Residential Landscape Design is based on fundamental principles that bring the garden and home together for an attractive landscape all year round. It takes into account the whole property, its size and surroundings.
A good landscaping design enhances the economic value of a house. It is also soothing to the senses and attractive to everyone who sees it.
Public Use Area
A residential landscape is a part of the home and should reflect the homeowner’s lifestyle and personality. The front yard of a house is the first impression that visitors will have and should welcome them, guide them to the door and blend the man-made structure with its natural surroundings.
A well-designed community includes open spaces that connect residents and offer highly sought amenities that bring neighbors together. It is important that the community design is thoughtful, not simply putting up a few sculptures to check a box in the requirements.
The Landscape Program is designed to provide the skills and knowledge that students will need to engage with complex visual, physical, ecological and cultural problems in the urbanizing landscape. The program offers a sequence of courses in horticulture, landscape theory and design, landform manipulation, construction materials, site engineering and professional practice. It is the combination of these elements that makes the difference between a good landscape and an outstanding one.
Private Use Area
The private area of a residential landscape is used for family living, recreation and entertainment. This area usually includes a patio, pool, garden pool, fountain, vegetable gardens and shrub and flower borders. It also may include fences or screens to provide privacy. The design of this area should be compatible with the architecture of the house and the overall style of the neighborhood. It should also reflect something about the family who lives there.
Front yard landscaping should frame the house, soften its strong corners and angles, blend the man-made structure into its natural surroundings and draw attention easily to the door and the way there. Plants should be selected for their year-round visual interest and suitability to the local climate and soil conditions.
When doing a site evaluation, it is important to develop a base plan showing property lines, existing plants and walks (Figure 1). On tracing paper placed over this, sketch roughly the location of the desired landscape features.
Service Area
When a visitor arrives at your house, the residential landscape is a first impression. It should frame the house much as an attractive picture frame enhances a painting and serve to blend the man-made structure into its natural surroundings.
A well-designed and maintained residential landscape will be attractive all year around. This is achieved by a combination of several design principles that provide unity, balance and interest in the landscape.
The residential landscape should reflect something of the style of your home as well as your personal tastes. There are many different landscape styles from which to choose.
Conducting a thorough site evaluation is an important step in developing the residential landscape plan. This includes a review of all existing plant material, utilities and topographic features. A base plan should be developed showing property lines, the location of the house and a rough sketch of all existing features on the property. Over this, tracing paper can be laid down to locate the desired landscaping features.
Outdoor Living Area
Residential landscaping adds value to a property and reflects the lifestyle of the family that lives there. It may include a patio, pool, garden area, fire pit, children’s play area or vegetable gardens as well as shrub and flower borders, lawns, fences and screening. Proper lighting for appearance and safety and a water feature for visual interest and sound are also often included.
When planning the outdoor living areas, it is helpful to think of these spaces as rooms instead of as a series of individual plantings. Compartmentalizing the wants for these rooms can prevent planning overload and make it easier to bring them to life gradually as resources become available.
As environmental consciousness continues to grow, more and more homeowners are seeking ways to incorporate environmentally friendly elements into their landscape designs. For example, strategically placed deciduous trees can provide cooling shade for a home in the summer and warm sunlight in the winter, lowering energy costs.
