Landscaping Greensboro NC increases property values by creating a pleasant environment. It also attracts and retains customers, clients, and employees.
Proper walkways, stairways, ramps and outdoor lighting allow easy movement of people throughout the commercial landscape. This keeps everyone safe, especially in inclement weather.
Color is the most recognizable element of a landscape, and also the most difficult to work with. It can draw attention to a focal point, add excitement, or create a sense of calm. It can make a small garden appear larger, or a large space feel cozy. However, a well-balanced use of color is vital to creating a pleasing landscape. Color is like a spice that can overpower a dish, but when used sparingly, it can add flavor to any landscape design.
Color has the ability to transform the landscape into a work of art by evoking emotions, creating focal points, enhancing space and perspective, establishing harmony, embracing seasonal transitions and promoting relaxation. It is also an important part of the design process as it enhances natural beauty and provides the foundation for a cohesive garden composition.
When it comes to designing with color, the most important factor is understanding how colors interact and the impact they have on each other. Whether they are warm or cool, dark or light, or bright or muted, each color evokes a different emotional response. For example, red is often associated with passion and energy, while blue suggests peace and tranquility.
The first step is identifying the colors that are most attractive to you and your family. It is also helpful to consider the color of your home and any other exterior features, such as a deck or patio. This will help determine what colors complement your property and what colors will best contrast with it.
Next, research the color wheel to learn how to pair colors to achieve the desired effect. This design tool shows the relationships between primary colors (blue, yellow, and red) and secondary colors created by combining the primaries (purple from blue and red, green from yellow and blue, orange from yellow and red). A well-paired combination of colors will produce an appealing effect.
Finally, be sure to take note of the colors that are displayed in other people’s gardens. Many people find inspiration from the landscapes of their neighbors, friends, and even strangers. As you drive around your neighborhood, take note of the colors that attract you and try to identify what it is about those particular combinations that are appealing.
Form
Landscape designers use shape to define the flow between outdoor spaces, create visual weight and add interest. Shape can be found in the rounded, natural shapes of shrubs and trees, or in more formal, geometric hardscape elements like retaining walls and outdoor fireplaces. The shape of a flowerbed, the silhouettes created by landscape lighting or the overall form of a tree are all examples of shape that help to build the foundation for the entire design.
Line, the most basic of design elements, defines the movement of the eye through the landscape. Straight lines are structural and forceful, creating a more formal character that is often associated with a symmetrical balance. Curved lines are more gentle and natural, leading the eye at a slower pace and adding mystery to the garden. Jagged lines can be exciting or distracting, grabbing the attention of the viewer without guiding them to a focal point. It is important to keep in mind the impact of line when shaping beds and paths as well as when choosing hardscape materials like paving stones and fences.
Form is the third element that contributes to the three-dimensional qualities of a landscape. Shape refers to the overall silhouette of an object or plant, while form takes into account its enduring characteristics. The branches and growth patterns of trees, the style a shrub is trimmed to and even the size it grows at can all determine its form. A balanced landscape design carefully considers the impact of form to create an attractive, functional and aesthetically pleasing garden.
When combined with color and texture, form contributes to the unified whole of the landscape. This is especially important when designing gardens around buildings or other structures as the form of these features must be considered to ensure that the landscape will blend seamlessly with its surroundings.
A variety of forms also prevents a landscape from becoming too stark. Rounded, natural shapes soften a hardscape surface or outdoor structure and can balance the straight edges of lawn panels, hedges or paving stones. Using circles and arcs can create an organic feel to hardscape surfaces and accentuate the shape of other curved plants or features.
Texture
Although color is often the most talked about aspect of garden design, it’s important to remember that texture is a critical component as well. A variety of textures in your landscape will add depth and interest to the entire space, whether it’s from plants, the hardscape or even the soil or water.
Plants provide a wide variety of textures in the landscape, from coarse (like rocks and boulders) to fine (like the soft leaves and flowers of perennials and grasses). Foliage is one of the most popular ways to incorporate texture into the garden. Adding new foliage with different colors, shapes and sizes will give your landscape a fresh look. The branching pattern of a plant also impacts its texture. For example, tight, needle-like branching creates a dense appearance, while open branches like those of wisteria and honey locust produce a lighter feel.
The addition of a rock wall, crushed or washed gravel or the surface of a concrete paver walkway provides another great opportunity to add texture to your landscape. The contrasting surfaces create an interesting contrast and add a touch of elegance and formality to the overall design. The addition of a trellis, arbor or gate will further enhance the visual texture and add height to the landscape.
While we think of a garden as a living entity that is constantly changing with the seasons, it’s also important to keep in mind the impact of the landscape during the winter when there are few visible plants. Texture is still a key element in the landscape during this time, from the delicate tracery of branches against the snow to the rustling of dried inflorescenses waving in the wind.
Ultimately, landscape texture is all about balance. Too much of any one type of texture can be overwhelming, but by incorporating a variety of textures throughout the garden, you’ll have an eye-catching and aesthetically pleasing design that is sure to impress your guests.
Rhythm
The design principle of rhythm involves repetition that creates a pattern and a sense of movement. The repetition can be of colors, lines or forms. It can also involve repetition of specific elements throughout a garden or landscape. For example, in a courtyard garden, repeating the same plants on both sides of the entrance to the garden offers continuity and provides a rhythm that draws you into the space. In a large estate garden, the repetition of a color theme in different outdoor rooms gives each area a sense of unity and flow. Rhythm is also created in hardscaping, such as the use of evenly-spaced stone slabs for walkways or the repetition of lines in multi-tiered patios.
The idea of rhythm is similar to the notion of a musical beat. The beat can be quick or slow and can create a calming effect or an exciting one. It can be interrupted with a pause or a crescendo to add interest and contrast. It is important to consider how the rhythm of a garden will change throughout the year and how the landscape may evolve over time.
Rhythm is also about proportion. This can be the relative proportion of plant material to people, the house or other objects in a landscape. It can also be the size of individual plants and trees in relation to each other. Proportion can be achieved through asymmetrical balance where two sides of the landscape are mirror images of each other or through symmetrical balance where the visual weights are equal.
In addition to these principles of harmony and balance, the design principle of transition refers to gradual change. This can be the gradual change in color or form, the insertion of a water feature or other hardscaping element or the changing of a planting over time as flowers bloom and die and leaves fall.
Rhythm is important for gardens and landscapes as it can influence how fast you move through an area, whether physically or visually. You can slow the rhythm down by spacing elements farther apart, you can increase it by adding a curve or an incline to your pathway and you can create a pulsing effect by using the same element over and over again.
