Landscaping Around Home Get Help, Plan Carefully

By Fred Buscher and Jot Carpenter.

Landscape development for a home on a few acres can be approached differently than for a small lot. The house on a small city lot has little space for plantings in the front or back yard. A suburban house site has more room for plantings, even hobby gardening such as roses, flowers, vegetables, and fruit, or even sports such as tennis.

But the opportunities to develop a landscape for a large lot or small acreage are almost unlimited. With planning, it's possible to find the space for most outdoor activities, such as gardening hobbies and small farming ventures.

The house and other buildings on the property can be visibly enhanced with plants. The landscape around the home should provide pleasure and convenience to the family but still be easy to maintain. With good planning, the landscape should be useful, add value to the property, and provide beauty for the family and community to enjoy.

Although it's possible for an owner to develop a landscape plan, you would be best advised to consult with a landscape architect or landscape designer to prepare a master plan. You could hire a consultant for a preliminary study and, combined with reading and self-study, complete the plan yourself.

A great deal of garden literature deals with landscape design of small properties. Many people have accumulated a library of information and through experience and observation know what they want in the landscape and garden.

Each residential planting plan can be unique. No two houses, sites, or families are exactly alike. It follows that no single landscape plan will fit all properties or answer the requirements of all families.

A landscape design needs to be developed for the architectural style and lines of the house. The building materials, colors, and entryways can offer clues and suggest landscape ideas for plants and structures. But most important, the planting should be designed for the people who will live there and use the land.

The landscape design process is a procedure used to develop a landscape plan that will be both useful and beautiful. First, information must be gathered and recorded on the conditions of the site and the needs of the people who will use the land. This information serves as the basis for development of a landscape program.

The extent to which a landscape program is developed will depend on the owner's or the family members' attitudes towards gardening and the outdoor environment. A desire for comfortable and beautiful surroundings can influence the amount of time and expense devoted to grounds maintenance.

A limited budget should not prevent you from developing a landscape plan. Most of the preparation, planting, and construction can be completed by the homeowner and the family.

Larger projects or extensive plantings can be phased and budgeted over a period of years. This is why a landscape plan is an essential first step. It permits all parts of the total landscape to be fitted together at later times like parts to a puzzle. When carefully planned, the finished landscape will be a complete and pleasing picture, rather than a jumble of plants and accessories unrelated to each other.

Site Analysis

First step in landscape planning is the orderly and logical recording of conditions and facts on the buildings and land area. The most useful landscape design will depend on how well the landowner or consultant can overcome or modify site restrictions, or enhance and protect the property's good points.

An analysis of the site should include a list of the existing conditions, natural or manmade, that have immediate or potential effects on the property. These can include anything that is heard, seen, smelled, or felt.

Size and shape of the land, direction of the sun, winds, and views all present restrictions and/or opportunities to landscape a small acreage. The land and buildings each express some characteristics, beauty, advantages, and limitations. The owner or designer of the landscape needs to get the feel for the land to understand what the site has to offer, suggest, or express.

Success or failure in producing a functional landscape plan often depends on how well the designer understands the site's characteristics. Each site, no matter how small, offers some unique opportunities.

Organization of the land and outdoor spaces is critical so that all the use requirements of the owner can be met. The landscape should look good 12 months of the year, not only in spring and summer. Buildings, plants, and structures can be planned to strengthen each other. No amount of planting can overcome the lack of good organization.

Natural forces of sunlight, rainfall, winds, frosts, and temperature cannot be eliminated. However, they can be modified by the landscape design. Broad categories that must be considered are: climate, topography, land, soil, vegetation, house, utilities, and community. In the site analysis, these conditions should be located, described, and evaluated. A value judgment is needed on each condition. Is the condition useful? Is it good or bad?

Climate and weather affect outdoor activities more than any other factors. Plants or structures can be used to create shade, trap heat, redirect or slow wind movement. Minimum temperatures determine the kind of plants that can be grown. Temperatures also determine the range of outdoor work, gardening, and recreation activities. Landscape design is influenced by the effects of rainfall, frost-free periods, and wind direction.

The changing direction of the sun from winter to summer creates a whole different set of sun and shade patterns on the land and buildings. Knowing where there is sun or shade at different hours and seasons helps solve problems for plants, gardens, and outdoor activity areas.

Road noise, traffic, glare, and street lights affect the landscape. The pattern of street and auto headlights on the windows and outdoor areas impose a set of restrictions or benefits that may be modified with plants or structures.

Topography must be considered, too. Is the site sloping, or rolling? Will the planned activities work on the existing grade? Perhaps the activity should be changed. An alternative would be to modify the site by grading if the hobby or activity has a high priority.

Esthetically, sloping or rolling land is more dynamic and has more advantages for the design of the house and landscape. A level site has neutral and minor landscape interests. So more interests can be planned with fewer restrictions. On a flat site, bold colors and exotic materials are possible. Level areas have less protection from the wind so more climate control elements such as trees (windbreaks) or structures may be needed.

Drainage and grading are closely related problems. If a plant-growing activity is planned, drainage or grading may be needed. Even with only a few acres, a landowner should be concerned not to allow "brown water" to run off the property. Help on drainage or grading problems can be obtained from an engineer, landscape architect, the U.S. Soil Conservation Service, the Cooperative Extension Service, or a landscape contractor.

Soils information is needed for the site analysis to determine what plants (shrubs, flowers, vegetables, fruit) will grow best on the land or if changes must be made. A soil test can be obtained through the county Cooperative Extension Service. Results of the test will indicate the soils' lime requirement, fertility status, and if corrective or maintenance fertilizers are needed.

Many counties have a detailed soil survey made by the U.S. Soil Conservation Service. This gives more detailed data on the soil texture, structure, plant nutrient, and drainage characteristics. Knowing this helps you forecast the potential for growth, development, and success of a landscape planting, horticultural venture, or hobby.

Native plants on the property enable you to "read" the landscape and they provide clues to the local environment and soil conditions. Trees, such as red maple and sour gum, and shrubs, such as arrowwood viburnum or red-stemmed dogwood, can indicate wet or poorly-drained soils.

Identify and evaluate why the existing plants are growing on the site. Are they worthwhile? Do they add to the landscape? If they are removed, will this adversely affect or improve the area? Some native plants may be an asset, some a liability.

The House Plan

The house exerts a strong influence on landscape design. The house plan will affect the relation of the house to the outdoor areas and gardens. Rarely are the house and garden designed together.

A door from the kitchen or dining room is the logical place for outdoor cooking and eating. A door from the living room to an outdoor patio is a logical place to sit or entertain. A door from a bedroom could lead to a private garden.

Assess the views from inside the house looking out and from outside looking in. Should they be screened, hidden, or used? To be able to look into a neighbor's attractive landscape is like owning the land without the taxation.

Consider the impact of movement of people and vehicles about the place. Dimensions for outdoor use areas such as walks, steps, patios, and furniture are larger than inside. Walks should be wide enough for two people side by side, at least four feet wide.

The house tends to dominate on a residential property and be less dominant on an acreage. Most houses are geometric and the land around them can be developed with the same geometric or formal pattern.

The formal plan is still the easiest and safest for a landscape especially for smaller areas. On larger properties, the informal free-form design works best. The formal design can transition out from the house to the large informal space.

The value of trained landscape designers is their ability to integrate the site and program in a functionally good and esthetically pleasing way. Owners often are not able to express why they like what they see but will admit they find it attractive and enjoyable.

Utilities (water, sewers, electricity, telephone) need to be identified on the landscape plan. The location of meters, height of wires, sewer clean-outs, and tile lines all influence the placement of plants and gardens. So do walks, driveways and property easements.

In site analysis, circulation deals with people and vehicles on the property. Landscaping can enhance what people will feel, see, or experience as they walk or drive on the site. Are there enough lights for entering at night? Are the entrances visible?