Landscape Design

by Kristyne McDaniel

Landscape design is generally considered to be a subset of the larger field called landscape architecture. Where landscape planning concerns itself with larger scale projects or the broadest overview of huge landscaping projects that take place over long durations of time, landscape design tends to focus more on smaller projects. Landscape design projects are often individual contract jobs that make up portions of a larger landscape plan.

Landscape design is also not quite the same as ‘garden design’. Garden design is landscape design that tends to be for private citizens, whereas landscape design tends to be landscape work done for corporate or public clients. The way that landscape design branches off of landscape architecture is that landscape design tends to be just that: an actual set of design plans for a particular area where landscaping will be done.

There are some wonderful landscape design websites out there where you can learn how to carry out your own landscaping dreams, or at least find out more about which of the tasks you will be able to do yourself. It’s all about the landscape design after all. With a clear landscape design you’ll be ready to dig in yourself or hire some landscaping professionals to make your dream a reality.

The do-it-yourself landscape design website at http://www.the-landscape-design-site.com/ has many useful resources as well as some very well written landscaping project ideas. Whether you want to implement some landscaping rocks, learn how to create a focal point or other similar basic landscaping activity, The Landscape Design Site has a tutorial for many do-it-yourself landscaping situations.

For a more academic approach to broadening your knowledge and understanding of landscaping and landscape design, take a look at the University of Florida’s ‘Basic Principles of Landscape Design’ web page found at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/MG086. This landscape design page goes over the more abstract concepts, such as basic composition and other very art-related aspects of landscaping and landscape design.