Landscape Gardening: Designer Art

Everyone knows landscape gardening includes planting some flowers and maybe
creating a walkway. But did you know it is a form of designer art?
Landscape gardening is a process of matching garden and yard styles to the
house and your unique persona. It is creating a masterpiece that will evoke
a mood when you look upon the final product. Like gazing at a Rembrandt
painting, viewing a finished and well thought out landscape gardening
project is powerful and pleasing. It is an experience for the mind, the body
and the soul.

Driven By Purpose

Any major project requires planning. A painter must determine why a
picture is being painted, because the purpose drives the perspective.
Landscape gardening requires the same forethought. Functionality must be
considered when landscape gardening. Designing a landscape for privacy may
result in a significantly different plan than one created for simple viewing
of beauty. The primary purpose of the project is set and everything is
planned around that purpose. The very first question is whether the project
is for business or personal purposes? Is it primarily for viewing,
recreation, to add value to the house or to provide sunblock? Answers to
these questions will drive the planning stages of the landscape gardening
project.

Stylish Accommodation

Deciding what style to use in your landscape gardening plan is a major
decision. There are many choices. Landscape gardening styles accommodate
every kind of personality, house, neighborhood or business. There are basic
styles that should first be considered. The final product may be a
combination of several styles.

? Traditional and orderly shapes and patterns, such as straight walkways and
square flowerbeds, characterize a Formal Garden.

? An informal garden is more likely to have rounded plant beds, meandering
walkways and an array of plants and flowers not necessarily typical of a
traditional garden.

? The English Garden is very formal and has certain characteristics such as
raised flowerbeds and the expectation of certain plants, such as roses.
Landscaping gardening in this style is structured around the type of enhance
the house or building on the property.

? The Oriental Garden is also very formal but in a different way. It has
plants and flowers normally seen in the occidental countries such as Japan.
It has a pattern of simple lines and stark form, but carries a beauty unique
to its origins.

? The Woodland Garden is a natural looking garden that frequently blends
into the surrounding environment. Often, this type of garden has plants and
flowers indigenous to the area where the landscape gardening will take
place.

Feng Shui

Feng Shui is the arrangement of objects in your life to attract and enhance
life energy. Landscape gardening is one form of Feng Shui in the natural
world. By defining the purpose of your landscape project and then matching
the style to that purpose, Feng Shui is created. The result is a vista out
your back window that can energize or soothe or excite, depending upon the
mood created with your planning.

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• AUSTRALIA GARDENING LANDSCAPE
• Landscape Gardening Design
• Apprenticeship in Landscape Gardening

Landscaping gardening jobs offer a great variety of work environments. Landscape gardeners work on the grounds of private homes and sometimes inside private homes. They work in office settings, in shopping malls, in industrial parks and in institutions like hospitals and universities. Even though the settings vary and some of the work is indoors, most landscape gardening jobs require you to work outside.

As a landscape gardener you will have the responsibility of doing a variety of tasks in order to construct and maintain outdoor and indoor gardens in many different settings. You will work with a great variety of tools and different kinds of equipment that will help you perform your tasks. Depending on where you are employed, it might be necessary for you to work weekends so that you can avoid coming into contact with the public or customers during regular business hours.

Not all people who work at landscape gardening jobs work for companies that provide horticultural and landscaping services. In the United States, for example, only about thirty percent of the people employed in landscape gardening work for such companies. The majority of landscape gardening workers are employed by businesses or by organizations and institutions such as hospitals, schools, real estate firms, parks, municipal governments and recreation and amusement facilities. About twenty percent of the people involved in the landscape gardening industry are self-employed.

Besides a variety of working locations, landscape gardening jobs also provide good exercise and the opportunity to work in the fresh air. Landscape gardening jobs are often listed in the classified section of newspapers or are posted on the job boards of employment centres. Information about these jobs is frequently passed by word of mouth. If you are applying for a landscape gardening job, your resume should highlight your special skills in using equipment, as well as your skills and experience with specific types of gardening or plants. It will certainly be to your advantage if you have had formal training in this profession. Many colleges and other training schools offer certificate or diploma courses in landscape gardening.

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The genus Acacia is important to the Australia gardening landscape because one of its species, the Golden Wattle, is in Australia?s national floral emblem.
The Australians even celebrate Wattle Day of the first of September each year. There are almost a thousand species of Acacia in Australia, and they make wonderful garden plants. Their flowers are arranged in either globular heads or cylindrical spikes. Depending on the species, there can be as few as three individual flowers to over one hundred and thirty. These plants flower throughout the year. Regular pruning will help these plants live longer.

Leptospermum, commonly known as tea trees, are also popular on the Australian gardening landscape. They are so-named because early Australian settlers used the leaves as a substitute for tea. There are eighty-three species. The tea trees are excellent garden plants. They have a tight, compact growth that makes them good screen plants. They are hardy plants that thrive in most types of soil.

Among the most interesting plants in the Australian gardening landscape are the Kangaroo Paws. These unique plants are exported all over the world. Kangaroo Paws vary in height and colour depending on the species. The one called Bush Ranger has orange flowers that grow on stalks up to fifty centimeters tall. It is drought tolerant and can survive mild frost. The species known as Dwarf Delight has apricot coloured flowers on stalks up to eighty centimeters tall. This plant is known for its longevity. The Tall Kangaroo Paw has flowers in a wide variety of colours, but most commonly yellow-green. This plant is adaptable to a wide range of soil and climate conditions. It grows well in full sunlight or partial shade. The Red and Green Kangaroo Paw has brilliant red and green flowers on a stalk about a meter high. It is a short-lived plant that botanists treat as an annual. Another favourite is called Pink Joey. It has salmon-pink flowers on spikes about fifty centimeters long. It, too, is a hardy plant. The Black Kangaroo Paw likes the sun and does not grow well in cool climates. Its flowers and stalks are covered by a dense layer of black hairs. There is much more for the gardener to discover about the Australia gardening landscape.

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The Grass Is Greener

Why does your neighbor’s grass look greener and the flowers healthier? Why
is he enjoying his patio while you are removing sod layers to build a
walkway? The answer is easy. Your neighbor spent time on his landscape
gardening design to insure it had all the desired elements, including a
sprinkler system. You got in a hurry and forgot to draw in the corner
flowerbed, and the men delivering the sod laid it right where you wanted to
plant. Then, you completely forgot about a sprinkling system and now must
spend a lot of time moving sprinklers so your expensive newly planted
flowers and shrubs don’t wither. As the old adage claims – it pays to plan
ahead.

For Your Consideration

Landscape gardening design is a lot more than grass and flowers. It is a
process encompassing the past and the future. In the past, you sat in your
lawn chair and often wished you had a retaining wall by the back property
line and a shade tree near the patio. The design process is where you
insure your landscaping future holds everything you desired. It is in the
planning and designing stage that the job is easiest. So it is important to
take into consideration everything you want included in your landscaping
project.

From The Underground Up

When beginning your landscape gardening design, don’t start above ground.
You begin the planning underground and then move up towards the sky.

? Determine if you need a sprinkler system. If so, include it in the design
even if you cannot afford it at project implementation. Adding a sprinkler
system in the future can be greatly simplified by doing as much
accommodating as possible in the present. For example, don’t build a raised
flowerbed out of block where you need to run a water line in the future.

? Decide if you want to include a pond in your landscape gardening design.

? Is there an existing deck that will require landscaping around the edges?

? Are you going to add a patio?

? Does a fence need to be built?

? Are any retaining walls necessary for stability?

? Are any buildings planned for construction?

? Should a gazebo be included in the design?

? Determine which plants will work best in each area to be landscaped,
fitting the bed designs to the plants you desire. Shade plants cannot be
planted in a raised bed built in full sun.

? Consider the root growth of trees. Trees planted in the wrong spot can
cause severe damage to patios and decks in the future.

Taking Time

It pays to take time when preparing a landscape gardening design. Walk
around the property, imagining the ideal landscape setting. Consider what
you can afford now and what you will be able to afford in the future.
Meshing the two together in your landscape gardening design can save a lot
of work and aggravation when you could be sipping lemonade in a lawn chair.

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Completing An Apprenticeship in Landscape Gardening

Many landscapers only work on residential or small commercial landscaping
jobs. They are professionals but not certified as a landscape architect.
A landscape architect is usually also a degreed engineer and licensed to
work on large public or commercial projects. In either case, completing an
apprenticeship in landscape gardening can lead to professional
certification.

Hard Work

Completing an apprenticeship in landscape gardening requires a lot of hard
work. A landscape apprentice is a working landscaper. In fact, an
apprentice is frequently assigned some of the hardest, dirtiest work
involved so they learn to understand a project from every perspective and
from beginning to end. It is the apprentice you will often see digging the
holes on a job. An apprenticeship in landscape gardening requires the
ability to do physical labor, lift heavy loads, work in all types of weather
and handle chemicals. A landscaper must be able to do math calculations,
have good eyesight and able to operate landscaping equipment.

Details

An apprenticeship in landscape gardening involves gaining experience and
knowledge in many landscaping areas.

? Apprentices learn the differences between residential, business and public
landscaping projects

? Interior and exterior garden design and planning is learned

? Apprentices gain knowledge about the various landscaping materials
available and their uses in projects

? Apprentices learn about soil types

? Apprentices learn about plants and trees and their different
characteristics, including how they grow, their texture, their full size

? Apprentices learn about pruning methods, sod varieties and plant thinning
methods

? Apprentices also learn about environmental laws and license requirements

? Apprentices planning on becoming landscape architects learn to read
engineering site surveys and site analysis

? Apprentices learn how to use landscape software and how to draw plans by
hand

? Apprentices study the artistic presentation of plants in a landscape

? Apprentices also study the view perspectives

The Program

It can take up to four years to complete an apprenticeship in landscape
gardening. There are schools around the world that offer programs.
Landscape architects are the highest level of landscape professional. They
work on large public jobs such as zoos, parks and public gardens. Landscape
architects design large commercial building landscapes projects.
Professional landscapers have completed an apprenticeship and work on the
smaller jobs. When deciding to hire a professional to complete a home
landscaping job, ask to see the certification as proof they are
knowledgeable in the landscaping field. Knowing the person you hire has
completed an apprenticeship in landscape gardening provides assurance that
you will get qualified assistance.

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Just Get It Done!

A gardening landscape plan is critical to the success of a landscaping
project. We live in a society that believes in sound bites and doing things
as fast as possible. That philosophy makes it easy to ignore the need for
careful planning. A gardening landscape plan should be prepared before a
single plant is purchased. It also needs to cover the entire project from
beginning to end. Saying, “Just get it done!” can result in an end product
that does not meet your expectations.

So Many Decisions

A proper gardening landscape plan involves many decisions.

* Decide how much you can afford to spend and fit your plan to your budget

* Determine if you will hire a professional landscaper or do the work
yourself or some combination

* Evaluate the purpose of the project. Is it primarily for privacy,
entertainment, sunblocking, to add to the value of the property, or for
viewing.

* Evaluate whether you can do the project all at once or will have to do it
in phases. If it is to be completed in phases, make sure each stage takes
into account the plans to be completed in the future. Don’t build a raised
flowerbed this year in the spot where a fishpond will be installed next
year.

* Decide each of the components of the project, such as fences, lighting,
walkways, shrubs and so on

* Determine what you want to plant and the purpose of each planting –
whether it be decorative or utilitarian

I Have a Proposition

A gardening landscape plan is a process that will require numerous
revisions. It is necessary to draw your plan on paper, beginning with the
dimensions and shape of the area to be landscaped. The plan should be drawn
to scale. Normally, a landscaping gardening plan uses symbols to indicate
what is to be included in the project. It is highly recommended you make
plenty of copies of the original area drawing, because it will take several
iterations to develop a plan you can afford and will work for the space.
A gardening landscape plan can be drawn for any size project. No matter
whether you are completely redoing your entire yard, or just creating a
flower garden, a gardening landscape plan should be developed.

The Payoff

The payoff for a detailed gardening landscape plan is a final project that
meets your expectations, and most likely stayed on budget. While developing
the plan, do continuous research. There may be many things you did not know
about which should be incorporated in your plan. For example, did you take
into consideration water runoff from that slope in your back yard? Did you
pick plants that suit your climate? Once your gardening landscape plan is
complete, it is time to start digging!

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The programs of the landscape gardening courses are designed to prepare graduates for employment in horticultural pursuits related to the development and maintenance of landscapes in both commercial and residential situations. Among the various programs offered by landscape gardening courses are: an associate?s degree, a general certificate, a certificate in production and a certificate in installation and maintenance.

Most landscape gardening courses place an emphasis on: plant propagation, plant identification, nursery and greenhouse culture, turf management, diseases of pests and plants, arboriculture, and the planning, construction and maintenance of landscapes. Other courses might include practical woodwork, garden design, soil science, plant science, and communications and word processing. Graduate students may also be required to take a pesticide applicator?s examination.

If you are looking for something beyond the college level diploma, some universities offer courses in landscape architecture, for which there is a Bachelor?s degree. Graduates can also work toward a Graduate Diploma in Landscape Design.

There are landscape gardening courses are that are designed for both hobbyists and professionals, and night courses are often available through continuing education programs. Students who apply for college or university courses in landscape gardening are usually people who have shown an interest and proficiency in subjects associated with horticulture and botany.

For students who have the self-discipline for home study, there are also online courses. Some academies have courses available on CD through mail order. These courses provide text and illustrations and offer a certificate upon successful completion for a written exam. However, the person who seriously wishes to pursue landscape gardening as a career would probably be advised to inquire at a recognized teaching institution.

There are many employment opportunities for people who have graduated from a recognized educational institution with a degree or certificate in landscape gardening. Such people are not only employed domestically as gardeners, although that option is there. They are also employed by institutions as diverse as golf courses and large hospitals. They design and maintain indoor and outdoor gardens for shopping malls, industrial parks, municipal buildings and universities. They take care of public parks at every level from small town squares to the vast holdings of federal governments. There is a great demand for graduates of landscape gardening courses.

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Landscape Gardening: Designer Art

Everyone knows landscape gardening includes planting some flowers and maybe
creating a walkway. But did you know it is a form of designer art?
Landscape gardening is a process of matching garden and yard styles to the
house and your unique persona. It is creating a masterpiece that will evoke
a mood when you look upon the final product. Like gazing at a Rembrandt
painting, viewing a finished and well thought out landscape gardening
project is powerful and pleasing. It is an experience for the mind, the body
and the soul.

Driven By Purpose

Any major project requires planning. A painter must determine why a
picture is being painted, because the purpose drives the perspective.
Landscape gardening requires the same forethought. Functionality must be
considered when landscape gardening. Designing a landscape for privacy may
result in a significantly different plan than one created for simple viewing
of beauty. The primary purpose of the project is set and everything is
planned around that purpose. The very first question is whether the project
is for business or personal purposes? Is it primarily for viewing,
recreation, to add value to the house or to provide sunblock? Answers to
these questions will drive the planning stages of the landscape gardening
project.

Stylish Accommodation

Deciding what style to use in your landscape gardening plan is a major
decision. There are many choices. Landscape gardening styles accommodate
every kind of personality, house, neighborhood or business. There are basic
styles that should first be considered. The final product may be a
combination of several styles.

? Traditional and orderly shapes and patterns, such as straight walkways and
square flowerbeds, characterize a Formal Garden.

? An informal garden is more likely to have rounded plant beds, meandering
walkways and an array of plants and flowers not necessarily typical of a
traditional garden.

? The English Garden is very formal and has certain characteristics such as
raised flowerbeds and the expectation of certain plants, such as roses.
Landscaping gardening in this style is structured around the type of enhance
the house or building on the property.

? The Oriental Garden is also very formal but in a different way. It has
plants and flowers normally seen in the occidental countries such as Japan.
It has a pattern of simple lines and stark form, but carries a beauty unique
to its origins.

? The Woodland Garden is a natural looking garden that frequently blends
into the surrounding environment. Often, this type of garden has plants and
flowers indigenous to the area where the landscape gardening will take
place.

Feng Shui

Feng Shui is the arrangement of objects in your life to attract and enhance
life energy. Landscape gardening is one form of Feng Shui in the natural
world. By defining the purpose of your landscape project and then matching
the style to that purpose, Feng Shui is created. The result is a vista out
your back window that can energize or soothe or excite, depending upon the
mood created with your planning.

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• Landscape Gardening Design

First Impressions Made With Landscape Gardening Entry Garden Plans

We have all relied on first impressions to determine our attitude. When you
approach a house or building, the same rules apply. Landscape gardening
entry garden plans can make sure that first impression is positive. The
driveway, the walkway, the path, the flowerbeds, and the grass all should be
arranged in such a way that the picture creates a pleasing response.

Dear Visitor ? Welcome

The entryway to any property should send the proper message. Landscape
gardening entry garden plans can be used in any circumstance. It doesn?t
matter if the area is acreage or is small, such as a spot next to the
driveway. The entry landscaping must be planned and must mesh with the
overall project. In every circumstance, landscaping entryways has one major
purpose ? to send a welcome to whoever walks by the area.

Getting Attention

Landscape gardening entry garden plans have two overriding goals. They are
as follows.

? To call attention to the area

? To send a message through natural beauty

Whether a business or a home, the right landscape gardening entry garden
plans can attract the right kind of attention. Businesses use landscaping
to attract customers. Home owners use landscaping at their entrances to
create a path to a door or to fill in an unusable spot or to give the
landscape project a finished touch. In both cases, the beauty of a good
entry garden plan offers a message that says ?welcome?.

Location Matters

As with all landscaping projects, planning is the key to success. A
business located downtown will not have a lot of space for landscaping at
the front door. Instead, they use container gardens artistically arranged.
The same principles apply though. The containers and plants must blend with
the design of the building and the overall d?cor. Businesses must also
consider the driveways leading to the entrances and the area along the
street. Landscape gardening entry garden plans will address the space
issues. The same is true for a residential landscaping project. It does
not make sense to landscape the back yard and not match the front yard to
the same design. The whole yard area should be planned as part of the
project so that the landscaping is uniform. This means the front entry
gardens should be use the same theme as the backyard gardens, whether it is
formal or informal. Always remember the front entry gardens are what the
world sees first when arriving at your house.

Planning Is Always the Key To Success

Landscape gardening entry garden plans are critical for landscaping success.
The plans can help you choose the right containers, the appropriate plants
and the right materials. Entry plans offer solutions to space problems and
odd size areas. The right entry plans can also help call attention to a
business or a home. There are many plans available and research should be
conducted to determine which plan would fit your project. The keys to
success lie in landscape gardening entry garden plans.

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For your gardening landscape, London gardening dealers have absolutely everything you could imagine, and then some. Whether it is seed, bulbs or already growing plants, you will find it at London gardening centres. Are you thinking of starting from scratch to make a new gardening landscape? London gardening experts can tell you exactly how to go about doing it, from turning the first spade full of earth to planting the last flowers. They will have everything you need for fencing, decking, trellising, walling, lawn laying, paving or putting in a patio or a water feature. They can tell you the best way to clear your land and design your new garden.

Do you need help putting in your new gardening landscape? London professionals have all the expert services you need to make your garden a showpiece. They will tell you all you need to do to plan your garden before you even dig a hole or buy a plant.

For example, do you know how to assess your garden site? First you determine the garden?s aspect. That is, does it face north-south or east-west? This affects the types of plants you can grow. What is the soil type? Is the soil light, heavy, dry, wet, neutral, alkaline or acidic? What is the drainage like? What about topography? If your ground is sloped, do you want to terrace it? All of these points will help you decide just what kind of a garden you can put in.

Now, as you take the next step toward developing your new gardening landscape, London garden experts suggest you decide what your garden?s function is to be. How are you going to use it now and in the future? Will you want a patio where you can sit out? You might want a gazebo, where you can sit during a rain shower. How are you going to irrigate your garden? Will you need a play area for children? Do you wish the focal point to be a water feature, or will a sundial be more appropriate? All of these questions and more will come up as you plan your gardening landscape. London professionals will have the answers.

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