A Lesson in Landscaping - Basic Design Principles

Simplicity as a landscaping principle. Most home landscapers don't realize that simplicity is actually one of the principles of landscaping. Not only is it a principle of design, but also of all forms of art. And while it may seem unimportant to most, it's actually one of the most important guidelines to follow.

Simplicity doesn't just suggest that your landscape design should be bland or totally simplistic. It just means to stick with the other dominant principles related to contrast, form, and repetition.

A usual mistake that most people make is in trying to add an excessive amount of varied objects and elements in their design to begin with. This can bring about confusion and distortion of the final design plan. Keeping your ideas really simple at first will keep things clear and in perspective. You can always add more later.

The clearest illustration is in plant selection and color schemes. Selecting plants is often a huge obstacle for a lot of folks usually because they don't have any idea of the countless varieties of plants to choose from. And even still, so many people will go and purchase several different varieties of badly matched plants to place in their landscaping. And just doing this can cause the whole garden design to be out of balance.

So just how to keep things simple?

While the majority of people don't have much knowledge of landscaping plants, most people are somewhat familiar with a variety or two or can see what stands out in their neighbors yards. And observing what works is where you should start. You can get a lot more impact from a simple selection of a couple of good varieties and then repeating them throughout the garden than you will from an unrelated mix of plantings.

In simpler terms, pick a few different kinds of plants and repeat them throughout the garden. Repetition is also a principle of landscape design.

Here's a pretty cool design "trick" to try:

If you'd like to create some impact in your design, try building a few beds or borders using different shades of the same color. Do this using two, three, or more species of plants and you'll also create some interesting contrast of texture. And the same as other elements, contrast and variables in texture are also principles of design and art.

This basic design principle can be applied to all of the many different areas and elements of your design. It's not just limited to your plants.

Keep your landscape design simple in the beginning stages. It will make it easier to design and you can always add more elements later. Every good landscaping or garden project should express the principle of simplicity.