LANDSCAPE ACADEMY COURSES St To GD Dac LA 102.pdf · In this design, the pool existed along with the wall. Zeina tried to hide the pool’s irregular shape by imposing a paving pattern

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LANDSCAPE ACADEMY COURSES FIRST STEPS TOWARDS ‐ GARDEN DESIGN LA 102

LANDSCAPE ACADEMY COURSES

FIRST STEPS TOWARDS ‐ GARDEN DESIGN LA 102

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FIRST STEPS TOWARDS GARDEN DESIGN

IN THIS SESSION WE WILL BE DISCUSSING GARDEN DESIGN IN DETAILS IN TERM OF AESTHETIC RATHER THAN HORTICULTURE.

We will be stressing mostly on the usage of space in the garden, how to plan it into a useful outdoor recreation and most of all, how to create an entity that will be pleasing to the eye.

We will be guiding you step by step from the time you enter the garden into the time you win the contract. So sit back, relax and read carefully what the Landscape Academy has to write.

All through this course, you will be presented with pictures and sketches of outdoor spaces. The design analysis that follows each picture will help you develop your design skills. By reading our analysis, you would realize the meaning to the location and existence of each element in a particular garden. You would realize what makes a garden look attractive and how to succeed in gathering all the necessary components to a beautiful garden.

Sketch 1: An enclosed space in Newport Beach, California.

Designed by Zina Majdalani, Landscape Architect at the Landscape Academy.

This geometric space was sought with enhancing the geometric lines, and reinforcing them through naturalistic

aspects limited within the square element. The contrast in lines in this particular design gives it a lot of enthusiast and a controlled variety.




When you first enter a garden, try to identify its limits and its borders. Once you do so, then you should try to feel its levels. When these two points are identified, then you should start marking down the existence of any valuable plantations, if there are any.

REMEMBER GARDENS COULD LOOK LIKE A NIGHTMARE WHEN THEY ARE NOT MAINTAINED OR NOT LANDSCAPED. That’s why you’re here, to make it look the utmost.

You should also try to figure out the lines of the boundary and mark them down on your sketchbook. Once you do so then it would be appropriate to take measurements and mark your sketch.

Walk the space and try to feel it. Get a dimension for it by relating yourself to the space.

Note down all impressions as you could forget them the minute you walk out of the door. Take pictures of all the details that you need to remember.

Once you are at your working table try to plot the sketched plan in relation to its measurements, of course using a scaled ruler, or on the computer, if you are familiar with any of the landscape programs.




You should ask yourself and most of all, your client:

1. What will this garden be used for? 2. Is it a viewing garden? 3. An entertainment area? 4. Do you need a children’s playground? 5. Recreational space for the entire family?

This is when you set yourself to draw a BUBBLE DIAGRAM.

1. BUBBLE DIAGRAM First you have to have a concept. And the concept is derived from the requirements of the garden owners. You need to know what they would like to utilize their garden for and what they wish to implement. You should try to put your clients requirements in order and try to elaborate it on paper. This is when you start your bubble diagram. A bubble diagram is to define the allocation of each space in relation to its concept.

2. WHAT IS A CONCEPT? A concept is an idea or a theme that bonds a design together. A concept is realized when the designer’s message is transmitted through the looks of the finished garden. If the concept is not well implemented then confusion occurs and there would hardly be any harmony in the garden.

Sketch 3: An Italian garden in the suburb of Rome.

Designed by Zeina Majdalani, Landscape Architect at the Landscape Academy.

In this design, the pool existed along with the wall. Zeina tried to hide the pool’s irregular shape by imposing a paving pattern that puts the pergola

in a focal position. The trees behind the pergola were a block of “Ficus Nitida” trees, blocking the view. Zeina took out every other tree and linked the remaining




ones in an arch form. This way the view was framed, and it could be contemplated while sitting under the pergola.

Once you have figured out the concept and laid a bubble diagram, then you should consider the following aspects:

1. Climate factors – Macro and Micro climates (Macro Climate: The climate of the region where the garden is located; Micro climate: The mini climate factors that could affect the life of a plant due to a wind draft, a water leakage, an unforeseen building site, with all its dirt, dust and paints.)

2. Light 3. Root environment 4. Hardscape 5. Position of the garden in regards to the position of the sun 6. The view 7. The location 8. The grade of the plot

How to Mount a Plan:

1. Draw an approximate outline plan of the space you are given 2. Take measurements of the outlined plan. 3. Try to estimate the angles‐through visuals or through calculations. 4. Establish a position for your garden – e.g.: where you want to enter it from

and how you want to position the seating area in regards to the view, to the house to the bar‐b‐q etc.




Once steps 1,2,3 and 4 are on the go, then you can start developing your concept.

And that is: dividing up the space upon its purposes. It is best to conceive it through a bubble diagram. In the bubble diagram, you can decide where each function will be located by drawing bubbles and naming it according to its purpose. (See diag. 1 @ the last page of this course) The bubble diagram helps you develop a good perception of space division.

Now that you have the locations of each purpose divided, then you can start establishing it with a scaled ruler on your plan.

Take each space individually from the bubble diagram and design it implementing preliminary details. That means specifying each location with the ground covers, whether it is pavement, grass or decking, seating and lounging areas. Space division is done according to the existing space in relation with the clients’ requirements.

This Mexican Hacienda’s design has a lot of controversy. This contrast in elements and shapes and the multiple usages of colors has given this space a real exclusive look. The

repetitive usage (or existence) of the blue color, in many consecutive spaces, and in different materials, gives a sense of unity to the space.




In this picture the blue is used in fabric, as well as the color of the swimming pool and the deep blue ocean. The other unified element is the green color. The green in this picture is produced in many shapes and textures and in different tones. The paving has earth colors, which is a derivative of the plants and greens, and carries the same color as the roof tiles.

The arches of the boundary walls are seen again on the outline of the swimming pool, reinforced with the well‐shaped Buxus Sempervirens* hedges picking up the same line of the swimming pool.

Sketch 4: English garden in Hampstead, one of London’s suburbs. Designed by Zeina Majdalani,

Landscape Architect @ the

Landscape Academy.

This rectangular garden’s geometry was broken through establishing a naturalistic water feature with its extending curves through plantations that cut the stiffness of the straight lines. The hard edge geometrical lines were also broken through the choice of plant and trees. The trees chosen here have soft and asymmetrical shapes. When these shapes are used in hard edge geometrical gardens, they soften the look of a garden and give it a friendlier aspect.

It is always advisable to consider the view while planning.




DO NOT FORGET TO MAKE THE CIRCULATION SMOOTH AND WITH COMFORTABLE AND EASY ACCESS. REMEMBER THAT YOU DO NOT WANT TO FEEL COMPELLED EVERY TIME ONE NEEDS TO MOVE AROUND IN THE GARDEN.

Sketch 5: Tropical garden in Laguna Beach, California.

Designed by Zeina Majdalani, Landscape Architect at the Landscape Academy.

This tropical garden in Laguna Beach was conceived upon the requirement of the client.In this specific project the client asked us for a swimming pool, a bar, a bar‐b‐q, a waterfall, green space and a deck for sun lovers. The whole area of the garden is (30m*45m). Zeina came up with this solution, and the client found everything he had asked for under one roof, including the budget. The waterfall is not exactly an aspect of tropical, yet the palm trees, the tropical plantation and the Hawaiian bar created this look. The corner disposition of the bar and the waterfall give ample space and certainly the illusion of a large and effective garden. The interlocking of the deck and the lawn permits us to enjoy both elements without displeasing the eye.

Make a list of your requirements:

1. Bar‐B‐Q 2. Swimming Pool 3. Pond 4. Water fountain 5. Bridge 6. Seating Area




7. Trees and Plants 8. Pergola 9. Paved Area 10. Lawn 11. Creating Hard or Soft Fences

Bar‐b‐q

THE BAR‐B‐Q IS BEST LOCATED WITHIN A CLOSE REACH TO THE KITCHEN. THE BAR‐B‐Q IS BEST BUILT WITH BRICKS. BRICK IS A MATERIAL THAT HANDLES HEAT VERY WELL. IT TOLERATES IT WITHOUT ANY CAUSE OF HEAT DAMAGE.

Bar‐b‐qs are best located close to the kitchen area. This way transporting food would be a lot easier when the bar‐b‐q is close at hand. These days the bar‐b‐q is a decorative item that is placed in a well‐seen area. People prefer to install a small kitchen outside rather than having to take the load inside the house. Therefore, a sink and a working top are always a necessity to create next to the bar‐b‐q grill. You can always make use of the space below the sink and the bar‐b‐q for summer storage, where you locate some wooden closets with iron cast handles and hinges.

Most modern gardeners rightly consider a barbecue as an essential element in the garden. In climates where the weather allows regular evening meals outdoors, a barbecue in brick or stone, which blends well with the masonry in the rest of the garden, can be aesthetically pleasing, provided that the cooking area is kept clean. For more irregular use, a good quality portable barbecue may be more convenient. An inherently attractive and substantial stone slab, permanently timber, which forms an integral part of the garden design, best provides a table. Alternatively mundane looking but strong kitchen tables can be converted into ornamental garden tables by decorating them with tiles, fragments of stone or marble set in cement.

Swimming Pool




The SWIMMING POOL is so attractive in a Landscape that wherever you locate it, it would be the focal point of your design. Therefore, we suggest you give it the importance it deserves. Make it always the focal point in your garden.

Its color and texture contrast with the color green as well as the color of the garden.

Becoming a professional pool designer is another profession. So, you as a garden designer, all you need to do is chose the location and the shape of the swimming pool you wish to implement and a professional company will carry out the job from there.

How do I choose the shape of the pool?

The shape of the pool is chosen among the request of the client in combination with your suggestion. Your suggestion however, will depend on the spirit of the garden, its shape as well as its size. The size should be moderate. It should not occupy more than half the size of the garden. That is if the garden is small.

If the garden is in the medium range then the size should be a 1/3 pool to 2/3 gardens.

When the size of the garden is allocated among the large ones, then you design a good size pool that is appropriate to the requirements of the clients.

Remember you do not want a lake.

Always remember to leave ample space around the pool for enthusiast sunbathers.

Make sure you leave ample space around the pool for good circulation and sometimes for enthusiast bathers. Make sure the pool is not over shadowed by a tree/s. Otherwise the pool would be constantly dirty with leaves. It is always advisable to pave the area around the swimming pool. Otherwise the pool would attract easily any loose soils, stranded leaves or the mud from a soaked grass. So beware, always pave the surrounding of your pools.




A 2.5 meters offset lines from the pool is a very decent space to leave for people to circulate, sunbath or any other usage of the space.

Pergolas

Pergolas are usually distanced from the house since they create ample volume. They are usually located at a connecting point of the garden. For example, if the garden has an “L” shape then its most advisable location is at the corner of that “L”.

Pergolas’ location has a great dependency upon providing shadow. Therefore, the location of the pergola has to be well studied in regards to the sun’s position.

However in the picture below the pergola is coming as an extension to the house.

This house is located in Northern Italy. Although the surrounding has a Mediterranean flare, yet its architecture is totally Mexican.

Pergolas could be made of several materials. The cost of it plays a big role in this area.

You could have a pergola made out of concrete, wood or iron. It all depends on you and your client. The most moderate and successful ones

are the ones made of concrete. The cost is much less than the wooden ones, the duration is longer and the looks can be very attractive if given the right colors as well as the right shape.

Here again, the shape is determined in regards with the volume of the house and the surrounding trees and any upright structure.

In this area of design, it would be the opposite concept of the swimming pool. The pergola must never exceed the importance of the house itself. The pergola should look like a continuation of the house itself. And in fact it should naturally carry a less importance in the design hierarchy.




When you chose to build a wood pergola, then you should take into consideration the weather factor that would eventually discolor the wood from its originally chosen color.

However, wood has its glory. Nothing can replace wood in terms of looks and its sense of chic.

Remember, you can only use a limited type of woods when it comes to the outside. Some woods do not tolerate water or heat, and if exposed to either or both they would change their shapes, and it could look quite disastrous. So beware, only use the right type such as Teak Wood, Beech Wood or any kind of Hard Wood. Make sure to specifically indicate the outside usage when dealing with the carpenter.

The old classic way for a ceiling is the usage of roof brick tiles. Their usages has never ceased, especially now that the new ones are reproduced very similar to an old antique look, with many colors incorporated as though it has been weathered through the years.

Concrete columns (30cm*30cm*240cm) Plastered and painted in blue. Wooden poles rest on top of the concrete columns with cast iron links to create the arch.




Concrete Columns with wooden joists and beams covered with cane

This circular pergola (above & below) is made of wooden poles. Cast iron structure rest on the wooden pole to form a frame for the shade that is made out of cane.

Ponds are usually best placed at the far end of a garden. As they are mostly best appreciated through a distance. Since its performance is more visual than functional. Ponds are usually dug in the ground to the desired shape and depth. Ponds are best‐painted black. Black is the best color to create a reflection of the landscape

features around the water. The darker the pond is the more reflection it gives.




Water Fountains come in all sorts of shapes and functions. There are Wall hung fountains, as well as classical floor ones. It could be your creation as well as someone else’s. It all depends what impact you want to give to your designed garden.

By its capacity to reflect the color and changing moods of the sky, water can introduce excitingly different visual experiences into a garden. When allowed to fall or cascade, the sound of water can become a soothing and therapeutic component of the natural world. The presence of a water feature also makes it possible to bring plants of a different character into the garden no land plant offers quite the same enchanting qualities as a water lily trembling on a surface, rippled by the stealthy passage of a fish.

The magical effects of water can be introduced into even tiny gardens by making mini‐ponds. A pond as small as a deep washbasin will provide sufficient water to allow a water lily to thrive or a pair of gold fish to swim. The plastic lining of some commercially sinking it into the ground can easily mask‐produced ponds. Or a brick or stonewall can be erected around it, with soil used to fill the gap in between making potential planting space for trailing or small mound forming plants. As with any water feature an important caveat is that you must be prepared to do a good deal of light maintenance work, and this is particularly necessary if you have small, still ponds which will become stagnant unless they are kept clean.

The reflective surface of water attracts the eye, making it possible to create beckoning vistas, which create the illusion of a larger garden. This can be accomplished by building narrow canals of only 1 ½ ft (45 cm) in width, which, even if they are only 6 in (15 cm) deep, will provide sufficient root space for many attractive aquatic plants.

Such canals can link small ponds, alter direction and, if connected by weirs, change levels. The non‐aquatic planting areas can be confined to the bases of the perimeter walls, gaps in terracing and dry islands between ponds and canals.




Canal side paths, low bridges or stepping‐stones will provide circulation in water gardens of this kind.

Gushing waterfalls are rarely convincing in small gardens and the sound of their splashing can become irritatingly dominant. But the gentle splash of small quantities of water tumbling back from a single plume fountain into a pond or the gradual trickle of water from a wall jet into a basin can be very pleasing and introduce a feeling of casual animation to the garden.

A bridge is best located above a pond or a stream, or even a bush of plants. Wooden bridges tend to give the garden a romantic and warm aspect.

Preferably, seating areas are best chosen close to the house outlet or in a location that provides a view. Furniture has to complement the design aspect of a space. It is very rare where you could use a contrast in the design aspect with the furniture as elements. Look in our “Hardscape” course and you will find more elaboration regarding furniture.

Trees and Plants are chosen according to its size, hardiness, texture, color, Expected growth size, shape, and volume and root space.

When choosing a tree, your first question should be about its expected growth. It is irresponsible and hopeless if you plant a tree that will grow out of proportion in 3 years time. This is a very important issue that designers have to bear in mind regarding plantations. This information is usually provided on the tree tag, if not then the nursery is responsible in providing all of the necessary information.

Lawn, though cheaper in installing than paving, requires high maintenance to




keep it attractive. Please look in our chapter “ESTABLISHING LAWNS” for any information regarding installments.

Lawn is best viewed in large areas. Never attempt to implement it in corridor garden. It defeats the purpose. Though it requires a high maintenance; yet, nothing tops it in a landscape. Without lush green lawn, life would be dull.

Botanically, it is much more rewarding to pack a small area with beautiful and interesting plants than to create a lawn. In a small garden the lawn tends to be heavily used, continually suffering from treading and compacting and this usually produces a scarred patchy effect radically different from the velvety emerald sward displayed on seed and fertilizer packets. My own advice would be against including a conventional lawn in the plan for any small garden. To achieve a smooth palette of green as a counterpoint to the fussiness of shrubs and flowering plants, an alternative strategy is to be very deliberate and create a micro lawn a specially raised rectangular trough.

Construct the trough by building walls of brick or stone 1 ½ ft (45cm) high, 6 ½ ft (2m) long and 2 ft (60cm) wide. After pouring 10 in (25cm) of compacted hardcore or gravel into the bottom of the trough, top it up with good loam and either sow lawn seed or lay pre‐cut turf.

One or several such raised micro lawns can be located in sunny sires in the garden as green plinths, and used in the overall design like any other bulky artifacts. Holes in the walls supporting the micro lawns are useful for drainage or to hold trailing plants for additional interest. Micro lawns introduce an interesting change into the contours of the garden and are easy to keep neat and tidy, as an alternative to lawn grass. They can be planted up with green or gold miniature thymes, thymus minimus and Thymus aureus. These emit a wonderful heady fragrance, flower in season and tolerate crushing.

Chamomile combines scent with a lovely feathery texture. At soil level, small leaved low‐growing ground cover plants such as the burr (Acaena microphylla) and Ajuga reptans also make an admirable substitute for a lawn.




Please go to Establishing Lawn LA 106 and you will get all the details regarding this subject.

More deliberate "trompe l’oeil" (trick of the eye) effects include the use of false perspective trellis, which can seem to create alcoves in walls, and the placement of mirrors to reflect back intriguing views. In one of the most impressive small gardens I have seen, a small stream seemed to lead from a little pond out of the garden through a low arch in its wall and meander on between flowers toward another pond. In fact the arch was merely an arch shaped arrangement of bricks protruding from the perimeter wall surface confining an area of outdoor grade mirror. Its reflected plants and water gave the impression that the garden flowed with the water beyond the wall.

Bonita Bay, on the Mediterranean Sea . Designed and executed by Zina Majdalani

Behind those windows and door, there is a concrete wall retaining a mountain of earth. The designer chose to mount real windows and an actual door to give the impression of life behind those elements, where in fact there's nothing except a boring grey concrete wall.

Another ploy is to set a wrought iron gate in a specially built deep alcove in the end wall of the garden. If the alcove is deep enough and grown between the gate




and the wall will evoke a sense of a second garden beyond the main one. Coupled with a heavy gauge mirror backing to the apparent doorway, this trick seems to effectively double the length of the plot. Some art is needed to mask the edges of inset mirrors, either with foliage or trelliswork, to provide a frame for the illusion.

Fences could be created out of any material. It all depend on its function:

• Wall fences are what we would call a hard fence. Its category lies within the hardscape. It creates a strong physical enclosure. Walls could be decorated with ivy, narrow tall plants or trees. You could place your water fountain on one of the sides. Or even, hang pictures made out of stones or plaster. In some areas of your wall you can hang a mirror, and that would give the sense of a “trompe l’oeil” (cheating the eye). It would give a sense of extra space.

• Plant hedges are what we would call a soft fence. It fits well in the softscape category. There are a variety of plants and trees that are specifically used for that purpose. (Please look up the selection under Soft Fences in the hardscape session).

In the “Hardscape” course, you will find an elaboration on all non‐living garden accessories. In general, garden accessories give life and character to a garden. It also gives it warmth and a feeling of belonging. (Not to forget that some gardens are designed to give a cold feeling full of power and statements.) You will find the sense and purpose of designs in our “History Of Garden Design” course.

SEATING Areas and Materials

Seating areas should mostly be considered in shaded areas. Especially in warm countries where the sun is burning hot. Therefore you should consider the positioning of the garden in relation to its sun positioning.

Seats can either be bought commercially or made out of concrete or bricks. The Latter is a cheaper version of accommodating seating areas into a garden. However, it cannot be moved around like wooden or plastic furniture do. Seats formed as integral parts of boundary walls in the same stone or brick also work




well, and some of the most satisfactory seats are the simplest large railways sleepers or stone blocks fixed against a wall. Try to position any seating to offer the most pleasing and attractive view of the garden. For portable seating avoid using plastic seats which inevitably introduce an undesirable synthetic element to the garden and choose the plainest covering materials you can find for folding seats, which have the advantage that they can be stacked away easily in wet weather.

Just as a pergola can alter our perception of a garden’s size so other visual devices can trick the eye. One way of giving a small garden some character is to create different levels, linked by ramps or steps, which offer an element of surprise and may help to create sheltered environments to suit a larger variety of plants. Any such changes in contour should be noted careful on the site plan before any earth moving begins.

These are preliminary points of garden design. Your knowledge would enrich when you combine all the information given to you regarding the plants, lawns, hardscape…etc with the experience you gain in the working fields.

Documents

LANDSCAPE ACADEMY COURSES St To GD Dac LA 102.pdf · In this design, the pool existed along with the wall. Zeina tried to hide the pool’s irregular shape by imposing a paving pattern