first “photo remodeling” idea
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Introduction:
Guiding principles don’t have to be constraining. They can be applied by any gardener, amateur or professional, and they result in a more successful, satisfying design. You can still get creative, but creative in a way that incorporates tried and tested methods to make the most of your outdoor space.
Let’s begin with “The Law of Significant Enclosure” as the first of seven guiding principles for DIY landscaping.
The law of significant enclosure
Notes:
- One might think that the more open an outdoor space is, the better a garden feels. The law of significant enclosure disputes this, insisting that ‘enclosure’ be a basic feature of every residential garden.
- Your garden is a source of refuge and having an outdoor space to call your own provides you with an additional (and natural) living area. Think of your garden as a room that requires walls at least one-third the length of the horizontal space you’re inhabiting.
- Your walls can be shrubs, trees, trellises with vining plants, or even hanging fabric. You can also combine different elements for a more eclectic look.
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View some examples of landscape enclosure techniques:
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Landscaping With Tree/Shrubs/Plants:
If you have a sizable yard area, trees, shrubs and plantings are the best and more aesthetic way to gain enclosure – in other words, use nature. The goal is to enclose the landscape perimeter and leave the inside open using lawn and pathways.
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Landscape Enclosure (from google images) – using trees view samples – using shrubs view samples – using perennials view samples -
Natural Surroundings:
If you are lucky to have your property bordered by woods or other natural landscape, you can use the natural surroundings to gain enclosure. Accent the natural surroundings with other plantings to create your personal oasis.
- Natural surroundings are nice, but the question is who owns the “woods behind your house”? These woods could always be developed. If that is a possibility, you might want to consider building your own enclosure perimeter to ensure privacy in the event your natural surroundings are removed.
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Landscape Enclosure (from google images) – Using Nature view samples -
Use Fencing:
Fencing is one of the instant ways to form enclosure – especially for landscapes that are close to each other as with townhomes and single-home communities. You can make your fence decorative in design; plus you can add plantings and other potted plants for garden color.
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Landscape Enclosure (from google images) – using fencing view samples – using living wall view samples – using pergolas view samples -
Adding Hardscapes:
Hardscapes can be used as property boundaries, walls, and other hardscape structures that allow for plantings, entertainment, pools, and other structures.
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Landscape Enclosure(from google images) – using hardscape view samples – using stone walls view samples
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second “photo remodeling” idea
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Lifestyle matters
Notes:
- A landscape can be as unique as the gardener who creates it, but it should suit what you are willing to give it in terms of time and effort. Consider your expectations, evaluate your available space, observe your sunlight exposure, and think about the time you’d like to devote to your garden.
- Will your garden be a high-traffic area? Do you have kids or pets? What will the space most commonly be used for? These types of questions help you to determine the type of turf you choose, the food in which you grow – just about everything you put into your garden.
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Some lifestyle ideas to consider:
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Planning a Garden:
If you live within a climate zone where the freeze has passed, it’s time to plan your vegetable garden. Planning begins with deciding which type of fresh vegetables you would like to harvest.
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image by Pixabay
- Make is a project for the entire family. It is a good skill set to know. And an appreciate to gain when the harvest comes in.
- view post: Time To Start Your Vegetable Garden
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Designing Play Area:
The best thing about summer: It is long and gets lots of fun. It is also hot but the best time spends with family and friends.
- This summer comes in the middle of a global pandemic and all we need to spend most of our time at home.
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image by Pixabay
- So let’s put some fun in your outdoor space with your kids to have a better family and friends time together.
- view post: 12 Fun Outdoor Play Areas That Will Keep Your Kids Entertained
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May We Suggest Other Photo Remodeling Ideas About
“Landscape Additions”
third “photo remodeling” idea
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Start big
Notes:
- Faced with the decision to make a staircase wider or narrower, a pool longer or shorter, a pergola lower or higher, the general rule is that size matters and that big is better. When possible, go big on your prominent features and when planting, start with the big and then gradually add the small.
- Start with the trees, then the shrubs, then perennials, then the ground cover. Your ‘big’ design elements and ‘big’ plantings will give your garden structure and will set the scene for your little plants to be the crowning glory of your surrounding landscape.
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Samples where starting big can help with design:
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Adding Flower Beds:
Flower beds are good starting point when thinking big – especially if you are planning for large, tired beds with defined borders.
- From here, you can plan the surrounding landscape that will include a lawn area, trees, and perhaps the patio.
- Other potential “starting big” include ponds, rock waterfalls, and tiered landscaping.
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Starting Big (from google images) – with flower beds view samples – with tiered beds view samples – with tiered landscaping view samples – with pond view samples – with rock waterfall view samples -
Working With a Deck or Patio:
Decks and patios are big landscaping decisions that can shape your overall look. Especially decks or patios that extend out and take up a large area of the yard for entertainment, outdoor cooking, and relaxation.
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Starting Big (from google images) – with deck view samples – with floating deck view samples – with patio view samples – with outdoor entertainment view samples – with outdoor kitchen view samples -
Adding a Swimming Pool:
Swimming pools – inground and above – can take up the entire entire landscape. So “start big” with the pool, the size you want to incorporate, and then follow-up with the landscaping that may include hardscape around the pool, potted flower containers, and trees to form a security fence and privacy.
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Starting Big (from google images) – with swimming pool view samples – with above ground pool view samples – with hot tub view samples
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| Supporting Resources (opens new win) | |
| HOW TO: design yard w/ plants | |
| INFO: essential steps landscape design | |
| YOUTUBE: landscape design site planning | |
fourth “photo remodeling” idea
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The regulating line
Notes:
- The line is one of the most important and useful of all design elements. Everything in the garden involves line, and by following the regulating line (a doorway, a building edge, a window) or a distinctive landscape feature (prominent tree, existing pool, property boundary) you can follow an imaginary line that helps connect and organize the design.
- Strong lines draw your eye into the landscape, directing both where people look and where they go. There are four main ways to describe strong lines: curved, straight, horizontal, and vertical. None is more important than another, as each has different effects.
- Curved lines shape informal garden beds and add interest to pathways.
- Straight lines evoke a sense of order
- Horizontal lines create a sense of stability
- Vertical lines project movement.
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Mix it up and have a bit of fun with your lines!
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Curved Lines:
Who says your garden path needs to be straight – or even that the stepping stones need to be symmetric. Creating a curved path will also give you a curved flower bed that adds interest to your landscape.
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Regulating Lines (from google images) Curved Lines view samples -
Straight Lines:
Some pathways need to be straight – like the one leading to the entryway. Other straight line landscaping include fences, garden beds, and lawn cutting.
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Regulating Lines (from google images) Straight Lines view samples -
Horizontal Lines:
An example of horizontal design a enclosed pond accented by two sitting benches placed in a horizontal position. The terrace or patio is likewise shaped horizontally.
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Regulating Lines (from google images) Horizontal Lines view samples -
Vertical Lines:
What vertical lines can you see in this backyard structure? First note the vertical lines that make up the pergola; the vertical lines of the pillars that hold up the pergola; and the vertical lines that form the deck.
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Regulating Lines (from google images) Vertical Lines view samples
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fifth “photo remodeling” idea
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The golden rectangle
Notes:
- For centuries, designers have used the golden rectangle in garden design. The Great Pyramids of Giza, the Greek Parthenon, Ryoanji Temple – the golden rectangle has been used throughout history as a guide to a pleasing sense of balance and order.
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The Golden Rectangle is a rectangle where the ratio of the short side to the long side equals the ratio of the long side to the sum of both sides. Written mathematically the Golden Rectangle is:
- A = Short Side
- B = Long Side
- (A/B) = (B/(A+B))
- Alternatively, if you know the length of the short side of the rectangle, simply multiply it by the ‘Golden Ratio’ (1.618) to derive the appropriate length of the long side of the rectangle. For example, if the short side is 8 feet long (2.4 metres), the long side should be approximately 13 feet long (3.9 metres).
- Used in everything from flower beds and lawns to terraces and arbors, the golden rectangle fosters organic and natural looking compositions that are aesthetically pleasing to the eye.
- Let’s view some examples:
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Front Landscaping:
Note the arrangement of the shrubs, junipers, and small tree plantings. Everything fits within the “golden triangle” accented by the curved concrete edging and lawn.
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Golden Triangle (from google images) Front Landscaping view samples Golden Triangle view samples -
Backyard Landscaping:
Can you view the triangle from this photo? It begins at the base of the patio and extends down along the stone wall bedding. The opposite side of the triangle is the white boundary fence. Within the triangle perimeter are mulch beds with select flowering shrubs and perennials.
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Golden Triangle (from google images) Triangular Backyard Landscaping view samples Using the Golden Ratio view samples
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| References (opens new win except noted) | |
| SERVICES: landscape services (see below) | |
| HOW TO: use golden triangle | |
| INFO: proportion and patterns | |
| PLANNING: garden design (same win) | |
Find Landscaping Services Landscape Design Sprinkler Systems Metal Work Water Features top-rated, pre-screened local contractors FREE: download contractor selection enter zip code – powered by HomeAdvisor ™
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sixth “photo remodeling” idea
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Balance is a state of being
Notes:
- Research tells us that we are most comfortable in landscapes that have a sense of balance. There are two major types of balance: symmetrical and asymmetrical.
- Symmetrical balance is used in formal landscapes when one side of the landscape is a mirror image of the opposite side. This type of balance appears to be rather stiff in appearance and often is highly maintained.
- Asymmetrical balance, also known as informal balance, differs from one side to the other and appears to be relaxing and free-flowing.
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Whichever you choose, balance is a state of being. Let’s view some examples:
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Asymmetrical Balance:
Asymmetrical balance works nicely with sloped landscaping. In this example, the shed with its size dimensions is placed on the high end of the slope. The landscape then slopes downward with shrub and tree plantings.
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Landscape Balance(from google images) Asymmetrical Balance view samples Using Balance view samples -
Symmetrical Balance:
Symmetrical is where the landscaping is the same height and shape on one side versus the other. This design works perfectly for garden paths and walkways where the plantings will be the same height and shape.
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Landscape Balance (from google images) Symmetrical Balance view samples
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seventh and last “photo remodeling” idea
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Focalization
Notes:
- Any good design has a focal point – the place where the viewer’s eye is first attracted. Each area of your landscape design should have a focal point, which allows the viewer to gradually discover other plants and features in your garden.
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Focalization (from google images) Landscape Focalization view samples – using flower bed view samples – using a tree or shrub view samples – using water fountain view samples – using gazing ball view samples – using garden pond view samples - Focal points can be scaled to the size of your garden and can even be seasonal. It displays as a small decor piece that adds to your garden landscaping.
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Make Sure To Light It Up:
There are many things that make the home look warmer, beautiful, and more inviting. One such thing is landscaping.
- Homes with nicely done landscapes, having beautiful flowers and trees with well-defined shapes, are often look at as a lot better than homes with little or no landscaping.
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image by Flickr
- As a matter of fact, landscaping is one way you get houses with not-so-good architectural designs to look more appealing.
- view post: What You Should Know About Landscape Lighting
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Getting Started
If you’re wondering where to start with your landscape creation or transformation, look no further than your front yard. It’s the first thing you see when you drive up to your house and it’s your chance to wow guests before they’ve even made it inside.
- Getting your front yard looking great gives you the inspiration and confidence to tackle the back, where you can add more personalization and more function.
- Laying instant turf is an economical way to get started and can add thousands to your property with added curb appeal. The green space created by an instant lawn also has benefits for your physical and mental health, and will play a huge role in your motivation for completing your do-it-yourself landscape design.
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rules to follow when doing DIY landscaping
| Supporting Resources (opens new win) | |
| WHY: importance of focalization | |
| INFO: principles of focalization | |
| YOUTUBE: backyard lighting | |
Cover image credit: rules to follow when doing DIY landscaping by envato.com
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