Interest in native landscaping is growing in popularity. This time of year leading up to our spring plant sale, homeowners and businesses contemplate what they would like their landscape to look like. They desire a garden that captures the essence of the prairie, a landscape that creates a sense of place.
Nature gives us such a good model to follow. The diversity and resiliency of native wildflowers and grasses is amazing. We can mimic the prairie and bring it home to our gardens. Follow these seven steps as you develop a plan using native plants.
1. Plants should match your site.
This is the most important element in developing a successful landscape. Take a critical look at the area you want to landscape with native plants. Is it sunny? It is shaded for part of the day? What type of soil do you have? Is there a microclimate? Is it exposed to wind? All these factors will guide you as you select plants for your site. This step requires some research and time as you familiarize yourself with the qualities and environmental needs of native plants.
2. Succession of Bloom
There are no Wave Petunias in the prairie. If you visit a prairie landscape like the Konza Prairie every two to three weeks throughout the year, you will observe plants beginning to bloom, in full bloom or going out of bloom. That is how you need to design your native landscape. Include plants that bloom in every season of the year and then strategically add grasses for movement and texture in the winter months. Again, take time to acquaint yourself with the life cycles of wildflowers and grasses.
3.Forms and Textures
A diversity of plants woven together artistically can create a dramatic effect. Pay attention to the various shapes, textures and colors present in the prairie. Notice how the plants look year-round, not just when they are in bloom. Highlight interesting plant characteristics such as seed heads, forms, and fall color.
4. Interesting Lines
Rock Edging or a clean line along your display bed and lawn can add visual interest. It can also lead you through your garden. Interesting lines lead our eyes and makes youwant to see what is around the corner.
5. Complementary Colors
Plant the colors you like, but make them complement each other. Use a color wheel to mix plants. Example: Purples (Spiderwort) and yellows (Coreopsis) are attractive together because they are opposite on the color wheel while whites (Penstemon) harmonize/blend the landscape together.
6. Intentional Plant Height
Are there areas that need screening? Is there an opportunity to layer plants from shortest to tallest as a foundation planting? Is it an island bed that has taller plants in the center with shorter wildflowers and grasses radiating to the edges? Keep plants in scale by not planting wildflowers that are tallerthan half the bed width. Example: If your bed is six feet wide, only plants that are three feet tall will keep the display in scale. You would not want to plant a compass plant is such a small bed.
7. Perennial and annual weed control
I have made this mistake too often. In a rush to plant, I don’t get problem weeds like bindweed and Bermudagrass under control before planting. I am still fighting this issue to this day in some of these landscape settings. However, when I take the time to properly eradicate these weeds, the overall success of the garden and work to maintain it long-term greatly increase. A little work at the beginning will save you many headaches down the road.
If you have questions about native plants or need help choosing what plants will grow best in your area, visit our spring plant sale or choose from landscape designs on the website. With proper planning and careful consideration, you can create a sustainable garden utilizing native plants adapted to your landscape environment. Transform your landscape using native plants that are sustainable, easy to maintain, and beautiful.
FAQs
- Step 1: Plan a Landscape Project. Like any home project, planning is one of the most important aspects of re-landscaping your yard. ...
- Step 2: Remove the Lawn. ...
- Step 3: Install Hardscape. ...
- Step 4: Build a Healthy Soil. ...
- Step 5: Install an Irrigation System. ...
- Step 6: Purchase & Install Plants. ...
- Step 7: Water Efficiently.
The principles of landscape design include the elements of unity, scale, balance, simplicity, variety, emphasis, and sequence as they apply to line, form, texture, and color. These elements are interconnected. Landscape design is a process of developing practical and pleasing outdoor living space.
What are the 7 principles of landscape design pdf? ›
PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN
Design principles include unity, balance, transition, focalization, proportion, rhythm, repetition and simplicity.
How to landscape step by step? ›
The five steps of the design process include: 1) conducting a site inventory and analysis, 2) determining your needs, 3) creating functional diagrams, 4) developing conceptual design plans, and 5) drawing a final design plan.
What are the 10 principles of landscape design? ›
Principles for landscape architecture include line, form, texture, color, scale, proportion, order, repetition, unity and rhythm. These principles are the foundation of effective landscape design and help designers and architects develop a set of rules to use on projects.
What are the 6 principles of landscape design? ›
A proper layout will incorporate the 6 principles of landscape design: balance, focalization, simplicity, rhythm/line, proportion, and unity.
What is the 7 principle of layout? ›
The fundamental principles of design are: Emphasis, Balance and Alignment, Contrast, Repetition, Proportion, Movement and White Space. Design differs from art in that it has to have a purpose. Visually, this functionality is interpreted by making sure an image has a center of attention, a point of focus.
What are the 7 elements and 8 principles of design? ›
The elements, or principles, of visual design include Contrast, Balance, Emphasis, Movement, White Space, Proportion, Hierarchy, Repetition, Rhythm, Pattern, Unity, and Variety.
What are the seven golden principles of design? ›
There are seven traditional and universal principles of design, which are significant across the industry: emphasis, balance & alignment, contrast, repetition, proportion, movement, and white space.
What is the first rule of landscaping? ›
01: OBEY THE "LAW" OF SIGNIFICANT ENCLOSURE
The law of significant enclosure says that we feel enclosed when the vertical edge of a space is at least one-third the length of the horizontal space we're inhabiting.
There are seven principles of xeriscaping that we discuss below which include the details concerning water conservation, soil improvement, turf usage, use of native plants, mulch, irrigation, and maintenance.
What makes a successful landscape? ›
An effective landscaping scheme is, first and foremost, an attractive and visually appealing one. Because your landscaping is often the first thing customers see from your business, you want to make sure everything looks well together and speaks to your overall tone as a business.
How to layout landscape plants? ›
Place the plants with the distinct form or texture (focal plants) in locations that will lead the eye around the garden. The most common pattern is a triangle shape between three plant beds. Stagger the plants on either side of a pathway in a zigzag pattern to lead the eye forward and draw the viewer into the garden.
What is best to put around house foundation? ›
The best materials to landscape around a foundation will inhibit weed growth, provide a proper water drainage system, and won't attract pests. With years of landscaping experience, we have determined that the four best landscaping materials around the foundation are gravel, rubber mulch, concrete, and brick masonry.
What is the rule of three in landscape design? ›
The main part of the image encompasses about one-third of the photo and centers on where two of the lines intersect. For gardeners, Eric says, the art work you are placing in the garden should encompass about one-third of the scene you are creating and be placed in one of these prime spots.
What are the three major principles of landscape design? ›
Elements and Principles
The principles are the fundamental concepts of composition—proportion, order, repetition, and unity—that serve as guidelines to arrange or organize the features to create an aesthetically pleasing or beautiful landscape.
What are the five most basic elements of landscape design? ›
An aesthetic landscape design incorporates five key elements: line, form, texture, color and scale.
What is order in landscape design? ›
Order. The principle of order considers organization and balance within the landscape design. Spatial organization refers to the three-dimensional arrangement of the landscape, including the lay of the land as well as plants and structures.
