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Landscape Design
Creates Beauty
Enhances Value
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Landscaped Gravel Path |
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| DFLdesign |
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| DFLdesign is a full service landscape company providing professional design using premium products and quality workmanship. All aspects of landscape creation, from design to installation and maintenance, are masterfully executed by our professional staff. |
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| Great Landscaping |
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| Great landscaping lies in the eyes of its creator. We work with you to create your own vision using the fundamental principles of landscape design: unity, simplicity, balance, color, natural transition, line, proportion, and repetition keeping seasonal cycles in mind. |
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| Fundamental Principles of Landscape Design |
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| Unity |
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Driveway Landscape |
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| Unity is a main goal of design. It may be better understood and applied as consistency and repetition. Repetition creates unity by repeating alike elements like plants, plant groups, or decor throughout the landscape. Consistency creates unity in the sense that some or all of the different elements of the landscape fit together to create a whole. |
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| Unity can be achieved by the consistency of character of elements in the design. By character, is meant the height, size, texture, color schemes, etc. of different elements. |
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| A good example would be in the use of landscaping rocks and accent boulders. If you've ever seen a landscape design that had one large gray round boulder here and another large brown square granite boulder there and so on, then you've seen that unity wasn't created by this particular element. |
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| Simplicity |
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Poolside Landscape |
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Stepping Stone Path with Landscape |
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Panoramic Positioned Front Yard Landscape |
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| Simplicity is actually one of the principles in design and art. Simplicity in planting, for instance, would be to pick two or three colors and repeat them throughout the garden or landscape. Keeping decor to a minimum and within a specific theme as well as keeping hardscapes such as boulders consistent is also practicing simplicity. |
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| Balance |
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Balance in design is just as the word implies a sense of equality. There are basically two types of balance in landscape design: Symmetrical and Asymmetrical. |
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| Symmetrical Balance |
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| Symmetrical balance is where there are more or less equally spaced matching elements of the garden design. With a garden equally divided, both sides could share all or part of the same shape, form, plant height, plant groupings, colors, bed shapes, theme, etc. |
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| Asymmetrical Balance |
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| Asymmetrical balance isn't dependant on the shape of your garden. It can be but generally it's not. |
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| Asymmetrical may be better understood as actually being unbalanced, abstract, or free form while still creating unity and balance through the repetition of some elements. |
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| A good example of asymmetrical balance would be where bed shapes or paths differ on both sides of the landscape dividing line while still sharing some of the same elements and plants. One side could be curved with a sense of flow while the other side is straight, direct, hard, and completely opposite. Again, unity and balance will be created through other elements. |
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| Contrast |
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| Contrast can be very interesting and this type of form can create a neat contrast. Flowing lines are pleasing to the eye but the bold contrast of a curve combined with a straight line can be very interesting. |
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Hidden Path Leads To Shaded Sitting Area Backyard Garden |
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| An example of contrast can be where one side of the garden is mostly large shade trees while the other side is predominately a lower growing flower garden or even a mix of both examples. The landscaping can be abstract while still maintaining unity through other elements such as rocks, plants, and decor. |
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| Contrast and Harmony can also be achieved using plants. Fine foliage verses coarser foliage, round leaves verses spiked leaves as well as color compliments and contrasts. |
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| Plant height, color, and texture may be varied from one area to the next but each area should stay consistent within its own theme. |
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| Color |
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Garden Arbor with Gate and English Lattice |
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| Color adds the dimension of real life and interest to the landscape. Bright colors like reds, yellows and oranges seem to advance toward you and can actually make an object seem closer to you. Cool colors like greens, blues, and pastels seem to move away from you and can make an object seem farther from you. |
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Color Highlights Landscape |
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| Grays, blacks, and whites are considered neutral colors and are best used in the background with bright colors in the foreground. However, to increase depth in a landscape, you can use dark and coarse textured plants in the foreground and use fine textured and light colored plants in the background. |
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| Colors can also be used to direct your attention to a specific area of the garden. A bright display among cooler colors would naturally catch the eye. |
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| Natural Transition |
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Patio Under Pergola Landscaping |
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| Natural transition can be applied to avoid radical or abrupt changes in your landscape design. Transition is basically gradual change. It can best be illustrated in terms of plant height or color but can also be applied to all elements in the landscape including but not limited to textures, foliage shape or size, and the size and shape of different elements. In other words, transition can be achieved by the gradual, ascending or descending, arrangement of different elements with varying textures, forms, colors, or sizes. |
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| An example of a good transition would be a stair step effect from large trees to medium trees to shrubs to bedding plants. This example is where a little knowledge of proper plant selection would come in handy. |
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| Transition is one of the principles of landscape design that can be used to "create illusions" in the landscape. For example a transition from taller to shorter plants can give a sense of depth and distances, making the garden seem larger than it really is. A transition from shorter to taller plants could be used to frame a focal point to make it stand out and seem closer than it really is. |
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| Line |
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| Line is of the more structural principles of landscape design. It can mostly be related to the way beds, walkways, and entryways move and flow. Straight lines are forceful and direct while curvy lines have a more natural, gentle, flowing effect. |
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| Proportion |
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Shade Garden Under 2nd Story Deck |
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| Proportion simply refers to the size of elements in relation to each other. Of all the principles of landscape design, this one is quite obvious but still requires thought and planning. Most of the elements in landscape design can be intentionally planned to meet the proper proportions. |
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Backyard Landscape Compliments Pool |
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| If you have a large yard, you can't have smaller features or garden decor. Proportion is relative and elements can be scaled to fit by creating different rooms in the garden. The goal is to create a pleasing relationship among the three dimensions of length, breadth, and depth or height. |
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| A small water feature can be proportionate if placed in a corner or on the edge of a large area and becomes a focal point of the larger area while creating its own distinct atmosphere. An entire room, sitting area, or theme can be created around it. |
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A Water Feature |
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| Also, special consideration and study should be given to proper plant selection to avoid using plants that are out of proportion. An important aspect is the horticultural knowledge of the growth patterns and seasonal coloring of plants, shrubs and trees. |
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| Repetition is directly related to unity. Its good to have a variety of elements and forms in the garden but repeating these elements gives variety expression. |
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| Unity |
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| Unity is achieved by repeating objects or elements that are alike. Too many unrelated objects can make the garden look cluttered and unplanned. |
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| There's a fine line here. It's possible that too much of one element can make a garden or landscape feel uninteresting, boring and monotonous. |
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| However, unity can still be created by using several different elements repeatedly. This in turn keeps the garden interesting. |
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| Application of the Fundamental Principles of Landscape Design |
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Backyard Harmony |
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| These fundamental principles of landscape design: unity, simplicity, balance, color, natural transition, line, proportion, and repetition keeping seasonal cycles are only able to be artistically combined into a landscape plan by a talented and experienced designer such as Dennis who has been designing for the last 20 years. |
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Front Yard Landscape |
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| Landscape design requires design judgment combined with a good level of horticultural, ecological and cultural knowledge. |
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| Dennis uses a design plan and strategy to achieve the vision desired. His knowledge and experience of using plants with the principles of design and knowledge of horticulture lead to designs that get better with time and growth. |
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Natural and Manmade Textures Complements Poolscape |
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| A design plan gives specific instructions about how the soil is to be prepared, what species are to be planted, what size and spacing is to be used and what maintenance operations are to be carried out under the contract. |
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Before Landscaping & Path |
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After Landscaping and Path |
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| Owners of private gardens may also use planting plans as an aid to thinking about a design and as a record of what has been planted. Garden owners have shown an increasing interest in garden design during the late twentieth century, both as enthusiasts of gardening as a hobby, as well as an expansion in the use of professional garden designers. |
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Seasonal Shrubs and Perennial Provide Year Round Color |
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| Seasonal Displays and Holiday Displays |
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| As the seasons change, so should your landscape. Seasonal plantings, in beds and containers, provide color, interest and texture, complimenting and enlivening your residential or commercial property. |
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DFLdesign will transform your property beginning with bursts of early spring bulbs, followed by inspired spring and summer annual combinations in beds and containers. Fall is infused with rich tones and textures, utilizing common and unusual plant materials. Finally, tasteful, holiday displays, provide a joyous end to the seasons.
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Autumn Display |
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Holiday Display |
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- Remarkable Elegance and Beauty
- Good Long-Term Investment!
- Enhanced Curb Appeal
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| FREE-Consultation |
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For a FREE-Consultation for
all of your Landscaping needs...
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Call Dennis NOW: (201) 481-8806 |
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20 years of hands-on service dedicated to our clients' satisfaction. On site, on time, and on budget! |
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