When it comes to landscape design, there is a lot to consider when creating an outdoor space that looks great. With so much going on in a garden, you want to make sure that every element works as a whole to create a space that suits your needs and is attractive.
Whether you’re creating a family back garden, designing a park or reworking the gardens of a stately home, keeping in mind the principles of landscape design can ensure an attractive and functional space.
1. Unity
Unity is achieved through a combination of principles rather than on its own, but it’s something you should keep in mind every step of the way.
It is a good idea to start with a single central element and work out from there, otherwise, your design can look too scattered. Designing outward from one point can make things easier and create a more natural appearance.
More often than not, it will be the lack of unity that draws your eye and shows that your design isn’t working. In this case, it is a good idea to move things around to see what adds to the look and what doesn’t work
2. Balance
There are two types of balance within landscape design, so you need to decide which you’re going for within your design.
A formal balance creates a sense of stability through the repetition of similar elements. This type of balance generally needs more upkeep, as you need to keep the elements looking the same over time in order to maintain the overall look.
Informal or asymmetrical balance means that you create a balanced picture using features of different sizes, shapes, textures and colours. They don’t need to be identically arranged, which allows for less upkeep and, in some cases, more elements, however, they do need to be equally weighted throughout your design. For example, you might balance the look with a large plant with several smaller ones on the other side of the garden.
As well as creating a balance with objects, you also need to consider the balance of empty space, different textures and colour throughout the design.
3. Texture
Not only is texture about feel, but it also adds to the appearance of your outdoor area. It’s something that is often ignored in garden design but can have a huge impact on the way people experience a space.
Fine textures tend to recede into the background and lengthen space, which can make other features stand out more by forming a consistent background. Coarse textures draw your eye and help to make the most of light and shade.
Using the right textures in the right places can make your garden appear larger.
4. Line
The lines you use throughout your landscape design are a big part of creating the overall aesthetic you’re going for. If you want a modern, formal design, this means straight and bold lines; whereas a more natural design is going to mean curved lines.
On top of this, lines create a transition, such as between one surface and another. This means there is a practical element to consider when it comes to actually creating lines.
Garden edging is one of the best ways to create lines and can be used in both modern and natural garden designs. Our UK steel garden edging is not only available in different sizes and thicknesses to help you create the right look, it comes in a range of materials that each create a different finish.
Easy to install and suitable for bending into different shapes, Legacy Edging is ideal for small garden renovations or larger projects. We also offer an expert installation service to ensure that every line in your garden is perfect.
5. Repetition
Even if you are working on an informal landscape design, some repetition is needed to unconsciously build a sense of familiarity and tie the space together.
While you can be obvious with repetition, such as using the same shapes and creating obvious patterns, you can also be subtle. Even repeating the same colours, plants and materials is effective and will ensure everything is tied together.
6. Colour
Colour is a huge part of your overall landscape design and helps to create the form of your space. It is a good idea to decide on the colour palette you want to work with at the beginning of the design process, taking into account every material that you’ll be using.
Cool colours in a garden recede into the background, so darker shades can help the space feel larger if they are placed further back. Warm colours tend to come toward you as they draw the eye, so they work well as focal points.
You can introduce colours in a variety of different ways besides plants. The garden furniture you use, type of gravel, paving and even soil can all have an effect. You can also add different colours with your garden edging, which is easy to do as we provide edging in different types of steel, each of which creates a different effect. Choose from mild steel, galvanised steel, corten steel or stainless steel to introduce a different colour to your garden design.
7. Contrast
Contrast requires two competing versions of the same element, so warm and cool colours, straight and curved lines, hard or soft textures, for example. Contrast also doesn’t mean that you need to layer these elements directly on top of each other, as it can be more subtle and spread throughout the whole space.
Introducing contrast helps to stop designs from becoming monotonous, with each element blending into the next. The best way to introduce contrast is to borrow an element from another space, such as a type of brick or plant, and use it in a separate area.
It’s also worth considering how changing seasons will affect contrast. Fallen autumn leaves or plants losing their flowers will all affect your landscape design and could introduce more contrast.
8. Proportion
Proportion is all about making sure things feel like the right size within a certain space. If areas of your garden are out of proportion, it can impact the overall balance.
One of the easiest ways to ensure the proportions of your landscape design look right is to follow the rule of thirds. Take the largest measurement for a component and make any others ⅓ or ⅔ of that measurement. While this isn’t foolproof, it is a good place to start when planning dimensions.
As well as ensuring the same components are in proportion, you also need to ensure that everything in the space is proportionate, which may take some time.
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