If you’re thinking of landscaping options for your property, you can realistically consider almost any type of landscaping these days. Modern landscaping is based on high aesthetic values and very effective, cost-efficient, designs.
Landscaping is an art form, and its history goes back to ancient palaces and the fabulous Chinese gardens of classical times. Modern landscaping combines innovation with traditional design values. You can create a true European formal garden or a Hollywood-style rancho, with all the modern amenities built in.
Modern hardscaping allows a lot of creativity, too. It’s possible to create a true stately home in the English manner, or a German castle. You can have beautiful cottage gardens, fantastic rose gardens, or as many people do, reinstate the natural local environment in all its glory.
There are no real limits to design. CAD landscape design isn’t just “more technology selling a service”. It’s an extremely good way of exploring design choices. You can literally customize your landscape the way you want.
Landscape design as a practical land management choice
Landscape design is best known for its beautiful imagery and luxurious lifestyle connotations. Most people forget that landscape design is very often as practical as it is beautiful. Landscape design can be used to fix site issues, as well as create beauty. Best practice, in fact, is to combine the site’s needs with the landscape design.
If you’re in a complex landscape environment, you may experience issues like difficult site access, problems with elevated areas, drainage, or similar situations. These things are real issues that need solutions. Drainage can create destructive risks to buildings. Elevated areas, hills, and slopes can be difficult terrain for living and for access. Some natural landscapes are prone to land slips, erosion, and other types of deterioration.
Design theory and practice
Good landscape designs manage problems as well as creating beautiful living spaces.
For example:
- Terraced gardens look fantastic, and act as built-in land stabilizers.
- Walkways can be used as the surfaces of foundation bases for managing soils, particularly clay or unstable sandy soils. These walkways also act as excellent exterior presentation for some of America’s most beautiful homes in a vast range of environments.
- A fabulous garden can be made out of a low lying wet area, using water-loving plants and trees like willows, which are water gluttons, to manage drainage naturally.
- Native North American trees are often used to produce their legendary blazes of color, provide shade and shelter, and restore the natural environment. The natural environment self manages, resulting in a landscape design which delivers a low maintenance personal paradise.
- A beautiful formal garden, full of magnificent roses and other blooms, also acts as a perfect mechanism for managing site terrain. These very highly structured gardens are tough, hardy parts of a living landscape, designed to look fabulous and add amenities.
The fact is that landscape designs create both beauty and practical values. Custom landscape design is fun and exciting. We and our clients enjoy the journey as much as the result. Talk to us about your design needs, and find out why we love our work so much.