|
|
| |  | |
| Green & Growing (March 2007) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Exterior decorating - Interior design ideas work outdoors, too
Make-over TV shows have been all the rage - whether it’s people, wardrobes, or rooms. Many design tips shared on interior decorating programs work with landscaping too.
These shows start with a visual impression of a person’s room décor along with a conversation about what is needed in the way of a new image. If you’re working alone on landscape planning, you can do this yourself. Look around your property. Note the things you don’t like. Distressed trees: Most ornamental trees last only 15 to 25 years. Overgrown bushes. Lack of color. Overall blandness. Ask relatives or friends what they notice. You can ask a professional for a consultation.
Sometimes a plan is free if the landscaper does the follow-up planting. Be prepared to answer many questions about your preferences for color and usage. What do you want to do? Entertain? Play with children? Impress?
Soften Symmetry
Experienced interior decorators learn that an obsession with balance can end in a bland design. This is especially true of a landscape plan. Most of us have a tendency to put a large shrub at two corners of the house and some lower growing shrubs in between for a comforting sense of symmetry that is echoed by a tree near one property line and a similar tree near the other. Bor-ing! You want some fundamental symmetry to establish a sense of pattern, but you also want to add an element or two that will disrupt the repetition of the pattern in order to add excitement. The person looking at the landscape feels a bit of tension because the symmetry is just a bit off kilter.
Three-D texture
When adding flower beds and decorative borders, think about using a variety of plants for dimension, with taller ones at the back, shorter ones in the middle, and low-growing varieties in front. Mix up colors and blooming times so there’s always something happening—new blossoms or leaves changing shade. If you decide on establishing several flower beds, use similar plants in each one so they coordinate. If you plant bulbs, plant a huge number of them for a dramatic display. Texture also enhances dimension. Use gravel or flat stones for walkways, shredded tree bark or pine straw for bedding cover or for circles around trees, and rougher shrubs near smooth-leaved varieties to reflect light in different ways.
Fix focus
Any designer will tell you: The viewer’s eye doesn’t know where to start unless you provide a focal point. For a landscape design, that can be a tree or a cluster of trees, a flower bed, a fountain, or a statue. For the front yard, you might want to draw a visitor’s attention to the entry door. For a backyard design, you might want to draw attention to the rear of the property for a sense of depth. As you watch old rooms become show rooms, think about how the same tips can apply to your landscaping in order to give your property dramatic flair.
|
|
|
|
