Principles of Planting Design

Principles of Planting Design

• Artistic composition derived from physical
properties of plants
– Form:
• Plants can be viewed as mainly horizontal or vertical
– Horizontal shapes are less dramatic than vertical shapes
• Tree forms depend on branching patterns
• Shrub forms result from growth habits (e.g. upright or
creeping)
Principles of Planting Design
• Physical properties of plants important in
landscape design
– Texture:
• Stems, leaves, bark, and buds determine texture of plant

– Large or widely separated plant features create effect of coarseness

– Thick, tight foliage results in finer texture

– Simple leaves appear coarser than compound leaves

• Distance of view affects texture;

farther you stand from plant, the
finer its texture appears
Principles of Planting Design
• Physical properties of plants important in
landscape design
– Color:
• Warm colors: yellows to reds
– Bright, inviting and lively
• Cool colors: greens to violets
– Restful, receding, not as conspicuous
• Foliage most often considered in
landscape design, but flowers,
bark and fruit also important
Principles of Planting Design
• Unity in landscape design
– Landscapes need some characteristics to tie together
different (functional) units and plants within a unit

• Characters that provide unity in landscape design

– simplicity
– variety
– emphasis
– balance
– sequence
– scale
Principles of Planting Design
• Unity in landscape design
– Simplicity (repetition)
• Created with repetition of form, texture, colors, or specific
plant species
• Must prevent
monotony; variety is
used to ‘control’
repetition
Principles of Planting Design
• Unity in landscape design
– Variety
• Varying forms, textures and shapes to prevent boredom
Principles of Planting Design
• Unity in landscape design
– Emphasis
• Drawing attention to important features of landscape
– Can draw attention to front door of residence by using plants that
offer variety in color, texture or form near the door
Principles of Planting Design
• Unity in landscape design
– Balance
• Symmetrical balance = elements on either side of an axis
are identical (formal feel)
• Asymmetrical balance = unlike elements of equal visual
weight on each side of an axis (less formal)
– achieved by balancing forms of unequal size (e.g. 1 tree balanced
by 3 shrubs)
– Color adds visual weight; brightly colored plant may need to be
balanced with several plants of equal size but not brightly colored

– Coarse textures are visually heavier than fine textures (more fine-
textured plants needed to balance coarse-textured plants)
Principles of Planting Design
• Unity in landscape design
– Balance
Principles of Planting Design
• Unity in landscape design
– Sequence
• Move viewer’s eyes over landscape in orderly fashion

– Achieved by
gradual
progression of
form, texture or
color

– Any plant that

breaks gradual
progression
becomes a point
of emphasis
Principles of Planting Design
• Unity in landscape design
– Scale
• Relative scale or proportion of landscape affects viewer’s
mood
– Most landscapes
should be
proportional to
human height or
height of
structure
Use of trees in landscape design
• Form
• Branching
• Function
• Visual aspects
• Ecological values
• Soil erosion
• Habited for wild life
• Wind & dust buffers
 Use of trees in landscape design
• Form
– The general form of trees are broad, round, square, tapering,
and columnar.
– Tapering –
Polyalthia logifolia
Grevillea robusta
Use of trees in landscape design
– Broad & round
Mimusops elegi,
Delonix regia
Use of trees in landscape design
• Branching
– Horizontal, weeping, angular, spreading, and arrow.
– Weeping- Callistemon lanceolatus
Use of trees in landscape design
• Function
– To provide timber for commercial gain
– To serve as a wind break or screen
– To act as a noise baffle
– To provide shade
– To give scale to building
– To provide color & form
Use of trees in landscape design
• Visual aspects-Color & form , texture
– Planted for contrasting shades
– Used as a backdrop for something important
– As a focal point
– Used from an enclosure to accentuate the land form
– To frame a building or to emphasis a specific view or focus
onto feature
Use of trees in landscape design
• Ecological values
– In improvement of urban soil condition by intercepting
rain.
– Improvement in the functioning of hydrological cycle
by retention of water and less evaporation.
- Increase in the diversity and quantity of wild life by
providing range of habitats.
- To moderate the extremes of urban microclimate.
 Use of trees in landscape design
• Soil erosion
– Trees protect soil from being eroded as it prevents the rain
from falling directly on the ground and moist
of the moisture to be absorbed gradually into the soil.

• Habitat for wild life

-Trees provide living spaces and food for small animals
birds and insects.
Thank you