Oceanic Landscaping is the art of modifying outdoor spaces to make them more attractive and functional. It can increase property values, reduce soil erosion and create habitats for wildlife.
A successful landscape combines both hardscape and softscape elements. For example, a lawn is a hardscape element that provides functionality while flowers and shrubs are softer elements that add beauty to your garden.
Savvy use of color can have a tremendous impact on your landscape design, adding curb appeal and value. Whether creating a focal point or unifying an entire garden, color is one of the most powerful tricks up a landscaper’s sleeve. When choosing a color scheme, your landscape designer will take into consideration several principles.
First, they will consider how the colors interact with each other. Colors found on opposite sides of the color wheel are complementary and pair well together, each enhancing the intensity of the other. For example, you could choose to use yellow and orange in your landscape or blue and purple. In addition to complimentary colors, your landscape designer will also consider analogous colors, those that are next to each other on the color wheel. For example, a color palette of greens and reds would be a good choice because they are analogous.
Color is also important for the emotions it evokes in people. Strong, bright colors such as reds and yellows are attention-grabbing and can create an energetic feel, while soft pastel shades and whites may make people feel calmer.
Another key consideration is how the colors of your landscape are affected by the surrounding environment. For example, you might want to avoid using too many vibrant flowers in a small space, as the overwhelming amount of color can overpower the space and look chaotic. Instead, you might opt for a more subtle palette with tints and shades of the same color to create an elegant, calming space. Finally, your landscape designer will also consider the overall look you are trying to achieve. For instance, do you want your landscape to look modern and clean or organic and natural?
Form
Form is the shape and structure of plants and hardscape features in the landscape. Plants come in a variety of forms from upright to spreading, round or spiky. Hardscape forms can be straight, curved, horizontal or diagonal. Form creates the framework of the landscape and helps lay the foundation for the design.
Varying the texture of your plants and materials adds depth and visual excitement to your garden. Imagine running your hand over the soft fronds of an ornamental grass or feeling the rough bark of a tree. It is these tactile experiences that help us understand the importance of form and texture in landscape design.
Adding contrast to your landscape by using plants of varying shapes and sizes provides movement and interest throughout the year. For example, use tall, upright plants with medium texture in the back of your garden, with low, rounded shrubs and ground cover in the middle and a spiky or sculptural plant like a blue agave in the front.
Line is another important element that provides structure and defines spaces in your garden. Straight lines work well in a formal landscape while curved lines lend themselves to a natural, informal design. Lines can also be created with hardscape materials (paved paths or retaining walls) as well as vegetation.
Texture
Although color may be the most common landscape design element, don’t underestimate the power of texture. It adds visual interest and contrast to your garden by highlighting the roughness or smoothness of the individual outlines of plant foliage, hardscape elements, and other design elements. A good rule of thumb is to have a mix of coarse, medium, and fine textures to make the space more interesting. Having a variety of textures helps to prevent monotony and provides depth to your garden.
Texture can also be used to subtly manipulate the perceived size of a planting bed. For example, planting fine-textured plants along the perimeter and putting more bold textures toward the front can make a garden feel larger because the softer textures recede into the distance while the coarser textures draw and hold your attention.
Our perception of texture is also dependent on our viewing angle. Up close, a needle-leaf tree may look fine, but from a distance all those individual leaves combine to form a coarse texture. In addition, the way a plant’s branches are arranged can affect its overall texture, with tightly branched plants (like Japanese yew or Japanese barberry) looking dense and heavy while open-branched plants (like honey locust or royal fern) appear lighter.
The combination of different textures creates a sense of movement and depth in the garden that draws the eye and evokes emotion. Texture also pairs well with other design elements to create a unique and inviting outdoor environment. For example, contrasting Silver Lace dusty miller with coarse-leaved red salvia adds texture and complements the colors of these drought-tolerant species. Additionally, the lines created by curved walkways and rounded plants provide a soft, welcoming feel, while straight lines convey a formal aesthetic.
Lines
Lines in landscape design are one of the most fundamental components that shape the layout and movement of a garden. They define plantings and hardscape elements, frame views, and can direct or divert attention. Understanding the nuances among different types of lines is critical for developing an integrated, cohesive design composition.
Vertical lines evoke an expansive quality within outdoor spaces by amplifying the apparent height of a setting. They can be achieved through soaring trees, climbing trellises, and upright greenery, all of which play an essential role in establishing visual balance and harmony.
Horizontal lines move the eye along the ground plane, making a space feel larger and often creating a sense of enclosure. They can also be used to spatially divide a garden or tie disparate elements together. These low lines are typically created by walkways, fences, plant edging, or the line between turf and groundcover.
Curved lines enhance the inherent beauty of a garden by infusing it with a more enticing allure. They can be accentuated by using parallel plantings and repeating patterns, or they can simply be incorporated through the layout of garden beds. By varying the lengths of curved lines, gardeners can create a kinetic energy that stimulates exploration.
Straight lines contribute a sense of formality to a garden by fostering symmetry and structure. They are a necessary element in many designs to ensure an orderly progression of sight throughout the space, but they can be infused with a more relaxed character through sweeping curves, meandering paths, and rounded edgings.
Unity
Unity refers to the way different elements in a landscape design work together to create a cohesive composition. It is important that all of the different parts – plants, colors, textures, and shapes – complement each other rather than clashing. Unity can be achieved through repetition and continuity, but also by incorporating contrast and harmony.
Repetition involves using similar features in the same place throughout your landscape composition. Whether it’s the use of same plant textures and colors, or the repetition of certain hardscape elements (like pathways) throughout your landscape, the right amount of repetition can add rhythm and accents while helping to tie the entire landscape together. However, too much repetition can result in monotony so it is important to incorporate contrasting elements as well to keep your landscape interesting.
The contrast in your landscape can be achieved through the use of differing colors, plant sizes and shapes, and even leaf structures. Having these differences between elements is what makes a landscape interesting and allows the viewer to engage with your design. However, the use of contrast can easily turn into chaos if not balanced properly with other landscape principles such as transition and harmony.
Transition is the way that your landscape moves from one area to another. This can be accomplished through the use of varying heights, the gradation of your slope, and even the movement of water features and other outdoor furnishings. It is the transition that connects your outdoor space to the rest of the property and helps it feel like a whole, complete, and connected landscape.