Theory & Principles of Planning Part

The ART AND SCIENCE OF SITE

PLANNING and LANDSCAPE
ARCHITECTURE

DEFINITION
SITE PLANNING
The art and science of arranging the uses of portions of land is site planning. Site
planners designate these uses in detail by selecting and analyzing sites, forming land use
plans, organizing vehicular and pedestrian circulation, developing visual forms and
material concepts, readjusting existing landforms by design grading, providing proper
drainage, and finally developing the construction details necessary to carry out the
project.

SITE DESIGN
Entails the whole range of concerns relating to the development, or
redevelopment, of a piece of ground for some planned purposes. Common purpose is the
construction of a building on the ground of a site; thus, building/site relations and
interactions to direct physical connections and sharing of the site space are experienced
or perceived.

1. Site Development. Concerns items on and below the ground surface of a site, the
buildings and its various building utilities and services.

2. Concerns for Site Development:

Division Site Development
The Micro-Site: Internal Concerns
The Macro-Site: Extended Environment
 Building/ Site Relation
3. Fundamental concerns:
Routes of access to building entry point
Placement and orientation of building on site
Building base and foundation development
Underground connection to services/utilities.
Basic Functional relations

General Character of the site

Neighborhood environment
Function of the site unto itself.

SITE CONDITIONS
1. Existing Site Conditions
2. Design Problem consideration
3. Physical Site conditions
4. Site Survey. Maps on boundaries, access road location and transportation
networks, utilities easement, and major site features.
5. Helpful Maps. Geologic Map, Zoning Map, Aerial Surveys, General Map
6. Site Development Plans
7. Site Plans
8. Grading Plans
9. Construction Plans
10. Helpful Data Sources: Surface Drainage, Existing Streets, Existing Utilities,
Adjacent Properties
11. General Information on:
Ownership Legality/Access availability and usage
Zoning Ordinance
Weather and General Climatic Records
Regional Demographic Studies
General Community or Regional Development Plans
Legal Constraints
Ownership
Usage Restrictions
Building Codes/Local and National Building laws & Ordinances
THE ASPECTS OF SITE PLANNING
1. DEFINING THE SITE DESIGN PROBLEM. The problem considered is how
to get a building on the site and which site situations may present constraints or
difficulty.
2. TRAFFIC. Management of considerable traffic for both the pedestrian and
vehicles. People and cars must be moved on and off the site and around the site for
various purposes: entry, access roads, pedestrian routes, and vehicular system
routes.
3. PARKING. A requirement for all building sites. It may be a surface parking on a
paved area or a structure parking within the building or in a separate building on
site.
4. THE VISIBLE SITE. Site Planning generally deals with the visible portion of the
site as to what is seen walked on and participated or used by the users of the site
and the buildings on it. It shall be considered from these views:
a. All possible points: on the site, off the site, inside and outside the building,
from the neighboring buildings, etc.
b. At night, during daylight, with site lighting turned on or off.
c. At different times of the year, different seasons affect landscape and
environment of the site.
d. By persons on vehicles passing through or just walking by.

BUILDING/SITE RELATIONS
Siting the building establishes the specific geometric, spatial relationship between a
building and its site. Consisting of :

HORIZONTAL POSITIONING.
Establishes the plan location of the building on the site considering the following factors:
Setbacks
Protection of easements
Site space for driveways, walks, underground utilities
Protection of views or privacy
Construction allowances
Topography
 The shape of the building (building ground level perimeter profile) is usually
strongly related to the site form, especially for tight sites where the building
covers a major portion of the site surface. The building shape is both restricted
by the site form and strongly limits the potential for developing other site areas.

VERTICAL POSITIONING
1. Relation to any existing buildings or other features
2. Relation to existing site features: grades, ground water levels, soil conditions.
3. Relation to existing underground utilities.
4. Vertical locations of both the edges and buildings will also establish some
conditions for other site elements-most notably sidewalks, driveways, terraces,
breezeways or other elements involving traffic of people or vehicles.

Site drainage, as it affects both the site and the building, will be strongly defined.
It is best to direct surface drainage away from the building edges, especially when there
are basement spaces. Controlled drainage on a tight site or one with problem site edges
may present a different situation, and building edges may actually be used as a site
drainage collection points that feed into a sewer system.

ACCESS.
The access path typically begins with the concern for access on to the site, which
is usually constrained by adjacent properties or streets for 2 forms of traffic pedestrian
and vehicular. Access also considers the provision of accessibility for persons with
limited abilities

SERVICES.
Consist of:
1. Water supply 8. Trash collection
2. Sewers 9. Firefighting
3. Electrical power 10. Building/Site Spatial Continuity
4. Gas 11. External viewed building as an
5. Telephone lines object on the site
6. Cable TV 12. Seen from the inside the building
7. General deliver-mail and courier 13. Entry and exit passage
services
SPECIAL CONCERNS FOR SITES
1. LIGHTING. Electrically Powered Outdoor Lighting May Serve Various Purposes.
Sometimes Several Different Purposes Can Be Fulfilled With the Use of a Single
Fixture. It Is Important to Understand the Different Kinds of Illumination Needs in
Order to Accurately Judge the Value and Appropriateness of the Many Different
Lighting Systems.

2. HEIGHT OF FIXTURES. Light Intensity Decreases Rapidly As Distance From

the Source Increases; Thus, the Higher the Fixture, the Less Illumination Will
Deliver at Ground Level. However, the Higher the Source, the Wider the Areas It
Will Affect.

3. SPACING OF FIXTURES. Widely Spaced Fixtures Will Result in Local Bright

Spots With a Falloff of Illumination Between Them; Closely Spaced Fixtures Can
Produce a Relatively Uniform Illumination.
a. Form of Fixtures and Type of Lighting Elements
b. Illumination of the Building Exterior
c. Illumination of Traffic Paths
d. Security Lighting
e. Accent Illumination and Decorative Lighting

4. ACOUSTICS. Controlling sound on site is somewhat limited, compared to

situations inside the building. Although not much can be done to modify or control
this situation, site development offers some possible solutions for sound control as:
a. Consider the location of sound generating facilities on site (mechanical rooms)
b. Utilize ground forms (hills, etc)
c. High site walls
d. Tall dense plantings

5. COMMUNICATION AND SIGNAGE. Communication functions are an aspect of

site development. All entrances and exits should have signage for proper
communications. It is a good design exercise to walk through a proposed site to see
how much communication is achieved without recourse to signs. If this form of
communication is optimal, the signs will work all the better, and will not fight with
the visual signals on the site.

6. SECURITY. A lot is enclosed through various means of enclosure to present a

sense and actually secure the activities and the users. Nowadays, with the growing
threat of terrorism and insurgency globally, security had been a major system in site
development. Electronic gadgets, equipments are being developed to fill the gap in
the market demand in this area. More and more users require a security system not
just for their homes but in all the places, they are using.
LAND ANALYSIS
TOPOGRAPHY
Topography describes the surface features of land. A topographic map shows the
slope and contour of the land as well as other natural and artificial features. It is
developed from a topographic survey by a land surveyor and includes:
Property boundaries
Existing buildings
Utility poles
Roads
Manufactured features
Trees natural features: rock outcroppings & heavy vegetation

Contour lines on a map are a graphic way to show the elevations of the land in a
plan view and are used to determine the suitability of the land for various uses.
Contour intervals are the vertical distance between contour lines.

SLOPE ANALYSIS CATEGORIES:

Slope 0%-4% Usable for all types of intense activities and are easy to
build on.
Slope 4%-10% Suitable for informal movement and outdoor activity and can
also be but without much difficulty.
Slopes over 10%-25% Difficult to climb or use for outdoor activity and more
difficult and expensive to build on.
Slopes over 25% Depending on the conditions of the soil, are subject to
erosion and become more expensive to build on.

Respecting the natural contours and slope of the land is important from an
ecological, aesthetic and ecological standpoint. Ideally, the amount of earth cut away in
grading operations should equal the amount required to fill in other portions of the site.
NATURAL FEATURES
1. View analysis may be required to determine the most desirable ways to orient
buildings, outdoor areas, and approaches to the buildings. Undesirable views can
be minimized or blocked with landscaping or other manufactured features.
2. Significant natural features such as rock outcroppings, cliffs, caves, and bogs
should be identified to determine whether they must be avoided or can be used as
positive design features in the site design.
3. Subsurface conditions of groundwater and rock must be known also. Sites with
high water tables (about 1.80-2.40 meters below grade) can cause problems with
excavations, foundations, utility placement, and landscaping. The water table is
the level underground in which the soil is saturated with water. Generally, the
water follows the slope of the grade above, but it may vary slightly. Boring logs
will reveal whether groundwater is present and how deep it is.
4. Sites with a preponderance of rocks near the surface can be very expensive and
difficult to develop. Blasting is usually required, which can increase the site
development costs significantly (or may not be allowed by the city code
restrictions)

DRAINAGE
Every site has some type of natural drainage pattern that must be taken into
account during design. In some cases the drainage may be relatively minor, consisting
only of the runoff from the site itself and a small amount from adjacent sites. This type of
drainage can be easily diverted around roads, parking lots, and buildings with curbs,
culverts, and minor changes in the contours of the land. In other cases major drainage
paths such as gullies, dry gulches, or rivers may traverse the site. These will have a
significant influence on potential site development because they must, in most cases, be
maintained. Buildings need to be built away from them or must bridge them so that water
flow is not restricted and potential damages are avoided. If modifications to the contours
are required, the changes must be done in such a way that the contours of the adjacent
properties are not disturbed.

The development of the site may be so extensive that excessive runoff is created
due to roof areas, roads, and parking lots. All of these increase the runoff coefficient, the
fraction of total precipitation that is not absorbed into the ground. If the runoff is greater
than the capacity of the natural or artificial drainage of the site, holding pools must be
constructed to temporarily collect the site runoff and release it at a controlled rate.
SOIL
Soil is the pulverized upper layer of the earth, formed by the erosion of rocks and
plant remains modified living plants and organisms. Generally, the visible layer is top
soil, a mixture or mineral and organic material. The thickness of top soil may range from
just a few inches to a foot or more. Below this is a layer mostly mineral material, which is
above a layer of the fractured and weathered parent material of the soil above. Below all
these layers is solid bedrock. Soil is classified according to grain size and as either
organic or inorganic.

GRAIN SIZE CLASSIFICATION and

CHARACTERISTICS
Gravel particles over 2 millimeters in diameter.
Sands particles from 0.05 to 2 millimeters in diameter, the finest grains visible to
the eye.
Gravels and sands are excellent for construction loads and drainage and for
sewage drain fields, but they are unsuitable for landscaping.
Silt particles from 0.002 to 0.05 millimeters in diameters, the grains are invisible
but can be felt as smooth
Silt is stable when dry or damp but unstable when wet. It swells and heaves when
frozen and compresses under load. Generally building foundations and road bases
must extend below it or must be elastic enough to avoid damage. Some non-plastic
silts are usable for lighter loads.
Clay particles under 0.002 millimeters in diameter, smooth and floury when dry,
plastic and sticky when wet.
Clay expands when wet AND IS SUBJECT TO SLIPPAGE. It is poor for
foundations and unless it can be kept dry, It is also poor for landscaping and
unsuitable for sewage drain fields or other types of drainage.
Peat and other organic materials are excellent for landscaping but unsuitable for
building foundations or road bases. Usually, these soils must be removed from the
site and replaced with sands and gravels for foundations and roads.
TRANSPORTATION and UTILITY
INFLUENCES
1. ROADS provide a primary means of access to a site. Their availability and
capacity may be prime determinants in whether and how a parcel of land can be
developed. Basic Categories of Roads:
a. Local Streets have the lowest capacity and provide direct access to building
sites. They may be in the form of continuous grid or curvilinear systems or
may be cul-de-sacs or loops.
b. Collector Streets connect local streets and arterial streets. They have a
higher capacity than local streets but are not usually intended for through
traffic. Intersections of collector and local roads may be controlled by stop
signs, whereas intersections with arterial streets will be controlled with stop
lights.
c. Arterial Streets are intended as major, continuous circulation routes that
carry large amounts of traffic on two or three lanes. They usually connect
expressways. Parking on the street is typically not allowed and direct access
from arterial streets to building sites should be avoided.
d. Expressways are limited access roads designed to move large volumes of
traffic between, through and around population centers. Intersections are
made by various type of ramp systems, and pedestrian access is not allowed.
Expressways have a major influence on the land due to the space they require
and their noise and visual impact.

2. PUBLIC TRANSIT
The availability and location of public transit lines can influence site
design. A site analysis should include a determination of the types of public access
available (whether bus, subway, rail line or taxi stop) and the location relative to
the site. Building entrances and major site features should be located conveniently
to the public transit. In large cities, site development may have to include
provisions for public access to subway and rail lines.

3. SERVICE ACCESSSERVICE to a site includes provisions for truck loading,

moving vans, and daily delivery services. Ideally service access should be
separated from automobile and pedestrian access to a site and a building. Space for
large-truck turning.

4. UTILITY AVAILABILITY

5. LOCAL GOVERNMENT SERVICES

THEORY OF LANDSCAPE DESIGN

I. INTRODUCTION
Landscape design is a complex process that combines the practical with the artful
in a unified, functional composition.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE LANDSCAPE

ARCHITECT AND LANDSCAPE DESIGNER
1. LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT
an architect of the landscape, bringing together the natural balance between the
needs of people and ecology
they consider the wise land use and aesthetics in their work
they have the ability to create designs for everything from small intimate gardens
to new cities and parks of varying sizes
they understand the interrelationships of people and their surroundings and
enables them to solve the problems of land planning

2. LANDSCAPE DESIGNER
employed by landscape nurseries to design the work that the firm builds
familiar with the basic design principles, plant cultural requirements and
landscape construction methods
projects are usually residential or small commercial jobs and consist primarily of
planting design
they have a flair for design who has an ornamental horticultural background

FIELDS OF SPECIALIZATION IN LANDSCAPE

ARCHITECTURE
1. Community and Multifamily Housing Development
New Towns, Planned Housing Communities, Condominium, Apartment
Complexes, Site Selection, Environmental Assessment, Rezoning, Code
Compliance, Site Planning
2. Parks and Outdoor Recreation Facilities
Mountain and Seaside Resorts, Golf Courses, Theme Parks, Tennis Centers, Water
Parks, Family Fun Centers, Outdoor Amphitheaters, Ski Areas
3. Commercial and Industrial Development
Shopping Centers, Malls, Office Complex, Mixed-use commercial projects,
Rooftop Plazas, Urban Plazas, Public Transportation Facilities, Airport environs,
Industrial Parks, Corporate Headquarters, Other Corporate Facilities
4. Planning and Analysis Projects
Scientific, Research and Feasibility Component, Establish criteria, provide vision
and set goals for future design and development, Land Planning for residential
communities, large-scale urban mixed-use development and campus planning,
Setting criteria and goals for the wise and sustainable use of natural and cultural
resources
5. Institutional Projects
Foundations, Associations, Church Organizations, Private Social Agencies, Youth
Organizations, Museums, Zoos, Private Universities
6. Single-family Residential and Garden Design Projects

7. Land and Water Reclamation and Conservation Projects

Reclamation of Disturbed Landscape, Conservation of Open Spaces, Marsh and
riparian , landscapes, Beachfronts and dunes, Mines and Landfill Operations,
Logging and Agricultural landscape, Manage the Team of ecologists, botanists,
wildlife biologists, fisheries experts, archeologists, others with expertise in natural
and cultural resources work
8. Interior Landscape Architecture
Deal with climate controlled spaces, natural or artificial light conditions for plants
and maintenance issues, Atriums, Lobbies, Shopping malls, Airports,
Conservatories, Indoor Walkways
9. Historic Preservation and Restoration Projects
Residential Gardens, Parks, Scenic Routes, Explorers Routes, Settlers Routes,
Parkways, Arboretums, Zoos, Cemeteries, Residential Areas, Towns, Villages,
Industrial Sites, College, Campuses, Waterfronts, Other Culturally Shaped
Landscape, Historic Inventories and surveys, preservation, rehabilitation,
restoration and reconstruction
10.Landscape Art and Earth Sculpture
II. DESIGN ANALYSIS
It consists of both a site analysis and an analysis of peoples needs.
It identifies problems to be solved during the landscape designing process
Identifying all landscaping problems is the first step toward their solution

1. SITE ANALYSIS
Includes measurement of lot dimensions, location of the building on the lot,
easements setbacks, other legal requirements, measurement and recording of
building features and utilities, direction of prevailing wind, site terrain, locate
and assess the value of natural features, note all good off property views as well
as bad property features, note to screen noise and other nuisances, existing
macroclimate and microclimate conditions, check soil depth, rock content for
analysis, etc.

2. ANALYSIS OF PEOPLES NEEDS FOR RESIDENTIAL

Peoples needs can be varied as the people themselves. Good designer should
stimulate their thoughts
A comprehensive analysis of peoples needs includes, whenever possible, their
plans for the future as well as the present:
Ages, sex, hobbies, personal plant preferences, time spent in the
maintenance, whether permanent or interim, driveways, car requirements, patios
or decks needed, suitability of walks and paths, swimming pool or other water
features, activity areas, service area requirements, childrens play area, storage
needs, any other special accessories desired in the landscape, etc.

III. AREAS AND CIRCULATION

1. DEFINING AREAS IN THE LANDSCAPE
Circulation between areas should be of prime importance when locations for
those areas are determined
Proportions should be a factor at all times as general areas are designated.
Areas should be more wide than deep for the best appearance
 2. CIRCULATION
Circulation elements should be provided in the landscape for both motor and
pedestrian traffic
Distinguish primary walks (for more than one person) and secondary walks
(for one person, only if necessary)
Driveways should be designed for easy use, regardless of car size, but
generally should be inconspicuous as possible

3. DECKS AND PATIOS

Should be designed for the normal, daily amount of traffic, with overload
capability built into surroundings areas
Choices between decks and patios, the size of these elements, and their
importance evolve from the design-analysis information

IV. LAND FORMS

Nature has blessed us with a terrain that sheds excess water and adds much interest
to the landscape of the country. It is the designers duty to work within the boundaries of
nature when altering the land forms in any way.

1. STUDYING LAND FORMS

a. DRAINAGE
The Rules of Drainage is simple. Water runs downhill, and the steeper
the hill, the faster the pace of the drainage. In a depressed area, water will
stand, causing natural swamps and lakes. River and streams occur at the lowest
points of surrounding terrain, where decreasing relative heights, in
coordination with the earths gravitational pull, cause surface to flow.
When people design drainage patterns, they create hills and valleys that
will function in harmony with surrounding natural patterns. By using the
minimum slope to drain a steep site, spreading the drainage over a wide base,
and protecting the surfaces of the drainage areas as well, the designer
minimizes the erosion effects of drainage.

b. SURVEYING
The determination of the relative levels of a land mass for the purpose of
making a topographical map is accomplished by taking a survey.
 c. MAPPING SURVEY RESULTS
A topographical map results from interpolating all whole-numbered
contour lines located within the grid system of a survey, then connecting lines
between all contour points of equal number. Contour interpolationis a
mathematical process for locating a whole-numbered contoured line that falls
between two sightings on a grid-systemsurvey

2. ALTERATION OF LAND FORMS

Grading is a process by which the land forms are molded to the physical
configuration necessary for a given set of circumstances.
Cut and Fills.
Cut is the removal of a prescribed depth of soil within the space between an
existing and proposed contour lines.
Fill is the addition of a prescribed amount of soil over the existing contour in
the space between existing and proposed contours.

The manipulation of contours for landscape purposes is always dependent on the

rules of topography, for example, water follows the steepest route, flowing at right angles
to contour lines; and so forth.

ALTERATION OF LAND FORMS RESULTS IN DESIGNING

THE FOLLOWING
TERRACES provides a more level space or series of spaces. It can be built with
or without retaining walls. If used with retaining walls, it allows the maximum
useful space because of the vertical structure of the walls
RETAINING WALLS used to retain the soil, thus allowing the maximum
usable space between changes in level, while at the same time controlling the
surface-water drainage
o solid walls, dry rock walls, dry block retaining walls, railroad-tie or landscape-
timber walls, post walls, wooden retaining walls, bio-engineering
o Criteria in Choosing the Type of Retaining Wall
a. Height and strength requirements
b. Surface drainage behind the walls
c. Materials used in other features on the property
d. Shape of the retaining wall
e. Availability of materials
f. Cost
 BERMS OR MOUNDS provides screening, wind protection, and a higher
platform from which to start young trees and shrubs must look natural, not
contrived, and must be in keeping with terrain features found around the property
SUBSURFACE DRAINAGE used when surface drainage system cannot solve a
problem. It is used with area drains and catch basins to collect and filter the water
entering the drainage system

V. WALLS AND CEILING

The walls, ceiling and floor are the dimensions of the outdoor room. A ceiling
(the sky) and the floor (the ground) are always present, though they might require
modification. The walls are created as part of the landscape design. The structure of any
one of the three may affect the appearance and/or function of the other two.

1. WALLS the most satisfactory landscape walls often combine both structural
and planting materials
Screening requires walls of certain sizes and densities
undesirable views
the view into the landscape from the outside area
dust and other pollutants
noise
Framing good off-property views
Protecting and insulating from the wind
Filtering breezes into the property
Providing enclosure either absolute (impenetrable) or implied

2. CEILING may be provided by structural roofs, awning, arbors, or the like, or

by shade and ornamental trees
Shade from the hot summer sun it will depend on accurate recognition of the
time of day when the shade is necessary, the path of the sun over the property,
and the angle at which the sun penetrates the area during the time that the
shade is needed. Recognition of the density of the shade desired is necessary
Protection from the elements (rain, snow, etc.)
Screening from the dust and other pollutants
PRINCIPLES OF PLANTING DESIGN
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF PLANTS
1. FORM
Plant forms tend to reflect the natural terrain of the areas to which they are
native. Good design calls for the use of these predominant forms to blend with
the natural surroundings
Typical tree forms are oval, columnar, round, pyramidal, weeping, conical,
irregular, vase, fustigate
Typical shrub forms are horizontal-spreading, weeping, round, leggy, upright
vase, arching-spreading, mounded, erect, prostrate, trailing, mat-like,
horizontal-creeping, narrow pyramidal, conical

2. TEXTURE
ranges from fine through coarse. It is created by the stems, leaves, bark and
buds and can be seen and felt

3. COLOR
it results from light penetration, absorption and reflection. The more light rays
are reflected, the brighter the color; the more absorbed, the darker the color will
be.
Hues are the result of light rays of variable lengths being reflected in mixtures

UNITY IN DESIGN
The principle of composition must apply from typical viewing points as well as
when moving through the landscape.

1. SIMPLICITYbreeds elegance. Simple lines forms and functional designs are

always more interesting than complex and hard-to-digest-designs
2. VARIETYused to control repetition and spark the viewers interest, to prevent
monotony
3. EMPHASISor a focal point. It may be created by means of an accent plant
serving as an accent plant, a hard element or a landscape embellishment
4. BALANCEeither symmetrical or asymmetrical. It must exist not only from side
to side, butr also from foreground to background of the view
 5. SEQUENCEcan be created by a progression of form, texture or color. It is the
rhythm of the landscape, causing the eye to progress to a point of emphasis then
move away gradually to the rest on another point of emphasis
6. SCALEby controlling the proportionate scale of landscaping features, the
designer evokes emotion. It is usually desirable to make people comfortable and
relaxed, that is why landscaping is done on a normal scale to which people relate
easily

PLANTINGS & ARCHITECTURE

Buildings are not natural elements, so landscaping help is required to tie the
buildings to the land.

1. ELEVATIONS OF ARCHITECTURE
In elevational view, the designer can determine the dominant lines in the
architecture as well as its structural mass
2. BALANCING STRUCTURAL AND PLANT MASSES
Reversing structural masses in planting units helps to balance and
strengthen the building-landscape relationship
3. ENFRAMEMENT TREES
help tuck the building into the landscape. They must be placed with all
viewing angles in mind. The enframement trees must be proportionate to the size
of the building
4. COLORS AND ARCHITECTURE
complementary colors in subtle combinations are usually better than stark
contrasts that command too much attention
5. VISUAL INTEREST: ARCHITECTURE OR PLANTINGS
A correlation exists between the amount of visual interest in the building
architecture and the amount required of the landscaping. The more visual weight
contained in architecture, the less visual weight is required of the landscaping, and
vice versa
6. FOCAL POINTS
may be created at an entryway by a sequence of color or texture or both.
Embellishments may be used for accent, or ground pattern lines may direct
attention appropriately
MATCHING PLANT MATERIALS TO
DESIGN CRITERIA
1. SPECIFICATIONS FOR PLANT SELECTION
Plant selection should always be based on specifications built during the
design process and without consideration of personal prejudices
a. Climatic Adaptability and Hardiness
b. Soil Requirements
c. Sun or Shade Requirements
d. Size and Form
e. Texture
f. Color of Foliage
g. Growth and Development Rate
h. Insect and Disease Susceptibility
i. Flower and Fruit Production
j. Commercial Availability and Price
k. Special Use Considerations
l. Nomenclature

2. PLANT SIZES AT PURCHASE

3. PLANT CONDITIONS AT PURCHASE

GROUND COVERS
1. GROUND PATTERNS
a. Straight-line Patterns
b. Curved-lines patterns
c. Arc-and-tangent lines

2. FLOORING
a. Lawn Grasses
b. Living Groundcovers
Advantages Disadvantages
* Natural color and form * Establishment time
* Air-cleaning qualities * Degree of Maintenance
* Heat absorption * Wildlife habitat
* Stability of root system * Accessibility
* Contrast in heights * Veining qualities
* Catches and holds debris
* Provides a
* wildlife habitat

c. Nonliving Groundcovers
Advantages
* Immediate results
* Low maintenance
* Will withstand traffic
* Reasonable cost
* Color variety
* Textural variety
Disadvantages
* Excessive mobility
* Missile effect
* Color variety
* Drainage problems

d. Bare Soil Under

Advantages Disadvantages
* Good growing medium * Erosion susceptibility
* Color contrast * Higher maintenance Mud
* Low cost
* Availability for rowing other
plants
EMBELLISHMENTS
Serve the landscape as desserts serve to complete a good meal. Both enhance the
flavor. To a large extent, embellishments provide the individuality in each landscape

1. FLOWERS
Considered embellishments, although short-seasoned, they are visually
demanding that they must be used with extreme care so that they do not
override other landscape features
It should never be used where intense attention is unwarranted
Should always be planted in color masses of nicely contrasting or
complementary colors. However, confusion is created by indiscriminate
planting of separate plants of individual colors
2. NONESSENTIAL CONSTRUCTION FEATURES
Includes ornamental walls, raised planters, seats and benches, ornamental
fences and flower boxes can contribute additional colors, textures, and forms to
the landscape
3. SCULPTURE AND STATUARY
Extreme care must be taken when using these to keep them in good proportion
to surrounding elements
4. WATER FEATURES
It provides additional sights and sounds in the landscape, as well as helping to
alter the environment
Provision must be made for an electrical supply and for lights and pumps

5. OTHERS
Collected pieces of art that would be good proportion to elements of the indoor
rooms are often quite disproportionate in the outdoor rooms
The sounds of running water, birds, and musical chimes or bells are usually
welcomed as background in the landscape
Lighting is used functionally in the landscape to illuminate circulation routes
and to provide security to the area
Dramatic garden lighting can highlight garden features while making the
landscape more usable at night
Lights should always be placed above or below eye level
Dark surfaces require brighter illumination than light colored surfaces but do
allow greater contrast
Special seasonal effect can be created by dramatic lighting of the landscape