The basics of landscaping

Pike Nurseries' Melodie McDanal stopped by Good Day Atlanta on Friday and offered some basic principles of landscaping.

Landscape Design Basics

• Designing a landscape is similar to decorating your home
  • Think about things like color, texture and functionality
    

• Choose a foundation "piece you love" and build from it
  • In the home, people may do this with a sofa they love or maybe a family heirloom like a wardrobe
  • Your landscape may already have the "piece you love," like a mature tree or even a row of hydrangeas
  • If you don't have anything you love in your current landscape, start by choosing something you love at the garden nursery
  • Once you have that foundation piece, start to build your landscape around it
    

• Design In Layers
  • Layer 1 – Tall
    • The tallest element, most likely a tree, should be in the back of the landscape or used as a focal element
    • Your tall plants or trees can serve a purpose – ask yourself these questions:
      • Do they need to be tall enough to create a green screen?
      • Do they need to act as a wide block?
      • Do they need to provide shade?
• Layer 2 – Medium Height
  • This is where the bulk of shrubs fall into place
  • Make sure you are varying evergreen shrubs that will have foliage all year with deciduous shrubs that drop their leaves in winter
• Layer 3 – Medium to Low Height
  • This is typically low-growing shrubs or perennials like heuchera and hostas
• Layer 4 – Low Height
  • This is the layer where annual color typically gets planted and usually where you can add a seasonal punch of color
    • Fall/Winter
      • Asters, Pansies, Violas, Ornamental Cabbage & Kale
      • Spring/Summer
        • Petunias, Marigolds, coleus
          

• Design in Repetition
  • Just like in your home, you want to create some repetition in your design
  • Repeat Colors
    • Create a good design by repeating colors
      • For example, pair a pink blooming azalea with a hellebores variety that is cream and has pink speckles in the flower's throat
      • It doesn't have to be completely matchy-matchy but you want to repeat some colors for cohesiveness
• Repeat Patterns & Textures
  • Most people don't think about a plant's pattern but each plant has a unique leaf shape and structure
  • For example, camellias and magnolias both have large, waxy leaves so if you add in another plant with a smaller variegated leaf, the entire arrangement will pop
    

• Landscape Design Services
  • If you're not ready to channel your landscape design talents just yet, Pike Nurseries can help:
    • If you're working on a small area or adding to an existing landscape, bring in a photo and our associates can help you choose the right plants
    • If you are looking to redo a larger area or even your whole landscape, Pike Nurseries offers landscape installation and design services

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