thisplace.com.au - Landscaping Step 1: Styles and Function

There are several steps you should follow to design and plan your garden. The first and most important step is deciding on what function the garden is supposed to have and then deciding on the landscaping style. The choice you make here will obviously influence all remaining steps in your landscaping project.

The most important thing when considering any kind of landscaping work to your home is to consider your lifestyle. Basically there are a few things to remember to ask yourself when you try to decide what to do.

The most important consideration must be your time, your ability and your interest.

Who uses the garden?
What is it used for?
Will you be able to spend the time you need to keep the garden looking good?

The function of your landscape could be to create new areas for play and leisure, increase privacy, block the sun, wind or street noise, or to improve the view of your house. If you have large windows or french doors, think about how you can improve the views from the inside. You may also want to improve views from a veranda, pergola, patio or a deck. Or you can create an outdoor seating area if you don't already have one.

When answering these questions try to be honest with yourself. If you have not got the time to be a regular gardener you should choose a garden design that has a low maintenance theme. This does not have to mean that your yard has to be full of concrete - it means you just have to plan your garden to adapt to your needs.

Take a look at the style of architecture that you have or what you are trying to achieve and keep a similar style. Consider the aesthetics of your house -

What colour themes could you follow?
Watch the light, which way do you face?
Are there any buildings, trees, taking away your sun?
What is your soil like?
What is growing well now?

Below we describe a variety of different styles, to show you the possibilities. By all means these are the only possible styles and really you are only limited by your imagination.

Formal Style:: This garden shows the formal style of straight lines and perfect geometrical shapes. Here the planting seem orderly, not random, and they're closely managed and pruned to maintain the formal effect.
Informal Style:: The house here has kind of a cosy look to it, and it's enhanced that with an informal style of design. That's where the beds have curving edges rather than straight lines and where the plants seem to be placed almost at random.
Formal/Informal Style:: In this garden, the more formal brick walkway leads to a circle of plants in the rear. But the flowers and shrubs are laid out in an English garden style with mass planting of perennials and annuals and no formal borders.
English Style:: Here is a garden planted in the English garden style. It was designed to harmonise with the architecture of the home, and it features mass planting of shrubs and perennials.
Oriental Style:: This garden was just planted in the small backyard of a family's townhouse, and it shows an oriental style in its use of rocks, evergreens and water. A lot of different plants were used to create several perspectives.
Woodland Style:: This garden is done in a style to blend in with the wooded backyard and the sloping terrain. Even though the waterfall looks natural, it's actually man-made and it operates with re-circulated water.
Mediterranean Style:: In this garden, natural earth colours take the focus. Often large courtyards and low maintenance designs using pots and small shrubs and bushes. This style of garden may be a little more expensive than others to start however it will not be as expensive to maintain.