HOME LANDSCAPING

INDEXSL.NO. PARTICULARS PAGE NO.1 Introduction 12. Planning 12 a Private area 22 b Foreground Area 32 c Service Area 3 - 43 Planting 43 a Trees 43 b Herbs 5 - 63 c Shrubs 7 - 83 d Hedges 93 e Vines 104 Planning Questionnaire 11

By

LOKAKSHI/RAVI GANDOTRA

Lokakshi Gandotra

HOME LANDSCAPING

Introduction

Landscaping is necessary in homes, because the home does not stop at the walls of the house but includes the entire grounds. The purpose of landscaping is to make grounds around a house useful for outdoor living and to create an appropriate setting for the house. Successful landscaping provides the maximum of livability and beauty the year round for the minimum care.

We believe in living outdoors as much as possible for reasons of health, also for spiritual refreshment of close contact with nature, and for esthetic satisfaction obtained from spaciousness and beauty. Therefore, our landscaping is designed to draw us outdoors and to keep us there, providing play space and exercise space for different age levels.

The landscape architect should be engaged at the same time as the architect, for the two should work together from the beginning, in order that the house plans and garden plans are well integrated. The cost of good landscaping is repaid not only by the increased functional and esthetic value but also by the increased monetary value of the property itself and of its neighborhood. The designer should read several books on landscape design, should attend garden tours, and should observe photographs in the garden periodicals.

The site must function as regards convenience for the family. It should have some claim to beauty to lift it out of the ordinary. Simple and direct use of mass, colour and texture produce the best gardens of today

PLANNING

Usual features should be incorporated into the landscape design. Even a ditch can be made an asset when naturally sloped and planted and appropriately bridged. Usual shape, topography can often be featured to good advantage, sloping lot could be developed as terraces. Only a sloping lot with natural rocks suggests the development of a rock garden. A rural acre with a window stream and shrubs and trees should not employ any straight-line or other formal ideas but should be entirely natural. The owner of a hill top should protect the view and keep all the planting subordinated.

In planning the development of landscaping the first and most important step is to locate the house on site. The location is determined by drainage, exposure, space shape of the plot, and the position of trees.If legally permissible it would be best to place it well forward so as to provide extra space in the rear. However dramatic quality can be created by

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placing the house very far back with the private garden in front hidden behind a wall or hedge. Long impressive driveway expresses formality.

A house should be located on one side of a lot ,in order to allow one larger side area for landscaping. If garage is at the rear, the driveway usually passes the narrower side of the yard beside the kitchen wall. The broader side might comprise a patio, veranda or terrace, possibly with a small formal flower garden.

Function -All the land should be organized for human use.

Esthetic – Setting for the house should be as beautiful as possible.

Scale Drawing – Drawing should be made of the house and lot. Experimental sketches can be made on tracings of the scale drawing. A great many arrangements should be tried, until the most functional and beautiful possible plan is arrived at.

The driveway and walks must be located before any further development. They should be direct and simple .A practical circulatory system is very important in the property. If the size of the property permits, parking space for cars of visitors should be provided close to the door that they are expected to use.

The lot should be divided into

Private area –

Consisting chiefly of the outdoor living room and lawn with possibly a small flower garden. For the sake of privacy, convenience, and quietness it is located at the rear of the house adjoining the living room and dining room, if possible.

The usual treatment of the private area of the grounds is to surround it with a border of shrubs, give it a centre of interest, enclose it with a high fence or hedge and supply shade trees where they are needed. Or else organize it for outdoor living and dining and places for games and exercises; may be a playground for children, a barbecue, a recreation court or a wading pool.

It should have a porch, terrace or patio .It should have at least partial shade and a weatherproof floor.Climate and exposure usually determine the most effective protection from the sun, wind, and insects. The private area should be furnished with comfortable

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weatherproof furniture

Patio. The brick patio area provides a solid footing for tables and chairs, and allows a view of the entire yard.

Formal bed and fountain. This small garden is designed to be viewed from inside the house. Additionally, the fountain's sound helps mask noise from the surrounding yards and streets.

Lawn. A small panel of grass invites children's play. It is small enough to be easily reseeded when worn out, and provides a visual break from structures and plants. A circular walkway provides a neat transition between lawn and planting beds, and offers a path to stroll year round.

Decorative arbor. Helping to soften the corner of the yard, this simple structure provides a shady refuge. Paving stones below the arbor eliminate mowing.

Play area. Bordered by sunken logs for sitting or hopping on, the shaded play area provides hours of entertainment and activity for children. The triangular sandbox is especially inviting to younger kids.

Vegetable garden. Separated from the play areas by a low fence, the vegetable garden is also protected from pets

The Foreground Area –

The foreground area lies between the house and street. The foreground landscaping is primarily for the purpose of enhancing the appearance of the house. The lawn which usually comprises most of this area, should be unbroken. Shrubs combined with a few a few medium-height trees and possibly some flowers should ordinarily frame the lawn at both sides near the house, directing the attention to the house.

The planting around the foundation of the house should not be continuous mass, empty spaces should occur. Between the high plants and the lawn, lower shrubs should be provided; a natural intermediate step. Planting should never be allowed to obscure the views from windows.

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An inviting approach is important. A straight walk located at one side of the lawn, so that it can be decoratively treated as part of the border, is most desirable. If it passes through the lawn it must be without planting. If possible, outdoor areas of some type should be provided on three sides of the house to meet different weather conditions in different seasons and supply shade at various times of the day. Delightful features in connection with a terrace are a simply raised pool or a children’s wading pool. The pool may be a modern free form, or square, round, kidney – shaped or oblong .A plentiful supply of plants in pots and tubs should be used in outdoor living areas

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The Service Area –

The service area forms the part around the garage and driveway, the drying yard, kithen garden, ashpit, and entrance. The area should be as compact and complete as possible and should be entirely screened from the private area, from the street, and form the neighbours.

If the location of the garage makes a driveway necessary it should follow the edge of the lot, which might have a hedge or vines on a link fence next to the neighboring property..Sometimes the driveway can be used also for games. Drying yard is usually located in the area adjoining the garage. The garbage and refuse cans may be concealed by shrubs near the kitchen door, or placed in a small enclosure covered with vines.

The service area should also contain a well-designed vegetable garden. The red beet foliage, fernlike carrot leaves, red tomatoes. Purple cabbage is few of the esthetic joys of a vegetable garden. The rose garden (looking ragged most of the time)and digging space for

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the children are often placed in the service area near the vegetable garden. A garage should be well landscaped since it is ordinarily the most used point of entrance and departure

PLANTING

Open lawn areas permit proper views of the house. Through good planting one can relate the house and grounds so that they become an organic unit. It is well to enclose most of the house with a frame of hedges and shrubs. Any house limits the planting to definite expressiveness, forms, lines, textures and clours.

Some of the suggested common plantings are:

Trees

A tree is a large perennial woody plant, larger than a shrub. It is sometimes defined as a woody plant that attains diameter of 10 cm (30 cm girth) or more at breast height (130 cm above ground). The term generally applies to plants that grow to at least 5-6 meters (15-20 ft) high at maturity and having secondary branches supported on a main stem or stems, called a trunk. Compared with most other plants, trees are long-lived, some of them getting to be several thousand years old and growing to up to 115 meters (375 ft) high

Sixty % of the planting around the home should usually be in the form of trees. They are invaluable for shade as well as for beauty. Fruit and nut bearing trees should be more popular. Trees can be made into conventionalised forms: columns, cylinders, cones, spheres or umbrellas.

1. Umbrella or Tulip tree 2 Indian Coral tree

A small garden tree An ornamental tree with bright red flowers

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3. Gulmohar tree 4.Cypress – garden tree

A very handsome spreading garden treewith scarlet flowers

5.Cachnar Tree 6.Magnolea and Michelia

Ornamental trees which are surprising beauty because of their conspicuous white or yellow tinted fragrant flowers and their great glossy leaves

Herbs

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Herbs are seed-bearing plants without woody stems, which die down to the ground after flowering. Herbs have a variety of uses including culinary, medicinal, or in some cases even spiritual usage. The green, leafy part of the plant is often used, but herbal medicine makes use of the roots, flowers, seeds, root bark, inner bark (cambium), berries and sometimes other portions.

(Fruit of the Chinese box)

1. Delphinium 2.Chinese box

Garden herb with ultimate narrow grown in gardens for its fragrant flowerssegments of the leaves

3. Petunia and Cestrum 4.Salvia Officinalis

Grown in gardens for their flowers Grown in gardens and the flowers are purplish

in colour

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5.Ageratum maxicanum 6.Helianthus Annus(Sun Flower)

An annual garden herb with blue , white An annual garden herb also used for vegetable or pink flowers oil and in medicines

7.Celosia or (Cocks Comb ) 8.Tulsi

An erect glavrous herb with red flowers

Shrubs

A shrub or bush is a horticultural rather than strictly botanical category of woody plant, distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and lower height, usually less than 5-6 m (15-20 ft) tall. Small, low shrubs such as lavender, periwinkle and thyme are often termed sub shrubs.

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2.Hibiscus rosa – sinensis 1..Malvaviscus Arboreus

An ornamental shrub with red showy An ornamental shrub resembling the flowers does not set seeds in our Hibiscus rosa but blooms almost through out gardensand is propogated by cutting the year

3.Lowsonia (Hina) 4.Cactus (Opuntia)

A smooth shrub

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5.Jasmine 6.Lupins

Cultivated in the garden for gloosy foliageand scented flowers

7.Bouganvelia 8. A broom shrub in flower

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Hedges

The word hedge may be used to refer to an artificial boundary, erected to contain or protect. A hedge or hedgerow in agriculture and in gardening is a lineal barrier or boundary made from growing plants planted and grown in such a way that their limbs intertwine.

1.Citrus Limon (Jatti khatti) 2.Cactus Indicus

It makes a good hedge

3. Cereus Hexagonus 4. A maze of hedges

Common hedge in South India

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Vines

A vine is any plant or by extension, any similar climbing or trailing plant.

1.Passiflora 2.Ipomea Palmate

Gives purplish flowers

In addition to above many familiar and common species of flowers exist depending upon the climate and geological conditions of different regions.All having different texture,shape,form and colourse.g.variuos types of roses,petunia,Zinnia etc.

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Planning QuestionnaireUse the questions below and checklists on the next page to assess existing landscape and dream about future possibilities. Be sure to involve all family members in this process.

Family Who is the family? List all current and prospective household members, from

children to older relatives. How do you live? Ask each family member: Where and how do you spend

most of your time indoors and outdoors? How does this change seasonally? Are pets part of the picture? What are the current or foreseeable needs of a

pet? How do you see the future? How long do you plan to live in this home? Do

you plan to make any structural additions or major changes?

Lifestyle How do you use the yard? List your favorite activities as well as any desired

forms of recreation. Do you have places to exercise as well as relax? Is there room to store furniture and outdoor gear?

How much time do you spend outside? How many hours, on average, do you spend monthly on yard maintenance, gardening, and outdoor fun?

Is company coming? How often do you entertain outdoors? How many people are involved? What activities are included?

How do you play? Is there ample room for the activities that typically occur in your yard?

Do you grow your own food? Is there adequate space for enough fruits, vegetables, and herbs to supply your household? Are these spaces located conveniently near the kitchen?

Traffic zones Is there enough parking? How many vehicles must be accommodated daily?

(Include guest parking.) Where do you enter? Which entryways are most commonly used by family

members and guests? Where are the pathways? How do you circulate in and out of the house, onto

and off the property? Think in terms of all kinds of traffic: foot, bike, and vehicle.

Privacy & security

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Do you feel safe? Are there areas of the property where you don't feel secure? If the yard is not entirely fenced, is fencing feasible? Is there adequate lighting? Is it safe to pull out of the driveway and use the sidewalks? Would thorny shrubs bolster security?

Do you have privacy? Is privacy adequate, especially in areas where you want it most? What might your neighbors or the city do that would change that?

Practicalities Is your landscape easily maintained? Is there enough room to use and store

maintenance equipment? Does the landscape suit your region's climate? Do the plants and structures

work together to create a beautiful landscape that withstands the weather?

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