Enterprise: Plant Science

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Enterprise Plant Science Unit Landscaping
Principles and Practices
Factor Information needed
I. Intro.
A. Landscaping is a growing field with many
career opportunities. B. Understanding the basics
of landscaping is useful in every life.
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• A. Selecting the correct plants for a landscape
  is critical for success.

II. Plant Selection
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B. Woody plants are primarily sold in three
forms 1. Bare-Root plants a. Cheapest and
lightweight. b. Slower growing and limited
planting times. 2. Balled and Burlapped
plants a. better root system on larger
plants. b. Transplanting season is longer. c.
Weigh a lot and are expensive. 3. Containerized
plants
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a. small and easy to handle. b. entire root
system is intact. c. long transplanting
time. d. can become rootbound. e. size is
limited. C. Herbaceous plants are sold in many
forms 1. seeds, bulbs, and bedding plants are
the most common. D. Plant selection
factors 1. Role factors- what function will it
serve.
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2. Hardiness factors- will it survive. a.
check hardiness zone for the plant. 1. Zones
1 through 11 2. We are zone 4 (-20 to -30)
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3. Physical factors a. mature size and rate
of growth. b.
branching habit, density of the canopy,
shape or silhouette.
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4. Cultural factors- requirements for growth
and maintenance. a. What pruning will be
needed. b. Is the soil and drainage
compatible. c. Is transplanting possible for
time. d. Potential insect or disease
problems. e. Do all plants have similar
needs. f. Are replacement plants available. g.
What are the clients attitudes towards
maintenance, etc.
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c. thorns and flowering types. d. leaf
size, thickness, and pubescence. e. type of
root system. f. seasonal variations
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• The outdoor room concept requires the designer to
  create outdoor rooms that correspond to the
  indoor design.
• 1. There can be up to four areas
• a. Public, Family, Service, Private living.
• 2. The area should have walls, floor, and a
  ceiling.

III. Outdoor room concept
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• B. The public area is the area seen by the public
  from the road or sidewalk. It has three
  functions
• Put the house in an attractive setting.
• Identify the entry.
• Provide access to the entry.

C. The family area is the social area of the
landscape. 1. Should tie into the social areas of
the house.
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2. Is usually the largest room of the landscape.
D. The service area is the utility area of a
landscape. 1.Its size will vary on need and
space 2. Should be close to the kitchen and
laundry areas or garage and include storage
areas, a kennel, clotheslines, etc.
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E. The private living area adjoins the bedroom
area of the house. 1. should provide a totally
private area to enjoy. 2. It has to be
directly accessible from the bedroom area. 3.
Some landscapes will not have a private area.
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IV. Design Principles
A. There are six principles of design which
should be followed when designing landscapes. 1.
Balance- there are three types a. symmetric- one
side is the mirror image of the other. b.
asymmetric- two sides are similar.
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c. proximal/distal- must be balanced near and
far. 2. Focalization of interest- positions
visually strong items into the design. 3.
Simplicity-keep it simple as possible while
maintaining interest. 4. Rhythm and line- using
repetition and lines to create smoothness.
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5. Proportion- Keeping size relationships
correct. 6. Unity-All parts work together to
create a design.
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V. Flowers
A. Flowers can fill many roles in the
landscape. 1. colors create focal points 2. smell
good
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3. attracts birds and butterflies 4. soften
harsh lines of buildings 5. suggest changes of
seasons B. Limitations 1. bees 2. no winter
value 3. expensive and high maintenance C. Life
spans 1. Annual- lives one year 2. Perennial-
lives several years 3. Biennial- lives two
years, usually blooming the second year
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D. Flower beds- freestanding and all flowers. 1.
designed to be seen from all sides 2. should not
be planted in public area, creates wrong focal
point. 3. difficult to design well.
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E. Flower borders- flowers planted in front of
other woody plants. 1. only seen from one
side. 2. easier to control color
effects. F. Naturalized plantings are used
to get park-like feel to area.
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F. Naturalized plantings are used to get
park-like feel to area.
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A. Enclosures have several functions. 1. Define
shape and limits of area. 2. Control traffic
patterns. a. height more important 3. Provide
privacy. b. total privacy hard to achieve 4.
Serve engineering needs. a. retaining
walls b. raised beds 5. Modify climate a.
slow wind
VI. Hardscape
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6. The combination of plants and enclosure
materials usually works best in landscapes. a. A
bare fence or wall can be boring.
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B. Water features are growing in popularity.
Limited only by imagination. 1. There are
design concerns a. What is its purpose? b. Is
it for looks, sound or both? c. Should it be
natural? d. Maintenance!!! e. Cost
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C. Surfacing materials should not be overlooked
when landscaping.There are four basic types 1.
Paving- high traffic areas a. Hard- concrete,
brick, stone 1 advantages- durability, low
maintenance, strength 2
disadvantages- heat absorption,
hazardous when wet, glare, expense b.
Soft paving- asphalt, loose aggregates
(gravel, wood chips)
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1 advantages- lower cost, faster
to install, fit anywhere, easy to
replace. 2 disadvantages- maintenance,
replacement needs, sticky or dusty. 2. Turf
grass- used in low use areas 3. Ground covers-
no use areas 4. flowers- no use areas D. Some
factors for selecting surfacing materials
include 1. cost, amount of use, appearance,
shape of area, effect on interior,
maintenance.
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E. Steps and ramps can be important parts of the
landscape. 1. Steps can be informal in width
(tread) and height (riser). 2. Number of
steps needed to tie two elevations together is
found by dividing the height change by the riser
height desired. 3. To match natural stride the
formula T (tread width) 2R (riser height)
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VII. Enrich-ment Items
A. Enrichment Items are parts of the landscape
that do not form walls, etc. 1. They add
interest or focal points. 2. There are
combinations from a. tangible (can be touched)
or intangible (sensed
but not touched). b. natural or
fabricated. 3. Tangible, Natural
Enrichment- boulders, rock outcroppings, etc.
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4. Tangible, Fabricated Enrichment- outdoor
furniture, lighting, art, water, etc. 5.
Intangible Enrichment- sound of running water,
fragrances, wildlife sounds, etc.