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[L35]Landscaping Ideas And Pictures

by Steve Boulden, Ste

Landscape design, at times, can be as clear-cut as creating a couple cirlces and squares and adding a couple plants. Frequently, on the other hand, things don't prove to be this straightforward. The inexperienced do it yourselfer can discover that trying to rough out a usable and aesthetically acceptable landscape blueprint will prove to be a quite toilsome task. Fairly often, those who try this end up throwing in the towel at some point and looking for a licensed designer to polish off the plan instead.

Superb landscape plans involve numerous assorted things to work, such as a mental picture of what you want to gain, a genetic understanding of different plants, some grasp of simple artistic principles, and, possibly most influential, a focus on the operational purpose of your plan. Concentrating on the end use of your plan is something that is scarcely mentioned in the majority of landscape design tutorials, but if you have a good enough foreknowledge of this theory, it can make the entire design procedure much simpler to get through.

The function you wish your fledgling landscape to serve should be your primary focus from the moment when you begin your landscape design process until you finish up the entire element. It will help keep you on track and moving toward your determined destination. Knowing your aim from the beginning will make the process of achieving your goal that much simpler.

Although the majority of tutorials leave out this theory, having a final goal and having an understanding of the end use behind your design will help develop assorted sub-projects within your main design. Dividing the complete goal into individual mini-goals can make the whole design much easier to conceive and apply. For instance, if you want to totally overlay a defined area with stones, you need to make sure that the concept is clear within the blueprint you have created.

Looking at the assorted purposes that a front yard has in comparison to that of a back-yard can help make this way of thinking more easy to absorb. In the plan of a practical front yard landscape, the focus tends to be on the ease of approach to the home. Most often, the major part of the space vacant in the front-yard landscape area will be taken up with driveways and pathways. Once these regions have been executed, the remaining project items are commonly easy to work out.

The backyard landscape poses a completely different design challenge, on the other hand, since its operation is altogether different from that of a front-yard landscape. Back yards are locations secluded from the outside world, where people in general go to have fun and loosen up. Thus, back yard landscaping projects must consider a radically different set of priorities, such as privacy and regions for recreation and pleasure. Even though the design and construction of a functional back-yard landscape is much more exacting, by figuring out which regions will work for which function, you will be able to formulate a proper outline to help you finish off your undertaking.

Trying to recognize the innumberable functions that landscapes accomplish is, often, not that easy for your average person. To help out with this problem, my website, the-landscape-design-site.com, has a multitude of picture galleries which contain many photos of different landscapes to help you think of ideas for your own design. Being able to study the plans different designers have done will not only help you make up thoughts of your own, but will also impart to you a better intellectual grasp of the purpose behind triumphant landscape projects.

Do you cut out and collect magazine pictures of great landscaping ideas? Do you have a photo album of, say, a stately English mansion that you'd love to use for your home landscape design in Houston? Have you admired the plants and trees of European countryside estates and wondered if they would grow on the Texas coastal plains? If so, then you have a beautiful start to turning your landscaping ideas into reality.

Landscaping Ideas: The Gathering

Landscape design starts with ideas. Your ideas—before you bring in the professionals. It is the time to write down not only your needs, but also your wishes and deepest desires. This is true whether you want to landscape a two-acre homestead or install a small garden design.

Jeff Halper, landscape design specialist with Exterior Worlds, says, “Landscaping ideas help in your own landscaping design process. The more landscape ideas and photos one has, the better. Even landscaping ideas of things one doesn't like can help landscape designers and landscape architects achieve the desired results.”

Landscaping Ideas: Elements to Consider

• Hardscapes. Hardscapes—the non-plant material of your landscape design—play a critical part of any garden landscape project. Types of hardscapes include pathways, retaining walls, pool decking and driveways. You will need to make material choices that range from basic concrete to decorative stone and brick to wooden decking.

• Luxury swimming pools. A swimming pool is a necessity for any upscale home. It finishes off the design of the house because it is a natural extension of your indoor living space. All choices about a pool should factor in safety. One way to do it is through the use of fences. Halper points out that they can be built in a non-intrusive way. “We like to hide fences and gates by weaving them among shrubbery. This method makes the pool area safe, up to code and aesthetically pleasing,” he says.

• Outdoor water fountains. Outdoor water fountains come in a multitude of shapes, sizes and styles. Additional features can be added, such as a cascading waterfall or a contemporary wall fountain. Whatever style you prefer, the main thing to remember is that your overall landscape will be improved if you use an outdoor water fountain that coordinates with the style of your home and garden.

• Outdoor kitchens. Decisions to make concerning your outdoor kitchen include whether to cover it or not. You will want to consider the overall size needed. For instance, for the chairs at the dining table, you need at least two feet away from any other element, especially the grill or any step-downs. Be sure to plan for adequate cabinet space. Counter top options include tile, granite, stone and concrete. Also you'll have choices regarding overhead fans and types of refrigeration.

Landscaping Ideas: Theme Possibilities

• Modern landscape design. Modern garden design tends to focus on scale rather than formal or classic designs that are based on axial relationships from Greek, Roman, and classical architectural traditions. The architecture of the house needs to be carefully considered when using a contemporary garden design. The home and landscape can be tied together through selective use of plantings or the intelligent placement of a hardscape feature, such as an organic pathway to the front door.

• Formal landscape design. Formal landscape design invokes order and balance. Think of the gardens of Monticello, the landscaping of Versailles, and, closer to home, the gardens of Bayou Bend, which is part of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

• English garden design. The English garden design is all about curved beds, winding paths and free-flowing color. The gardener's hand is light. There—but just barely. Houston's semi-tropical climate is well suited for vine-covered pergolas, sunny rose gardens, and sparkling azalea beds—all plant materials that fit well within the English garden's concept of abundance.

• Mediterranean landscape design. The phrase to live by in this style is “Old World ambiance.” Favored materials include stone, weathered bricks, terra cotta tiles, flagstone, tumbled travertine, wooden beams, wrought iron, classical statuary and Roman columns, and outdoor furniture that evokes Arabian, Moroccan or Italian sensibilities.

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Both Steve Boulden & Jeff Halper are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Steve Boulden has sinced written about articles on various topics from Gardening, Careers and Job Hunting and Landscaping. Written by Steve Boulden. Steve is the creator of The Landscape Design Site which offers free professional landscaping advice, ideas, tips, and designs to do it yourselfers and homeowners. For more. Steve Boulden's top article generates over 4400 views. to your Favourites.

Jeff Halper has sinced written about articles on various topics from Gardening, Swimming Pool and Gardening. Jeff Halper is passionate for Landscaping and wants to share infomation about that passion. At you can read more about. Jeff Halper's top article generates over 18100 views. to your Favourites.