. Design differs from art in that it has to have a purpose. Visually, this functionality is interpreted by making sure an image has a center of attention, a point of focus.

What is the 7 principle of layout? ›

Emphasis, balance and alignment, contrast, repetition, proportion, movement, and white space are the cornerstones of the principle of design.

What are the names of 7 principles of design? ›

There are seven traditional and universal principles of design, which are significant across the industry: emphasis, balance & alignment, contrast, repetition, proportion, movement, and white space.

What are the three major principles of landscape design? ›

Elements and Principles

The principles are the fundamental concepts of composition—proportion, order, repetition, and unity—that serve as guidelines to arrange or organize the features to create an aesthetically pleasing or beautiful landscape.

What are the three parts of landscaping? ›

By following these three general steps of landscaping - deciding the use, determining the maintenance level, and selecting the style - you can create a well-planned and visually appealing outdoor space that suits your needs and preferences.

What are the hard elements of landscape? ›

Hard landscaping most commonly refers to elements such as paths, driveways, drainage systems, electrics, fencing, decking, patios, steps and walls. These elements then provide the base for soft landscaping elements such as grass, plants, and vegetation.

What are the four elements of a landscape? ›

When it comes to professional landscape design there are a few important factors that must be considered for optimal landscape results: balance, lines & flow, contrast & interest, and repetition.

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