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There is something special about a beautifully put-together a landscape designs. It creates a harmonious and uniform look that calms the senses and enhances the peace and tranquility of the place.
Not all landscape designs, however, are so conscientious. Whether you are interested in residential or commercial landscaping, it is important to choose landscape contractors that integrate standards of excellence into your landscape design.
Let’s take a look at what those are:
1. Cleanliness
A landscape is only as good as its maintenance. No matter how cutting-edge the design is or how expensive the features are, it won’t matter if it is littered with grass clippings, broken sticks, rotten leaves, or debris from a storm.
To ensure your landscape increases your home’s curb appeal, you need to ensure it is clean and tidy.
Another big landscape issue is weeds. Weeds not only detract from the beauty of your outdoor space, but also steal food and nourishment for other plants. For a thriving landscape, it is important to get rid of weeds and ensure your lawn is easy to maintain.
2. Cohesion and Unity
Your landscape needs harmony and unity to appear complete and whole. This can be achieved by focusing on certain elements of the landscape, like its shape, lines, and textures, and repeatedly using specific elements in your landscape designs. This will help create a sense of cohesion, and it is something that anyone who comes onto your property will sense.
To establish a strong pattern in your landscape, you need to consider focus elements. For example, a decorative rock surrounded by succulents can be a focal point of your garden, or a species of trees lining the pathways can demarcate a clearly defined space in your landscape.
3. Strong Lines
Lines are a vital aspect of landscape design and can be leveraged to create different effects. Landscape features with strong lines can help distinguish individual elements and tie various elements together to create a complete picture
For example, vertical lines give a feeling of height and open, expansive space. On the other hand, horizontal lines create a sense of relaxation, such as in a swimming pool space. When working on a project, it is important that you get your client’s style right to ensure unity with the entire property.
4. Focus With Shapes
Shapes are one of the most vital aspects of landscape designing, as they define negative and positive spaces and connect various elements.
Take trees that come in various shapes and forms, for example. Tall ones, like coniferous trees, direct your attention upward and focus attention on tall structures. Trees with drooping branches like willows are excellent elements to highlight the surrounding landscapes. As such, willow trees can be a wonderful addition to water features like ponds, lakes, and even natural-style swimming pools.
5. Maintain Balance with Scale
Scale in landscape design can have a huge impact on creating the right feeling for your backyard or lawn, and can help maintain balance. For example, a large hardscape feature next to tiny flowers may not be the best choice, as it can completely overshadow the flora in the area.
However, intentional scale misuse can create effective designs in some ways. For example, if you are creating a play area or theme park, intentional misuse of scale can actually create the right vibe for that setting.
Scale covers the total area of the site, as well as the architectural components in it. You can choose from a wide range of materials and heights to enhance or reduce any qualities you want.
6. Textures and Colors
Textures and colors have powerful psychological impacts. Plants with various sizes, textures, and colors of leaves can be instrumental in grabbing attention. For example, plants with large velvety leaves can catch the eye from a distance. On the other hand, plants with small, trimmed leaves offer a more subtle effect by contrasting or complementing the greenery.
Stone surfaces can mimic the design of the rockwork and hardscapes, while wood features can reflect the texture or design of the trees.
Color also plays a big role in drawing attention. Bright and vibrant colors make the place feel more energetic and alive, while soft pastel or neutral tones like pale grays and blues, earthy browns, and deep blacks have a calming effect.
7. Design for People’s Experience
The most important thing that landscape contractors need to remember is that landscape designs should be created to enhance the experience of the people they are meant for. If the landscape is made for commercial properties, it will require more hardscape materials like benches and areas for social interaction. On the other hand, backyards, gardens, parks, and courtyards would benefit more from natural green spaces.
If a person is not able to access a certain area of the landscape or does not experience the feeling that they want, then that piece of the landscape becomes irrelevant. Hence, every landscape design needs to be made with universal use and accessibility in mind.
Bottom Line
Every landscape needs to be designed according to these quality standards, so clients can have high expectations without worry. Liaison Landscapes is one of the leading landscape companies in San Francisco. We follow a stringent code of conduct and best horticulture practices when it comes to the design of your landscape. With us, you can feel confident that your dream landscape design will soon become a reality.
Schedule a consultation with us today by visiting www.liaisonlandscapes.com or calling us at 415-805-3404.
