Landscaping and Gardening Styles for Your Home
What is Landscaping?
Have you ever heard of the term landscaping and what does it mean? How about beautification of gardens at your home? Now you’ve understood. We know interiors can be upgraded and designed to look and function better, then why cannot gardens? Of course, they too can be made to look attractive and aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Landscaping is all about making modifications in the patterns, alignment, structure placement of flowers, trees and other decorative items, to make the best of the open land that you have and how to make it peaceful and relaxing for the people who spend time in the gardens.
Landscaping, these days, has been gaining a lot of attention all over the world and creative designers and landscape artists are coming up with mind blowing designs and solutions to your garden problems.
Elements of Landscaping
- Shape
Shape matters the most when it comes to the overall look of the designed garden because different shapes give more variety to shrubs, trees and hedge plants. Round shapes, big or small, give it a clean and a well-maintained look and shaping some of your plants this way will definitely give it a theme-based landscape design.
2. Texture
Just like in interior design texture is important, the same way texture plays an essential role when it comes to landscaping. A variety of textures added to your garden for sure looks appealing and cohesive. Thick or thin textures of leaves, pointy, sharp, round or squarish flower petals and slim or fat stems, adds a character to the entire landscape.
3. Colour
Incorporating a variety of colours in your landscape or sticking with only a combination of two to three colours is completely your choice. These days people have a liking of both colour palettes, and whatever you prefer, can easily be done. If we come to the vibrant colours for your garden, going with yellows, pinks, reds and oranges is the base you can start with. Most of the flowers around the world come in these colours which are easily found in the market around you. If you want only a few colours for your landscape, you can go with whites, greens and neutrals. Combining whites or neutrals with natural greens, makes the entire landscape appear sophisticated and kind of minimal, which is a huge trend going on these days.
4. Lines
Lines do not mean that you start looking for flowers or plants in geometrical shape, we all know that. Lines and geometrical shapes here mean that you can go for other landscaping elements like pebbles, river rocks, big tough rocks, to give an edge to your landscape and create designated areas for each set of plants or flowers. This way it allows the person to focus on the specific plants in a controlled manner which also reflects your personality. How well managed and organised you really are in your life, is reflected through the landscape design and arrangements you have made for it.
5. Variety
Having a variety of plants in your garden is essential as it will help you have blooming flowers and fresh plants throughout the year which will not make things boring for your garden and you will have something or the other to appeal to your eyes. Having perennials or annuals, will certainly make your garden grow at all times, be it the summer or the winter months. This way you will not lose interest in your well-designed landscape.
6. Balance
A balance must be created in the garden to avoid confusion and make things look like a mixed bag of flowers and foliage. Balancing the colours and the textures of plants, how they should be planted and where, creating a good balance among all the greens and flowers, is essential to give the landscape a complete look. Nothing should look out of place as it will end up giving an unpleasant view for the garden.
7. Groups
Planting the plants at certain gaps forming plant groups is always a better option than to plant all mixed varieties at one place. This way the garden will have sections divided which will give a sense of completion in the area and not overcrowd it all.
8. Focal Point
What we suggest is that one must have a focal point element in the landscape design as it helps attract the attention of the viewer and it makes your garden hold a special aspect to it. It will stand apart from the other gardens in your neighbourhood, making you feel proud. What can a focal point be? Well, you can have a fountain in the centre of the garden, a tall weeping willow tree, a bright coloured bougainvillaea tree surrounded by a chain fence or maybe a gazebo shed which people can not only admire but also spend some peaceful time in your garden, appreciate the view in front of them.
9. Repetition
If you repeat the shape, texture or the colour for the plants that you plan to plant, it will not be overly repetitive but instead be coordinated with the entire theme. Repeat the colour or the shape after some gaps or intervals, and you will come out with a balanced landscape which will look tied together and aesthetic as well.
Types of Landscaping
People from the past focused on construction, remodelling, upgrading and designing their homes mainly from the inside and then from the outside. The interiors and the exteriors of a house were to be made comforting and functioning and that was it. But nowadays, focusing on every bit of your house has become essential and that is the reason why people give a lot of attention on the exteriors of their house, mainly on the gardens, porches and facades. This is how landscaping has now become a trend and it also acts like a blank canvas for the people to be creative and design their exteriors according to their needs and aesthetics.
Below are listed a few trending landscaping styles for your home.
English Gardens
English landscaping is all about countryside lush green gardens which give you a magical and a fairy tale experience once you walk through them. Huge iron gates, plenty of roses everywhere, tiny pathways leading throughout the garden, well maintained hedges and bushes, wooden, metal or stone benches to sit on, use of trellises and a wide variety of flowers, is what English gardens are all about. You must have seen the famous Cotswolds cottage gardens in Southwest England and how perfect they look with cottage pinks, peonies, phlox, primroses, delphiniums, hollyhocks, lavender, hydrangeas, cosmos and a wide variety of roses.
Japanese Gardens
When we hear the word Japan, a picture of koi ponds, blossoms and Buddhism comes to our mind. And this is what a Japanese landscape includes. It is all connected to Buddhist symbolism, peacefulness and balance. The main aim behind designing a Japanese landscape is mental peace, serenity and purity, so if you plan to have a Japanese garden for your home, consider having koi ponds, rocks and water bodies and a lot of plants, mainly bamboo, everywhere. Flowing water symbolises life and movement, so one can arrange for it, also incorporating water basins, little bridges and fences. Rhododendrons, Camellia, Cherry trees, Hosta, Irises, Lotus, Hydrangeas etc are a few plants which are commonly grown in Japanese gardens.
Spanish Gardens
Spanish gardens are well known for their drought tolerant landscaping design. If you live in areas which are hot and dry, you can consider having a Spanish landscape. Growing drought tolerant plants, using ceramic and terracotta pots and vases, along with water fountains, is what makes such gardens special. Ceramics are not only used for pots but also for little pathways, pools and decorative walls. As for plants, succulents are the best options to use as they are drought tolerant and survive best in such areas, along with Lavender, Bougainvilleas, herbs and Hibiscus etc.
Tropical Gardens
You must have, at least once in your life, wanted to feel the vibes of a tropical island where the lush trees dance to the swinging breeze and the fragrant flowers and fruits are served right before your eyes. Why think too much when you can create such a tropical place for yourself. All you need is a landscape designer and a few things to keep in mind for example, a hammock or a swing, tropical plants like Birds of Paradise, Orchids, Jasmine, Bougainvilleas etc, a swimming pool and a shady seating area. The only point to be aware of is that the area you live in, should support such plants and a Tikki Statue is a must if you really want to give your garden a little Hawaiian vibe as well. What’s next? Nothing! Recline back in your chair, grab a plate of tropical fruits and enjoy the view of your kids splashing water in the pool and the dancing plants all around you.
Rustic Gardens
If you live in the woods surrounded by thick forest cover, rustic gardens or woodland landscape is the thing for you. One cannot think of having a luxurious swimming pool by the cabin in the woods but cosy wooden Adirondack chairs and a fire pit or a swimming pool amongst tall pine and spruce trees where one can enjoy winter and autumn days with family. Secluded and peaceful, distant river flowing and a fire to warm you up, that is where a rustic landscape fits best. You can also have a tree house or birdhouses fixed, to create a warm, restful and a snug ambiance around you. Wood sage, ferns, trees, primroses, foxgloves etc, are some of the many planting choices for you.
Desert Gardens
People living in hot and dry areas too need gardens outside their homes and for this one has to make wise arrangements such as using succulents all around their garden. Now succulents, as mentioned above are drought tolerant plants which survive high temperatures and are very low maintenance. A little splash of water twice or thrice a month, and you’re good to go. While designing a landscape for hot areas, always avoid using dark colours for seating areas and do not design a garden without a garden umbrella or a gazebo shed. Wisely choose the material used for benches and chairs, so that the hot sun outside does not make it difficult for you to enjoy your garden. One can grow succulents all tall and short, pointy or round, green, blue, grey, red or orange all around the garden giving it a desert look, but not bare and parched. Bursera, Aloe Dichotoma, Fire Barrel Cactus, Leptopus, Agave and Flying Saucer, Haworthia, Crassula, Echeveria, are a few of best desert garden plants.
Landscaping in Residential, Commercial and Public Settings
Residential
As mentioned above, residential landscaping includes all the different styles of landscaping which will for sure elevate your exteriors and yes, landscaping can add more value to your home if you plan to sell it out in future. You can always play with different styles of landscaping and see which suits you best.
Commercial
If you plan to have a landscape designed for your firm, office, mall, shop, pub, bar or restaurant, you can think of ways to incorporate plants where they fit best for example, the very entrance, towards the main gate area you can have huge planters with palm trees or fig trees, mainly which are used as commercial plants. Pathways or sidewalks can too be aligned with planters ushering the way to the reception or the main hall. If your space has a terrace too, that can be decorated with plants and outdoor furniture with sun umbrellas for your guests to relax and enjoy. Parking lots and cafeterias in the same space can be upgraded with blooming flowers and foliage.
Public
Parks, open gardens, schools, colleges, hospitals etc, everyone is going for well-designed landscapes for their space as plants attract people and yes, they are air purifiers too. Living in polluted settings most of the time, we all need a break and spare time to walk through nature, spend time among greens and flowers, so landscaping is the best solution to this.
