Horticulture Science Lesson 78 Applying the Principles of Art to the Landscape.

Horticulture Science Lesson 78

Applying the Principles of Art to the Landscape

Horticulture Science Lesson 78

Applying the Principles of Art to the Landscape

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Interest ApproachInterest ApproachBegin the lesson by setting out several different plant materials. Be sure to include a variety of types, shapes, sizes, and colors in your plant selection. Havethe students describe the plants to you. Tell the students that they should be as detailed as possible in their descriptions (e.g., plant no. 1 is low to the ground,bluish-green in color, with wide leaves).


Interest ApproachInterest ApproachThen have the students work in groups to decide which plants would work well together in the landscape. Have students explain why they put certain plants together. Try to encourage the students to use the principles of art terminology in their discussions.


Student Learning ObjectivesStudent Learning Objectives•Examine the elements of design.

•Apply the principles of design to the landscape.


TermsTerms• balance• color• emphasis• form• formal balance• informal balance• line• principles of design


TermsTerms• repetition• scale• sequence• texture• unity• unity of three• variety


What are the elements of design?

• Landscape design is primarily a visual art.

• Plants and other landscape components are arranged to produce views pleasing to the eye.

• Attractive landscapes are achieved by following basic principles of art.

• These principles are the same as those considered by artists who paint and sculpt.



• Plants are the major parts of a landscape.

• Selection of plants is based on their ability to grow in certain situations as well as on their visual characteristics.

• The major design qualities to consider in selecting plants for the landscape are line, form, texture, and color.



• Everything in the landscape has line.

• The outlines of trees and shrubs have line.

• Bed patterns separating the lawn from the planting beds have line.

• The patterns in patio and deck materials have line.



• 1. The human eye follows the direction and movement of lines. – The eye moves up and down following the line of

upright plants or the corner of a house. – The eye follows the horizontal lines of spreading

junipers. – It also follows the outline of an entire mass

planting.

• 2. Line produces emotional and psychological responses. – Vertical lines are severe and when used in excess

cause feelings of tension and nervousness. – Conversely, horizontal lines provide relaxing,

pleasant responses.



• Form is the three-dimensional shape of a plant. – The lines created by the stems and leaves are

what gives form to plants.

• 1. Common plant forms include columnar, oval, pyramidal, round, vase, and weeping. – Columnar and pyramidal plant forms have high

visual energy. – Visual energy is the ability of a plant to attract

attention. – The more extreme the form, the more attention

the plant will attract.


What are the

elements of

design?



• 2. Different plant forms produce different responses. – Upright forms provide accent

to a design by capturing attention.

– Upright forms are difficult to use in the landscape because they are so visually active.

– Horizontal, or spreading, forms are less visually active.

– They emphasize the breadth of space. – Rounded forms are the most common forms

found in nature. – They lend themselves well to groupings and

mass plantings.



• 3. Plant forms greatly influence a landscape design. – Using mostly rounded forms is

good practice. – Rounded forms help give a

natural, informal appearance to the landscape.

– They are particularly useful in softening vertical architectural lines, such as at the corner of a house.

– A few extreme plant forms can be added to the design to provide variety and interest.



• Texture is the characteristic of a plant or other item in terms of coarseness or fineness, roughness or smoothness, heaviness or lightness, and denseness or thinness.



• 1. Textures draw out emotional responses. – Coarse-textured plants

have a higher visual energy than fine-textured plants.

– Because of their high visual energy, coarse-textured plants appear closer to a viewer than they really are.

– Having low visual energy, fine-textured plants appear more distant than they actually are.


• 2. Plant structures, such as leaves and branches, determine a plant’s texture.– Coarse textures result

from large leaves and twigs, dull leaf surfaces, short petioles, and entire leaves.

– Fine textures result from small leaves and twigs, glossy leaf surfaces, long petioles, and cut leaves.


• 3. In selecting plants for a landscape design, keep the texture of plants in mind.– If all the plants in the landscape have similar

textures, the view will be boring.– Interest can be added by varying textures. – However, the greatest effectiveness is achieved if

changes in texture take place gradually. – A smooth transition from finer-textured plants to

coarser-textured plants is preferred. – Never place an extremely fine-textured plant

next to a coarse-textured plant.


• 4. Selecting plants based in part on their textures is wise. – Usually coarse-textured plants should be used in

larger settings. – When coarse-textured plants

are used in a small setting, such as a courtyard, they make the setting appear smaller.

– A good practice is to use fine-textured plants in small landscape settings or where the viewers are close to the plantings.


• Color has the greatest appeal or visual impact of all the design qualities.

• The primary concern when considering plant color is the leaves.

• The source of color is light.


• 1. The colors of visible light are classified as either warm or cool. – Warm colors, including

yellow, orange, and red, have high visual energy.

– People find warm colors striking, stimulating, and cheerful.

– Cool colors, including violet, blue, and green, have lower visual energy.

– Cool colors invoke a feeling of restfulness and peacefulness.


• 2. The designer can select plants based on colors to create a desired effect.– Plants with red-green, yellow-green, or black-

green foliage have high visual energy and appear closer to the viewer.

– Those with blue-green or green foliage have lower visual energy and tend to recede into the background.


• 3. The main purpose of using plants in the landscape is to provide a natural impression and a sense of restfulness. – Therefore, green-leafed plants should dominate the

landscape. – Plants with warm leaf colors should be used for variety and

interest. – Be careful, for plants with yellow, maroon, bronze, or

variegated leaves can easily dominate a landscape. – In the public area, they draw attention from the house and

possibly the door. – A good rule to follow is to use at least nine green plants for

every one plant that has a warm leaf color.

How are the principles of design applied to the landscape?

• Artwork appeals to the visual senses. • It is pleasing to the eye and often affects the

emotions of a person viewing the object. • Artwork is based on principles of design.• Principles of design are rules and

guidelines used by an artist or designer to create a beautiful composition.

• The principles of design are used in many forms of art.

• The principles covered in this unit are unity, repetition, variety, balance, emphasis, sequence, and scale.


• An attractive landscape has a look of oneness when all the components flow together and create a unified view.

• This look of oneness is unity. – In a unified landscape, plants

do not stand out as individuals. – The aim of a well-designed

landscape is to attract and hold the attention of the viewer with a look that is organized.


• 1. An interesting concept called the unity of three can be used to unify a landscape.– The unity of three is a principle that involves the use of

anything in multiples of three. – Three shrubs of the same species and size create oneness and

appear as a unit in a landscape. – The human mind easily accepts threes as a unit. – Odd numbers larger than three, such as five, seven, or nine,

have a similar power, but they progressively lose their sense of unity as they grow larger.

– Three has that special property of unity not found with other numbers.

– Even numbers of landscape elements, such as two trees or four shrubs, create contrast and duplication.


• 2. Unity in the landscape is accomplished by selecting plants based on their qualities of line, form, texture, and color. – Careful planning and

selection of landscape elements creates a whole picture that appears harmonious.


• Repetition is the recurrence of lines, forms, textures, and colors of the plants throughout a design.

• It has the effect of simplifying and unifying a composition.

• A design can be kept simple by using a limited number of different plant species and by designing groupings that have three, five, or seven plants of the same species.


• Variety is an assortment or diversity of design elements.

• If all the plants shared the same line, form, texture, and color, the view would be uninteresting.

• Therefore, provide variety in the design by selecting some plants that differ in line, form, texture, or color from the mass of plants.


• Balance provides a sense of equilibrium to a design.

• Objects in the landscape carry visual weight based on line, form, texture, color, and size. – Upright forms, coarse-textured plants, and plants

with dark green or other dark-colored leaves have a heavy appearance.

– On the other hand, rounded forms, fine-textured plants, and plants with light green or other light-colored leaves appear light in weight.

– The goal of the designer is to create visual balance on each side of a view.


• 1. There are two types of balance: formal, or symmetrical, and informal, or asymmetrical.– An imaginary line can be drawn

down the middle of a composition.

– If the plantings on both sides of the line are identical or mirror images, the composition has formal balance.

– Designs with formal balance give a feeling of stability.


– If the plantings on each side of the line are different, the composition has informal balance.

– Although the plantings differ, the visual weights of these plantings balance each other. Informal balance has a dynamic appearance.


• 2. The architectural style of the house dictates whether the public area landscape can be formal or informal. – A house with formal architecture lends itself well

to matching plantings on either side of the entrance.

– A house with informal architecture must have different plantings on each side of the entrance.


• Emphasis indicates dominance of some elements of the design over others.

• A landscape design should have a point or points of interest that draw and hold the attention of the viewer.

• Points of interest are sometimes called accents.

• Plants with visually active qualities, such as extreme forms, coarser textures, and warm colors, can serve as accents in certain areas of the design.

• Emphasis can also be achieved through size, shapes, grouping, and unusual plants.


• Sequence is the uniformity of change from one item in the landscape to the next.

• A smooth transition from one design element to the next is desired over an abrupt change in design elements.

• To accomplish a sequence, gradually change form, texture, or color from one component of the planting to the next.

• The gradual sequence actually causes the viewer’s eye to move from one item to the next.


• Scale is the proportion of one object to another.

• When an object is in scale, it is said to be in proportion to its surroundings.

• It does not look too large or too small for its location.

• An object in proper scale fits neatly into a composition with other elements.

• Well-proportioned landscapes offer an appearance that is pleasing and comfortable.

Review/SummaryReview/Summary

•What are the elements of design?

•How are the principles of design applied to the landscape?

Date post:	14-Jan-2016
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Horticulture Science Lesson 78 Applying the Principles of Art to the Landscape.

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