Elements of Landscape

(Earthforms, Vegetation & Water)

By-:vvvvvv vvv
Anshu Dadwal
(Lecturer)
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EARTHFORMS

EARTH
It is the basic component of
landscape architecture
1. Hills and valleys are formed
on it
2. Grass ,shrubs, bushes and
trees etc. grow on it
These may be in the form of:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

LOWLANDS
RIDGES
SLOPES
SWALES
SCENIC HIGHWAYS
Slopes

Viewdecks

EARTH FORMS

Earth forms are the eloquent

statements of the
constraints and
possibilities
Earth forms can be extended
visually and functionally by
plantings, walls, or other
structures

THE SIGNIFICANT RISE AND DEPRESSION IS A

LIMIT
OF VISUAL SPACE

EARTH FORMS

NATURAL
Landscape curve

ENGINEERED
Embankment

Swales

Gully

Ditch

mound

knoll

CONTOURS

The shape or the relief of the ground surface can be

indicated by contours.
These are the lines of equal height above a fixed
reference point or bench mark of known or assumed
elevation. These lines basically join points which have
equal heights above the fixed point. they are
considered to be the signatures of the land form
along with the Hachure.
Hachure are also representative lines which are drawn
perpendicular to the slope.

SLOPE FORM

STEPPED FARMING

VALLEYS AND RIDGES

Like

other land forms, river

valleys are always changing.
At the same time that the river
is deepening its bed, other
forces
rain,
frost,
wind,
and the atmosphere
are loosening material on
the valley walls.
The form of a valley depends
upon the rate at which
deepening and widening go on

GORGE:

Not all valleys are formed by

rivers. Those that are typically
are V-shaped

. Other valleys were formerly

occupied by glaciers and are
characteristically U-shaped. As
the huge bodies of ice moved
along, they carved the valleys
as they passed, carrying away
giant boulders and huge
amounts of debris.

WATERSHED

A river collects water from a broad area around it called a

watershed.

All moving water, the garden stream as well as the mighty river,
carries sand and soil that it picks up from the land through which
it moves. In this way, land is gradually worn away and carried out
to sea.

Water that moves rapidly erodes the land much more quickly
than does water that moves slowly. The swift mountain streams
are much more efficient in moving the soil than are the slowmoving rivers in flatlands

LANDSCAPE CHARACTER
The landscape character of any area may be
developed or intensified by eliminating any negative
elements and by accentuating its positive qualities.
NATURAL LANDSCAPE CHARACTERS:
Major landscape features are the unchangeable
elements which include :
Mountain ranges
River valleys and coastal plains
And forces as winds, tides, sea solar radiations ,gravity
etc.

LANDSCAPE CHARACTER
Minor landscape features:
Include many features which can be changed over
the time. They can be dealt with in various
ways:
Preservation of the natural form
Destruction of the natural form
Alteration of the natural form
Accentuation of the natural form

NEED TO ADAPT TO LANDFORMS

To diminish landscape disruption

To reduce cost of earth work
To prevent the wasting of top soil
To preclude the need for erosion control and replanting
To make use of existing drainage ways
To blend into the natural scene
The natural forms are best accepted as given.To
adapt to them is to harmonize with the forces and
conditions by which they have evolved.

VEGETATION

PLANT MATERIAL

Plant, any member of the plant kingdom, comprising about 260,000

known species of mosses, liverworts, ferns, herbaceous and woody
plants, bushes, vines, trees, and various other forms that mantle the
Earth and are also found in its waters

Plants have laid down the fossil fuels that provide power for industrial
society, and throughout their long history plants have supplied sufficient
oxygen to the atmosphere to support the evolution of higher animals

Today the world's biomass is composed overwhelmingly of plants, which

not only underpin all food webs but also modify climates and create and
hold down soil, making what would otherwise be stony, sandy masses
habitable for life.

LANDSCAPE PLANTING

Can be divided into various categories based on different

factors.
NATIVE or INDIGENOUS PLANTS: are those growing
naturally on the site and historically characteristic of the
region.
NATURALIZED PLANTS: are those introduced
accidentally or by intent that have accommodated
themselves to the growing conditions and become a part
of the local scene.
EXOTIC PLANTS: are those which are foreign to the
natural site and locality.

TREES AND SHRUBS

Trees and shrubs, which are relatively permanent

materials in the garden design, they should be planted
before more temporary plantings.

Evergreens are suitable as background material for a

garden that will be green all the year round.

Another desirable feature in trees is spectacular autumn

foliage; some excellent species are
AMALTAS,
GULMOHAR
SILVER OAK etc.

TREES

. Trees are generally defined as:

woody plants that attain heights of more than 20 feet (6 meters) and
have both a dominant stem, or trunk, and
a definite crown shape .
TREES are basically divided into two types:
EVERGREEN -which stay green through out the year
DECIDUOUS -which shed there leaves at least once in a year
On basis of there leaf shedding and into six types as per there
shapes/forms:
ROUND

Neem (Azaderachta Indica)

IRREGULAR
Banyan(Ficus Religiosa)
COLUMNAR
Ashoka(Polyalthia longifolia)
PYRAMIDICAL
Silver oak (Grandela robusta)
OPEN HANDED
Ceiba pentendra
UMBRELLA
Gulmohar(Delonix regia) and
WHEEPING
Bottle brush

OPEN HANDED
WHEEPING TYPE

COLUMNAR

TYPES OF TREES

IRREGULAR

UMBRELLA
SHAPED
ROUND

PYRAMIDICAL

FLOWERING TREES
Cassia fistula

Common name :- Amaltas

Family:
leguminaceae
Height :
abt. 25
Spread :
abt. 30
Form : Tall columnar shaped tree

Description :
Bright yellow flowers in April June.
Very hardy,
Heavy blooming,
Leafless during May- June
Gives a parabola effect when planted
closely on both sides of a narrow road,
Suitable for arid areas.

Delonix Regia

Common name : Gulmohar

Family : Leguminaceae
Dimensions:
Height : 25
Spread : 30
Form : spreading
Descripition :
Very ornamental
Adorns orange red flowers from april to
june
Fast growing and short lived
Gives mass effect of colour
Suitable on boundaries of open spaces to
break the monotony of green and tall
plantation

Grevillea robusta

Common name : Silver Oak

Family : Proteacea
Dimensions :
Height : 40
Spread : 15
Form : tall and pyramidal
shape
Description :
Graceful,evergreen and fast
growing.
Bright golden yellow flowers in
April and May,
Very hardy , drought resistant.

Tecoma argentia

Common name : Tecoma tree

Family : Bignoniaceae
Dimensions :
Height : 20
Spread : 20
Form : vertical columnar shape
Description :
Profuse golden yellow flowers
Good avenue tree
Lives long and light green in colour
Hardy tree suitable for gardens and
road sides

Polyalthia longifolia

Common name : ashok or

mast tree
Dimensions :
Height : 25
Spread : 20
Form : tall , pyramidial and
symmetrical
Description :
Yellow green flowers in
green
Graceful ,good for plantation
on roadsides.

Bombax ceiba

Common name : Simbal

Family : Bombacaceae
Dimensions :
Height : 45
Spread : 20
Form : upright tall tree .
Description :
Bright red or yellowish red
flowers in february and march
Flowers are large sized
Suitable for boundary plantation

Calliestemon lanceolatus

Common name : Bottle brush

Family : myrtaceae
Dimensions :
Height : 15
Spread : 20
Form : Medium height with
dooping branches
Description :
Bottle brush type red flowers in
March April
Very fast growing

Jacaranda
mimosifolia

Common name : Nili gulmohar

Family : Bignoniaceae
Dimensions ;
Height : 25
Spread : 20
Form : Spreading, round canopy
Descripition :
Violet blue flowers in April and
May
Leaf less when in bloom
Suitable for parks , gardens,
and road sides

EVERGREEN TREES
azadirachta indica

Common name : Neem

Dimensions :
height : 30
Spread : 25
Form : medium sized tree with
round canopy
Description :
Very good avenue tree
pale yellow flowers in April
Purifies air

Eucalyptus citriodora

Common name : safeda

Family : myrtaceae
Dimensions ;
Height : 45
Spread : 25
Form : tall , cylindrical tree
Description :
Smooth cylindrical tree,
scented leaves , creamy
white flowers

Ficus benghalensis

Common name : banyan or bargad

Family : moraceae
Dimensions :
Height : 40
Spread : 50
Form : huge round shape
Description :
Tall ,spreading tree, very shady

Quercus robur

Common name : Common Oak

Family : Fagaceae
Discription
The oak tree, with its dense
hard wood,
used extensively in the
manufacture of furniture.
Oak trees have root systems
that penetrate the soil to depths
of more than 30 m (100 ft) in
search of water

Juniperus communis

Common name : Juniper

Family
: Cupressaceae
Dimensions
Height : 20 40
This pencil cedar, actually a juniper,
is a CONIFEROUS, EVERGREEN
TREE
Native to the eastern United States.
The wood of this tree contains an
oil that deters moths and is used to
line chests. The wood is also used
for making pencils.

Ficus religiosa

Common name : pipal or bodhi

tree
Family : moraceae
Dimensions :
Height : 50
Spread : 60
Form : huge tall tree with
spreading branches
Description :
Very good for shade,
Fast growing

Tamarindus indica

Common name : imli

Family : caesalpiniaceae
Dimensions :
Height : 20
Spread : 25
Form : spreading round
Description :
Useful tree for avenues
Flowers yellow and red
Variegated

TREES

They reduce temperature up to 8 to

10 degrees
Deciduous trees (those that lose
their leaves in winter) provide
summer shade, then drop their
leaves in the fall, which allows the
warmth of the sun to filter through
their bare branches in winter

SHRUBS
Shrubs lack the stature of the trees ,the vigor and color of
annuals ,and the glamour of flowering plants.
They are
Perennials ,
Smaller than trees ,
Multi-stemed ,where branching starts at the base or very near from the
ground.
They have woody stems,
Fragrance, foliage, flowers are there main components.
They maintain a good ecobalance.
Most shrubs are green during the growing stage ,exceptions may be the
variegated leaves with white ,cream ,or red coloured patterns on them.
Fragrant flowers are very popular in places where people sit.

SHRUB.

Botanists make no clear-cut distinction between shrubs and

trees, mainly because both have woody stems that last for
more than one season.
In general usage, however, the differences between them may
seem obvious:
Shrubs are usually less than 10 feet (3 meters) tall,
branching from or near the ground, and
have many stems, none of which is dominant.

Some species of shrubs, however, may grow in either

form--treelike in the forest and shrubby at the timberline.
Intermediate forms between shrubs and trees are
ARBORESCENCES, or treelike shrubs from 10 to 20 feet
(3 to 6 meters) tall.
Again the distinction is not reliable because there are
some under especially favorable conditions, will grow to the
size of an arborescence or even a small tree.

Shrubs continued
Shrubs are also very useful for special reasons :

Some grow in harsh conditions of poor soil ,or hot Sun

Tolerate salts ,acid soils , cold and urban climates.
Those with rapid growing roots are useful for the steep
slopes for preventing soil erosion,
Those with thorns are useful as barriers ,
Evergreen shrubs act as a good windbreak and
provide screening effect.

CLIMBERS
They have a very weak stem. Hence they use
various means to climb a support like:
hooks
Tendrils
Spikes
Thornsroots.
They help in proper anchorage with the
support.they are used to hide areas for cooling
effect ,to cover the pergolas

CLIMBERS

ascend by clinging to other objects for support.

Climbing vines may use

aerial roots,
twining tendrils,
twining leafstalks,
tendrils tipped with adhesive disks, or
some variation of these structures.

Vines that climb by means of aerial roots include poison ivy, many
English ivies
A second and larger group of climbing plants includes those that
support themselves by means of tendrils or leaves.

CLIMBERS

A tendril is sensitive to contact. When it brushes against an

object, it turns toward it and, when possible, wraps around it.

Leaf climbers, which include the common nasturtium, may

have coiling leaf petioles

Adhesive-disk climbers constitute a very small group of

commonly cultivated tendril-producing vines

Uses

When trees are young and not providing much shade, vines
can be used to provide shading on walls and windows.
Some vines such as English Ivy will cling to any wall
surface. This can harm wood surfaces
Evergreen vines will shade walls in the summer and reduce
the effects of cold winds in the winter.
Using vines which lose foliage in the winter can be used for
summer shading as long as vine stems do not significantly
block winter sun.

PROTECTION FROM THE SUN

Over

head structures

provide the bonus of

shading walls and
windows, thus reducing
heat and glare and
providing cool, restful
sitting and viewing
areas.

GROUND COVERS
Used extensively to provide soft areas, sitting areas, lawns
etc.They help to absorb the harsh sun rays and maintain a cool
environment. They are very helpful in preventing soil erosion by
holding the soil together with there roots:

Cynodon daetylan :it is the common grass used in the lawns

and other sitting areas

Lantana camara:

Also one of the commonly used grass and it has yellow colored
flowers

Another eg. Is the Wedelia tribolta.

PROTECTION FROM THE SUN

Ground covers

The temperature a few

inches above turf or other
groundcover plants is
frequently 12 degrees to
15 degrees F. lower than
above asphalt or concrete
surfaces.
Using them in paved areas
such as drives and walks,
summer temperatures can
be reduced.

HOUSEPLANT

Any plant adapted for growing indoors is a

houseplant.

The most common houseplants are

members of exotic species that flourish
naturally only in warm climates.

Once having been domesticated,

however, they are able to survive in home
environments even in fairly cold parts of
the world.

Houseplants are found in homes, offices,

and indoor public spaces. They are grown
from seeds or cuttings or purchased as
seedlings or full-grown plants.
Fuchsia,

HEDGES.

Fences formed by living shrubs or trees are known as hedges. Some

are planted as windbreaks not only for flower gardens but also for
crop-planted fields.

Others are used as enclosures to provide privacy, and some serve

exclusively as ornamentals.

The French introduced hedges made of tall trees such as elm,

linden, hornbeam, and beech.

Hedges vary in size and may be extremely formal and regular in

outline or entirely natural.

They can be grown from almost any plant with thick foliage that
grows close to the ground and that has a fine, even texture, including
deciduous as well as evergreen trees and shrubs, and even herbs
and vines

VARIOUS PLANT USES

Slope and water shed protection

Windscreen
Overhead space definition and canopy
Enframement
Backdrop
Noise abatement
Shade
Ground space definition
Scale induction
ornamentation

FILTRATION

SOLAR RADIATION

WINDSCREEN

WINDSCREEN

NOISE CONTROL

NOISE CONTROL

NOISE CONTROL

SOIL EROSION

OVER HEAD CANOPY AND

SPACE DEFINITION

IN CONTEXT TO URBAN DESIGN

ROAD NETWORK

ROAD NETWORK

STREET LIGHTING

VISION OBSTRUCTION

GUIDELINES FOR DESIGNING

Preserve the existing vegetation

Select each plant to serve its intended use
Group the trees to simulate the natural stands
Use canopy trees to unify the site
Install intermediate trees for the understory screening, wind
breaks and visual breaks
Utilize the shrubs for the supplementary low level baffles and
screens.
Treat vines as nets and draperiers
Install ground covers on the base plane to retain soils and soil
moisture, define paths etc.
In the extensive tree plantings select a theme tree, from three
to five supporting secondary trees and a limited palette of
supplementary species for special effects.

Evergreen shrubs and small trees can be planted as a

solid wall at least four to five feet away from the north
side and provide a windbreak. However, it is better to
have dense plantings further away so air movement
can occur during the summer.
A tree that will reach a medium to large size should be
located 15 to 20 feet from the side of a building and 12
to 15 feet from the corner. Smaller trees can be
planted closer to a house and shade walls and
windows.

WATER

WATER DISPLAY PURPOSE

AESTHETIC FACTORS :
1.
VISUAL

:
point within a space
sense of continuity
focal

2.
PSYCHOLOGICAL
Aspect

of human behavior to be drawn toward a riverbank, lake edge, or seashore.

3.
AUDITORY
The

intensity and frequency of the sound generated by a water display can be used to convey a sense of calm or excitement, and can also mask unpleasant or distracting ambient noise .

lSENSORY
3.
Airborne

EFFECTS
spray and evaporation from water displays cause a cooling effect

WATER DISPLAY PURPOSE

FUNCTIONAL REASONS :
1.RECREATION
Pools

may be designed for swimming, fishing, boating, or just water play, as with participatory water displays

2.CIRCULATION
direct

CONTROL
or interrupt traffic patterns.

3.UTILITARIAN
Practical

applications for water displays include their use as a fire fighting or irrigation reservoir, as a retention pond for site drainage, or as a means
for cooling.

WATER EFFECTS

WATER EFFECTS

WATER EFFECTS

WATER EFFECT CHARACTERISTICS

WATER EFFECT CHARACTERISTICS

WATER EFFECT CHARACTERISTICS