Page 4 - Landscape Design, Construction, & Maintenance

LANDSCAPE DESIGN • 67

tant aspect of the public area. The front door is the focal point, or point of emphasis, of a
well-designed landscape. The focal point captures the attention of the viewer.
Keep three main goals in mind as you design the public area for a house:

1. Soften the architectural lines of the house.

2. Frame the house with trees.
3. Maintain open lawn areas.

Architectural Features

Houses are artificial structures
placed in natural settings. Standing
alone, they appear rigid. The lines
produced by the architecture of the
house are straight. Vertical lines cre-
ated at the corners of houses are par-
ticularly harsh in appearance. Make
it a priority to design the public area
so the sharp architectural lines are
softened with plant materials.
Study the architecture of the
house to be landscaped. Note the
4-4. The house should outshine all landscape elements.
dominant architectural lines. Con-
sider the masses of the house. It is
sometimes helpful to sketch the
house in the elevation view. Prop-
erly locate the windows, doors, and
porches on the drawing. Then, indi-
cate the dominant lines and masses
on the sketch with colored pencils.

Repeat the dominant lines of the
TIP: house by using plant materials
that have similar lines.

The dominant lines of the house
should be repeated in the plant 4-5. The vertical lines of this house need to be softened with
materials. Select trees and shrubs plantings.