Landscape design can seem like a confusing subject but it is actually a complex subject, consisting of many different and connected parts. There are a lot of separate basics that have to be considered all at once. However, when you take one piece of information at a time and learn it and can apply it, you can get through all the basics with ease. These basics will be practical and easy to implement.
That is what we are going to do with this “course”. We are going to go over these subjects:
1. How to get started- what you will need to draw a design, how to factor sun/shade, wind and exposure
2. Other things to consider- drainage, grade (or slope), water coming off roof, soil conditions
3. How to properly space trees, shrubs and perennials.
4. How to layout a bed or garden or frame a building and balance. What shape and form are your beds?
5. Color in the landscape -how to consider timing of blooms and their placement.
6. Texture and foliage and how to make use of them in your landscape.
7. What makes a low maintenance garden vs a high maintenance garden?
8. Use of annuals, perennials, grasses and tropicals in the garden.
9. Great plant combinations
10. Plant lists- lists of the most popular plants of every category that you can use in your design
Additionally, we will be giving you the definitions of any gardening terms as we go along because often times people don’t fully understand what a term means and then their overall comprehension of the subject goes out the window.
Now the question is – Why do you want to learn Landscape Design?
Well, here are a few reasons:
1. You love plants and you impulsively buy them and ‘stick and stuff’ them all over your yard and now you have a bit of a mess. This course will help you sort out what you have and what you should move and what you should add. Plants are expensive and the time to plant them properly is also expensive. By knowing what you are doing in the first place, you can avoid making costly errors.
2. With an overall plan of action, you can still leave spaces for ‘impulse buying’. Or if something new is introduced this spring you will know what you can change it out with (same size, sun requirements, etc). You are in control of the design and it looks like it was planned, even if the plan is for a sprawling English garden.
3. You can do your design in the winter when you can’t go out and garden, thus getting you excited to create a future in your yard.
4. Most importantly, this is going to be fun!!