If you’re thinking of landscaping this year, now is the time to start planning! This 2022 landscape style guide will break down the elements of landscape design and provide some examples to inspire you so that you can choose the landscape style that suits you best.
What Are the Elements of Landscape Design?
Here are some key elements of landscape design to consider when you’re planning your landscape layout:
- Texture: the roughness, smoothness, and weight of a plant or hardscape material.
- Colour: key for creating a mood in your landscape, whether you choose cool colours, monochromatic gardening, or contrasting colours for something striking.
- Lines: refers to the structures and angles of your landscape, from walkways to fences to retaining walls, as well as manicured hedges and trellises.
- Form: refers to the plants or objects within your landscape. A formal garden will have manicured plants, whereas an overgrown-style garden will have organic growth patterns.
- Scale: the size of your plants and landscape choices relative to your landscape and the size of surrounding buildings.
- Simplicity: moderation of colours and patterns will go a long way in making sure your landscape isn’t overwhelming, even in a complex design.
- Unity: choosing cohesive colour schemes, textures, and hardscape materials will create a sense of unity in your landscape.
The pandemic has thrown all of us a lot of curveballs, but we want to send a huge thank you to our fiercely loyal customer and client base for making it yet another fantastic year for the Salisbury family here in Edmonton, St. Albert, and beyond. We pride ourselves on providing products and services of superior quality and supporting our community in every way we can, and we feel the reciprocal nature of that support each and every day as we head out
How Do I Plan a Landscape Layout?
Start by looking for inspiration and considering what permanent elements you already have in your yard. Is your preferred style more modern or rustic? Do you have a giant spruce tree that you want to keep?
Next, think about the practical things that you want to accomplish. Do you need a retaining wall to prevent water runoff during the rainy season? Does your patio need to be rebuilt?
Then, consider the things you’d like to add to your landscape, such as a patio room, stone pathway, water feature, vegetable garden, or more trees.
With these things in mind, you can start building a list of non-negotiables to use as your foundation. Adding the rest of the details will come easier once you have the basic structure laid out.
Landscape Inspiration
Rustic Country Farmhouse Landscape
To achieve rusticity, utilize round shapes or asymmetrical lines that encourage closeness and create inviting gathering areas.You’ll want to incorporate things like:
- Wooden rails
- Flagstone pathways, stepping stones, or small boulders for lawn edging
- Natural gardens and groundcovers
- Wooden mulch
- Wooden features, like an archway or wall
- A small water feature or birdbath
Spanish Style Landscaping
Spanish-style landscaping is a lovely way to turn your yard into a European-inspired getaway. To achieve this style, you might want to include:
- Precast concrete blocks or boulder walls to serve as stairs or steps
- An outdoor patio room with Spanish style roofing and archways
- Large areas with flat paving stone or flagstone with a dining set as the focal point
- Filled in areas with rock mulch
- Gardens with a lot of perennials that are drought-resistant, such as hens and chicks, stonecrops or yuccas
- An outdoor fireplace
- A Spanish style gate that leads guests to your backyard oasis
Modern Farmhouse Landscape
For this style, sleek, straight lines and patterns are your friends. Some ideas include:
- Perfectly manicured lawns (sod or seed)
- Outdoor lighting to bring focus to specific areas
- Definitive and well-cut lines to divide areas or parts of the landscape
- Sleek and modern outdoor fire pit features
- Outdoor rooms with slanted and exposed wooden roofs
- Concrete walkways
- Retaining walls and edging with wooden elements
- Freestanding and uncluttered gardens
- Well-maintained evergreens and shrubs
Colonial Home Landscaping
This southern, colonial vibe starts with a white picket fence and pillars framing the front door. Other ideas include:
- Well-manicured lawns and gardens
- Stone steps
- Short stone walls
- Flagstone pathways
- Quaint seating areas
- A modest fountain
- Evergreen hedges or conical evergreens for privacy
If you want to expand further on our 2022 landscaping style guide, or if you need some help with planning, come see us at Salisbury Landscaping for a consultation!
