Outdoor Garden Design Creates Interest And Passion
Article by Jeff Halper
Outdoor garden design is one of the most important elements of truly superb residential landscape design. In many ways it represents the heart and soul of Houston outdoor living, and it warrants thoughtful consideration and systematic, deliberate planning on the part of both homeowners and the landscape designers.
The actual style of the gardens installed will be ultimately based upon the intent the landscape as a functional and aesthetic unity, and on the many necessary forms and colors required to support architecture, lifestyle, and outdoor activities.
One thing to always remember when planning your new Houston landscape with your professional design team is that you do not have to limit yourself to only one garden. There can be many different gardens installed in both the front and back yard, and there are many different roles that each of these gardens can ultimately play in the grand scheme of landscape design.
A few of these new forms will eventually occupy positions of central importance and significance. Others will work in a more subtle, supportive manner to accentuate specific structures and landscape elements.
Perhaps the most supporting function of outdoor garden design could arguably be the aesthetic contribution it makes toward accenting home architecture. With the right vegetation and form, home architecture appears to reach beyond its inorganic boundaries and take on an added, organic dimension.
Many styles of residential architecture have a specific cultural origin or reference a specific historical period. Similarly, many outdoor garden designs originate from specific points in history and specific cultures and regions of the world. For example, there are French, Italian, and Mediterranean garden styles. These specific garden types work to reinforce the visual motif of the home as the predominating thematic component to the landscape.
Other outdoor garden designs may not be intended to support architecture. English gardens reflect the order and symmetry of the British rural countryside. Knot gardens turn backyards into reflections of Celtic and Renaissance embroidery, making the landscape itself into a fabric of utility where herbs and spices can be grown as well as used for decoration. Shade gardens create special places underneath trees that help draw attention to open areas of the yard as center points of growth and activity.
Outdoor garden design can also occupy a centrist position in residential landscape design. In front yard landscaping, it can follow a walkway to provide transition from the front of the street to the front door of the house. On the sides of the yard, it can establish boundaries between a home and neighboring residences. In open areas of the lawn, it can add dimension and color to open lawn areas between motor courts, walkways, and the walls of the home.
In backyard landscapes, gardens are often used provide aesthetic linkage between very stark and absolute hardscape elements and surrounding lawn elements, shrubs, flowers, and tree growth. Custom patios made of stamped concrete or limestone can be made to gently blend gently into the landscape by enveloping their perimeter with garden forms that begin where the hardscape ends and extend outward to embrace the lawn and the trees.
Fountains can be further magnified by a custom garden that blends the base of the structure with the Earth itself. Fences and architectural walls appear less harsh and absolute when paralleled by linear garden forms whose vitality softens otherwise hard straight lines and hard right angles.
In contemporary landscape design, the modern outdoor garden is used to create pockets of organic presence in a landscape of geometry and inorganic hardscape structures. This can be done by creating a contemporary garden in the middle of the yard, or by dividing the yard into partitions and installing a modern garden into a central position within that specific area.
In other forms of professional landscaping, the organic presence is much stronger than it is in contemporary landscaping. Outdoor garden design is even more important to these developments because it accentuates the vitality and diversity of vegetation, and it establishes the sense of freedom and expressiveness that sets outdoor living apart from indoor living.
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Leave a commentGarden Design London
Article by Peter G
Make a list of the garden design requirements that you have. What you expect to get from your garden. How much you would realistically want to spend on the build, etc. The look you require. Any storage you may require, ie. garden furniture, equipment, bicycle storage etc. Boundary areas, walls and fences may need to be discussed with your neighbour? Think about lighting, having the option to use the garden in the evening should be seriously considered. Your garden designer should be able to advise on any issues that require planning permission, etc. Although the necessary paperwork is usually required to be completed and submitted by the home owner. Along with a list of your requirements and, after looking at your existing garden your garden designer will be able to estimate a building cost in conjunction with a landscape contractor. We work across London and the home counties. Including contemporary, small, city, roof terrace & decking garden design ideas.
Cost of Garden DesignThe cost of commissioning a garden design will vary from garden designer to garden designer. Factors such as qualification, experience, reputation, awards won etc will have an impact on the charge that different garden designers can make for their services. Discuss with the garden designer and ask what their chosen method of designing and presentation is and what services you should expect in return for their fee. We work from anywhere in central London, outer london, the home counties and nationally. Including contemporary, small, city, roof terrace & decking garden design.
The size of your garden will also have an impact on the cost. Although it doesn’t always follow that smaller gardens cost less! Often smaller urban or city gardens require a greater amount of garden design solutions! The restrictions of urban and city living often require garden designers to be clever with design solutions and space saving options but without losing design impact or structure. We work across London and the home counties. Including contemporary, small, city, roof terrace & decking garden design.
Sketchup with Garden DesignA more recently released smart and quick design solution for creating, viewing and modifying 3D models of garden features as well as overall 3D visuals of garden designs. Much easier and faster to handle than AutoCAD and it also supports DWG format. We work across London and the home counties. Including contemporary, small, city, roof terrace & decking garden design.
Vectorworks with Garden DesignA more mechanical IT design tool mainly used by architects and landscape architects. Vectorworks provides what all CAD users require weather its 2D drawfing, 3D modeling, drawing detail or photorealistic renderings and animations. We work from anywhere in central London, outer london, the home counties and nationally. Including contemporary, small, city, roof terrace & decking garden design.
Photoshop with Garden DesignGarden Designers use Photoshop for editing garden design proposals. It is also an excellent solution for creating various textures to enhance 3D visuals made on CAD related programs. We work across London and the home counties. Including contemporary, small, city, roof terrace & decking garden design.
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Design Your Home Garden With Flowers
PREPARING THE STEM
A majority of flowers and foliage can be conditioned in a common way but some need extra care. Give a deep drink of water for a minimum of two to three hours. However, an overnight dip should be preferred. Thereafter, to prolong flowering duration, plunge the flower up to the flower head in a vessel filled with lukewarm water. Soft leaves are submerged in a pan containing water. If the stem is soft and not rigid, wrap it in non-greasy paper so that the stem remains straight during the process of deep drink. If the stems are woody, they should be immersed up to 2-3 cm in boiling hot water. Make a hole in the cardboard or hard sheet to protect the petals from the heat of the water vapours. Otherwise wrap a cloth or paper around the flower and then place the shoot in the boiling water. Hard stems of Carnation are given a deep cut at the centre of the stem up to one-third of their length.
In case of Chrysanthemum, the stem is hammered at the bottom to enable more water intake by the flower.
The cut flowers are then kept in a shady, moist and cool place away from direct sunlight and heat. Ideally an air-conditioned room provides optimum storage conditions. Never carry or store the cut flowers in a windy area. Wilting flowers can be revived by knocking off 2-3 cm of the stem under water and dipping it in water.
SELECTION OF FOLIAGE
The foliage must blend and harmonize with the floral design and should have matching lifespan and vigour with the flowers. The foliage of common permanent plants can be used in arrangements as these can withstand indoor conditions. What is meaningful is to know the texture of the leaf instead of the stem.
The criteria for choosing the foliage are same as for the flowers except in flowers we take young buds but in foliage, middle-aged foliage should be taken. Damaged, mature and wilted foliage should never be taken. In unavoidable conditions trim the damaged edges with scissors. After selection of the foliage wash it well and keep it in a cool place. Minimize the use of pins and stapler pins to hold the foliage as it damages the foliage and casts an ugly look rather than a pleasing effect to the arrangement.
FACTORS INFLUENCING THE FLORAL DESIGN
In general, a few factors are to be kept in mind before making a flower arrangement. The prime most is the location/place where the arrangement is to be kept (i.e., on a dinning table or a sideboard). The location must be such that it should automatically draw attention at the first place. The availability of space is a determining factor as the size of the arrangement will vary accordingly. The height/level at which the arrangement is to be kept is the next factor. Finally, the viewing angle — if it is to be seen from one side or from all the sides. To get an all-sided view, shapes like oval, round and pyramid are preferred. There are no fixed standards but the more closer you are in arranging the flowers and other materials in a natural way, the more appealing the arrangement will look.
TYPES OF ARRANGEMENTS
Fresh Arrangement: It is the art of organizing fresh flowers and other plant material into vases and giving them a pleasing composition.
Foliage Arrangement: In seasons when flowers are scarce, variety of coloured leaves may be used to make these arrangements which harmonize well. These provide beautiful transitional lines and unify the base.
Dry Arrangement: These are composed of dried flowers, fruits, berries, stalks, pods, cones and drift wood which collectively produce a wonderful effect. These can be used as a substitute for fresh flowers and are somewhat permanent arrangement.
Fresh-cum-Dry Arrangement: These floral designs may be made by combining fresh and dry plant material for creating beautiful textural effects and variations.
Miniature or Diminutive Arrangement: To add aesthetic value to the study table, bathrooms and dressing table, floral compositions are created which are the miniature forms of the standard sizes.
USEFUL TIPS
A flower arrangement is prepared to last for 4-6 days.
Always cut longer stems at the site and bring them to the desired size while making the arrangement.
To maintain regular flow of water insert the thin stem into the thicker stem and then fix it in the arrangement.
Geometric designs are made by fixing the material at angles on the holder.
If a material is to be pulled from the arrangement do it gently by pressing the holder and pulling the material from the middle without disturbing the arrangement.
Drooping flowers are a symptom of scarcity of water which is met by cutting 2-3 cm of the stem and dipping it in warm water for two hours.
There are six colour schemes and one can take help of a colour wheel while choosing colours.
Related or contrasting colour harmonies may be followed for selection of colour.
A Home Garden Design Can Be A Challenge
Article by Ann Marier
Gardening can be a great hobby, enjoyed informally by tending to a few plants in your yard on the weekends. Some people, however, want to create something bigger, a true garden where they try to demonstrate the green thumb that they possess. In these cases, it helps to have a plan for your home garden design so you can create something that has a little more definition that the average flowerbed. Home garden design can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be, and a great home garden design can be a guide to working on a beautiful garden.
What Kind of Garden?
In order to better focus your efforts at home garden design, you should start by getting an idea of what sort of garden you want to have. Are you looking to grow fresh herbs and vegetables for your family to eat? Then your home garden design is going to be more concerned with the crops you plan to grow in your garden. Do you want something that’s beautiful to behold? Then your plans will be more concerned with planting groupings of decorative plants. Keep in mind that some home garden designs can incorporate both, beauty and usefulness.
Sketch It Out
When you are working on your home garden design, it’s best to have paper and pencil ready beforehand. Sketch out an outline of your yard and where you want to place your garden, then start filling in shapes for what you want to plant and where. This helps if you’re trying to define a garden along a particular line or to interact with other elements in your yard, such as benches or patios. By sketching out the shape of your garden beforehand, you’ll better be able to plan what to plant where.
Ask for Help
Once you have the basic idea for your home garden design, your best bet is to talk to your local gardening club, plant nursery, or even a landscaping professional to learn what sort of plants will work well for your design. Even if you already have an idea of what plants you want to choose, running your idea by someone else will allow you to get advice on other plants that will complement your design, or allow you to catch any mistakes before you start planting.
It’s like getting a second draft for a piece of writing. As long as you work with the idea of creating a beautiful home garden design, though, and you put in the work needed for it, you’re likely to end up with something that adds to the beauty of your yard and the value of your home.
www.landdesigns.com 203 270-9881 A walk through of a cape in Newtown, Connecticut CT that was designed and planted by the crew of Land Designs Unlimited. Landscape Designer John Holden discusses the concept of understated simplicity and how to achieve it in your landscape. This home is on a busy road so please bear with the traffic noise.
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