Planting Design and Working Drawings

Texture, form, size, and color

Four physical characteristics of plants that provide interest, variety, and aesthetic appeal to a landscape.

Visual Value

It describes the energy or impact of the plant in relation to its surrounding. Some plants visibly dominates the other plants surrounding them thru distinct texture, form, size, and color. Upright forms, larger, bright colors, and coarse textures are dramatic and easily seen. While prostrate, smaller, dull/mute-colored and fine texture attracts less attention.

Function

When choosing tree form, consider __________ first.

Mature

Choose tree for its ____________ size and shape in relation to the space. This is to ensure that the tree will not outgrow the space, requiring less or no pruning.

Willow

This tree form is best used as an accent tree.

Pyramidal, columnar, and conical

These tree forms are best used as screening tree.

Spreading, round, and oval

These tree forms are best used for shade.

Mounding and spreading

These shrub forms look best in a mass.

Cascading and spiky

These shrub forms work well for individual specimen plants.

Upright, vase, mounded, and round

These shrub forms work best as taller screens and buffers.

Irregular and spreading

These shrub forms work well as groundcovers

Arching, cascading, pyramidal, and spiky

These shrub forms work best as focal points

Groundcover

Masses of ____________ plants usually lose individual form and look like one plant, so it's important to consider how plants will look as a mass.

Matting, spreading, or sprawling

These groundcover forms are used to form a solid, low cover over large areas.

Clumps or short spikes

These groundcover forms are used in smaller masses and work well in planters or enclosed areas.

Height

Psychology of space: tall, vertical forms draw the eye upward and add ________ to a space.

Width

Psychology of space: low horizontal forms pull the eye along the horizontal and add _______ to a space.

Boring/uninteresting.

Too many complex forms tend to look chaotic and non-cohesive, while too many simple forms can be _____________.

Natural

Establish the bulk of the composition using ___________ plant forms, rather than overtrimmed form.

Greener (darker), more elongated, and thinner.

Characteristics of shade-grown species compared to its sun-grown counterpart.

Root-shoot ratio

This refers to the 1:1 balanced ratio of root system and the foliage of a plant. This explains that new foliage growth will be balanced by new root expansion.

smaller

Acclimatized foliage plant materials has a __________ root system than sun-grown plants of similiar characteristics. Therefore requiring less nutrients.

Twelve months - four months

Foliage plants that are properly suited for indoor maintenance and growth must have been nursery grown and acclimatized in their final nursery container for ___________ or longer.

If acclimatized, shall have been held under appropriate lighting conditions for not less than ____________.

Outstanding branches

These are individual branches that protrude noticeably beyond a plant's main canopy or foliage mass. They disrupt the plant's overall symmetrical shape and are typically excluded when measuring a plant's standard width or height.

Ogee curve

A serpentine S-shape (sigmoid) consisting of two continuous curves—one convex and one concave—that seamlessly flow into one another.

Cyma recta

Features a concave (hollow) curve at the top that flows smoothly into a convex (rounded) curve at the bottom.

Cyma reversa

It features a convex (rounded) curve at the top that flows into a concave (hollow) curve at the bottom.

Acute

This angle type should be avoided in planting termination layouts.

Anchoring

a design technique where foundational plants—usually evergreen shrubs or small trees are used to provide the "bones" and enframement. They ensure that areas for planting and the adjacent spaces has structure, privacy, and visual interest.

Perpendicularly

Shelterbelts or windbreaks are most effective when oriented ___________ to the prevailing winds.

Reducing it by 50% for a distance that is 10% - 20% times the tree height downwind of the windbreak.

40% - 60%

A __________ (in percentage) permeability of the wind trough a windbreak provides optimal wind protection at 10 - 30 time the length of the windbreak.