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Landscaping• The use of plants and inanimate materials to
enhance the utility (function) and beauty (aesthetics) of an outdoor area
Value of landscaping• Manipulate environmental conditions
– Shade, light wind• Increased property value• Exercise, therapeutic• More satisfying living experience
– Increased privacy– Refuge for animal life– Control vehicular and pedestrian traffic– Hide unattractive areas– Reduce noise
Cost of landscaping
• Cost– Quality of plants, materials– Procurement & installation– Age/size of plants– Recurrent costs
• Water, chemicals, mulch
• Time– Maintenance
• Water, fertilizer, pest control, controlling plant growth
Landscape design
• Surfaces: lawns, patios, terraces• Paths: materials (lawn, ground cover, stone,
etc.)• Level changes: steps, slopes, retaining walls• Boundaries: walls, fences, hedges• Structures: garden buildings, pergolas, arches
Landscape design
• Ornamental plants– Trees, shrubs, climbing
plants, ground covers, herbaceous plants (annuals & perennials)
– Specimens
Landscape design
• Garden features– Kitchen garden, herb
garden– Water features (pond,
flowing water, fountain)– Ornaments & pots
Site analysis
• soil texture & quality, drainage • utility of existing plants• location of underground and above
ground utilities• good and bad views• focal points of interest• negative features of buildings and
landscape• window locations• aspects of climate (sun rise/set,
sun/shade patterns, wind directions)
Color principles• Colors influenced by light intensity• Background color important for
effect of foreground plants• Reds, yellows – advance• Blues, greens - recede
Principles of design
• Simplicity• Balance• Focalization of interest• Rhythm & line• Scale or proportion
Public area
• Planting beds– Trees form the backbone
• Placement of new trees is critical• Keep large trees away from house (scale)
Planting bed guidelines
• Edging materials– Plastic, timbers, stone
• Mulch or groundcover• Large, curved beds more
attractive than small, angled beds
• Mass shrubs of same species, use only a few species
• Avoid lawn ornaments
Online landscape design resources
• http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/extension/homelandscape/home.html
• http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/library/hort2/samplers/S4.asp
Selecting plants for the landscape• Evergreen vs. deciduous• Categories: vines, groundcovers, shrubs, trees• Size: small, medium, large• Plant adaptability
– Temperature, sun, soil• Maintenance requirements
– Pruning, fertilization, pest control
• NCSU Plant fact sheets
Acquiring plants• Home propagation
– Cuttings, seed• Transplant from wild
– Deciduous should be dormant– Evergreen during new growth
• Mail order– Large selection, cheap– Shipped “bare-root”
• Grown in field, dug up when dormant• Shipped in moist wood shavings, wrapped in plastic• Increased risk of plant death (minimal root system)• Should plant ASAP
– Use “Garden Watchdog” to preview vendors
Acquiring landscape plants
• Nurseries, etc.– Bare-root– Balled & burlapped plants
• Dug and wrapped • Limited soil base
– Container grown plants• Propagated & grown in a pot• Minimal root damage• May be root bound
Planting landscape plants
• Fall in the South (Spring ok)• Digging the hole
– 12” Wider than root ball– 6” Deeper than root ball
• Amend Backfill• Fertilize in moderation