Principles of landscape architecture are rules that focus on making a comfortable, functional, and aesthetically pleasing outdoor living area. These include keeping landscaping clean, providing enough privacy, making good use of natural landscapes, creating separate sitting and sleeping areas, and giving privacy. The idea is to create outdoor rooms that function like living rooms indoors. In fact, many people confuse the principles of landscape design with those of horticulture. However, there are very distinct differences.
For example, the idea of harmony refers to a well-balanced plan or system. On the other hand, the elements of a landscape are the plants, animals, water, and other elements that make up the total appearance. Therefore, the principles of landscape art are not just aesthetically pleasing but also functional. For instance, the proportion of elements, or the ratios of various elements, such as length and height of plants, need to be just right if you want to have a garden that looks like a garden.
When it comes to colors, the colors in an area should relate to the scale of the area and the scale of the objects within the area. For instance, the contrast between two colors that are the same tone can be considered a gradual change. Likewise, the colors of a landscape should never be overwhelming, because the overall effect of sudden changes can distract people from their desired aesthetic goal.
Achieving proportion is also important in landscape art because it helps in drawing attention to key architectural points. For example, a building that is too large should have a different type of design than that of a small one. The same concept applies to the proportions of the elements. The focal point should not be over-emphasized and should not get lost in the surrounding scenery.
There are different types of transition that can be made in order to improve the look and feel of a landscape. Transitions between objects are among the most important elements of this theory. Elements that exist in different places can create a smooth transition, as well as strong focal points at the beginning and the end of the transition. For instance, the border of a garden look beautiful when placed at the entrance and when there is a gradual change of color from the entrance to the garden look wonderful.
Principles of landscape architecture state that focal points are important because they draw the eye to specific garden structures and plants. The elements of the landscape also correspond to important elements in the design. This helps in choosing the appropriate colors for plants, the size of plants, the textures of plants, the heights of plants, etc. Another important aspect is to provide smaller objects along with the focal points for supporting the primary focal point. In short, the placement and arrangement of garden structures and plants play a major role in the overall look and feel of the landscape.