Planting Design Process

The height of these plants is also studied and proposed at this stage, allowing plants to be given labels such as “tall evergreen shrubs” or “small orna­mental tree.” The intent is to visually link (interconnect) the primary plants and to provide a composition of varied heights. It should be pointed out that specific plant names have not been considered—only plant characteristics. Figure 11-50
The location and arrangement of plants must be directly coordinated with the form and spatial composition of a design. Again, this should be done in direct coordination with form and spatial composition. The location and size of trees are refined as necessary. This can be done by adding graphic value with lines or color to the drawing in Figure 11—53. For example, dark foliated plants should ideally be drawn with a darker value while coarse-textured plants can be given a
Figure 11-53
Third, select the foliage color and plant textures. Plants with dark green foliage are typically used as backgrounds or as visual “anchors” below the canopy of lighter or more open deciduous trees. At the conclusion of preliminary design, plants should be located in general masses within the design and identified in generic terms such as “shade tree,” “low evergreen shrubs,” or “perennials.” The identification of plant ma-
Figure 11-49
Plant materials can screen the reflection from glass, water surfaces, and so on. At this stage, the main concern is to determine the location of trees, shrub masses, and general ground cover areas for definition of space, shade, screening, visual accent, and so on. Trees are usually located first because their relative large size has the greatest impact on the design. The next step should be to study the relative foliage color and texture of the plants. It is critical to understand that the process of designing with plant materials is an integral part of the overall design process. Plant materials should first be studied during the de­velopment of functional diagrams and then in all of the following steps of the design process. Nevertheless, good graphic techniques should prevail, making it likely that not all characteristics can be illustrated. The objective is to create a tapestry of varied colors of green along with a range of textures. Note how the ground forms and tree lo­cations reflect each other in all of these examples. Figure 11-52
Second, refine tree locations and subdivide shrubs into more specific masses. The design of forms on the ground plane and the related consideration of three-dimensional space must occur with plants in mind. rougher outline. An attempt should also be made to use graphic symbols that represent the visual character of the plants. Figure 11-51
First, establish the overall structure of the planting with trees and general shrub masses. Coarse-textured plants are commonly located to serve as ac­cents while fine textures are used for contrast. As is typical of preliminary design, specific botanical or common plant names are not identified or included. terials by specific common or botanical names usually waits until the preparation of the master plan. The process of designing with plant materials during preliminary design is one of studying and using plants in a broad-brushed manner. This occurs during the development of the master plan. All the primary plants, such as trees, are drawn as single plants or masses of single plants, while shrubs are shown as large undifferentiated masses. Consideration is also given to the desired visual characteristics of plants, including size, form, foliage color, and foliage texture. The designer has now established the skeletal framework of the planting design. In addition, shrub areas are subdivided into generic types such as “deciduous,” “coniferous evergreen,” and “broad-leaved evergreen.” Ground cover areas are likewise given more specificity by identifying general areas of ground cover, perennials, and annuals. Plants with light green foliage are best used as foreground plants or as contrasting elements in relation to darker ones.