Monthly Archives: January 2012
Landscape Design Tips: How To Make Better Use Of Plant Characteristics
It is important to follow some common sense landscape design tips concerning the choice of plants to put in your garden. The right selection of plants is important otherwise you might have to deal with disappointment or the added costs of renovation in the future. Before planting, you have to consider the shape, height, and width of the plants. These elements or characteristics are often overlooked as people focus more on the color of the plants.
Experts give landscape design tips that emphasize knowing the shape of the plant when it grows to maturity so that you will be sure if it will look good in your garden or not. Your needs will also come into play in this matter.
5 Gorgeous Blooming Plants
In this article, we are presenting you five gorgeous blooming plants that you can grow in your own house for a charming landscape design.
1- African Violet
This is really a gorgeous blooming houseplant, and it is really simple to grow. You don’t need to pay too much attention, which is why it is frequently preferred. Another amazing feature of this houseplant is that it blooms year-round. There are various of types of African Violets, for instance some have white edges, some are ruffled and some have a pinkish colour. In addition to these, there are also double and single flowering types.
It is gorgeous because, if you have a room receiving sunlight well, the African Violet will bloom every so often. If you want your violets to suit your decoration, you can choose a colour that matches with your furnishing. Moreover, this plant has retrospective overtones, which will make you even remember of your grand parents. Its name in Latin is Saintpaulia Ionantha.
As for the growing conditions of this plant, you can keep the African Violet in 65-75 deegrees F. in medium light, and you should keept the soil sufficiently moist.
The size of this plant is about 16″ wide and 8″ tall.
2- Oxalis
Another gorgeous plant to be is Oxalis. It has beautiful purple leaves which are triangular and pinkish flowers. There are varieties of Oxalis too, some are flowering green and some are purple. Sometimes the leaves can be smooth or hairy, sometimes they are marked with stripes. When the plant gets too big for its pot, you can simply divide the oxalis into different pots. Its name in Latin Oxalis triangularis.
For the growing conditions of this plant, it can be said that a temperature between 65-75 degrees F. is enough, and the soil should be sufficiently moist.
The size of this plant is about 12″ wide and 12″ tall.
3- Anthurium
The beautiful Anthurium, it is another long time blooming houseplant which you will definately be pleased to grow. There is a diversity of colours in its flowers, such as white, red or pink and even lavender. Anthurium should receive sunlight well as any other houseplant. However it can still be grown with less light.
It is gorgeous because, the shape of its flowers and leaves is similar to a heart shape.
A temperature between 65 to 80 degrees F. is sufficient. In winter and autumn, the soil should be less moist, in other seasons the moisture can be equal to the previous houseplants. Its name in Latin is Anthurium andraeanum.
The size of this plant can be considered as bigger, when compared to many houseplants. The Anthurium can grow up to 2 feet wide and 3 feet tall.
Note: Pets or children should not chew the leaves or flowers of this plant because it can be poisonous.
4- Jasmine
Jasmine is among the most lovely plants to be grown in your house. This plant also has many various types, such as Red Jasmine, Arabian Jasmine, Cestrum, White Jasmine, Frangipiani, Mandevilla and Asian jasmine. Plenty of sunlight and sufficient moisture of the soil are the only things you need to consider to provide for a well bloomed Jasmine.
It is gorgeous because, the flowers of jasmine are such redolent that, when you smell a jasmine in another place after many years, the smell will make you remember the old good days. Its name in Latin is Jasminum spp.
Jasmine can be kept in a temperature between 40 and 60 degrees F., and in winter the temperature can be between 40-60 degrees F., and you should bear in mind to keep the soil sufficiently moist.
5- Calamondin Orange
The Calamondin Orange will be the fragrance of your home in the winter and in the spring. This plant is a hybrid of kumquat and mandarin orange. The blooms of the Calamondin Orange have an aromatic odour, and the develop and become little oranges which are about 1″ in diameter. Moreover the Calamondin blooms almost year-round and the fruits can last for months. It is also called Sour Mandarin Orange.
It is gorgeous because, you can actually eat the fruits of this plant, using them as lemons when making muffins for instance. Its name in Latin is Citrofortunella microcarpa.
Calamondin Orange can be grown in a temperature between 65 and 80 degrees F., when it is winter, the temperature can be between 55 and 65 degrees F., and again the soil should be evenly moist.
The size of this plant is about 6 feet wide and 4 feet tall.
You will be absolutely pleased to grow these house plants, why don’t you get started right now?
Looking for Top Landscape Design Schools in USA?
Landscape design can be said as some pure creation. If you are able to make any perfect design for your own house that can give some extra advantage or skill to you but at the same time you can also go for professional landscape designing. Most reputed and top landscape design schools are available in USA.
Being a landscape designer you can design public properties, College campuses, parks, commercial buildings and so on. A Degree in Landscape design naturally lasts four years and includes courses interpretation of the landscape, urban planning, landscape form, community design, conservation and land use planning etc.
Here we have tried to sum up the information you need. So a list of top 10 design schools are given below:
1. Ohio State university:
Address: 190 N. Oval Mall, Columbus, Ohio 43210
Phone number: (614) 292-6446
2. University of Florida:
Address: 355 Tigert Hall, Gainesville, Florida 32611
Phone number: (352) 392-3261
3. Michigan State University:
Address: East Lansing, Michigan 48824
Phone number: (517) 355-1855
4. Texas A & M university:
Address: College Station, Texas 77843
Phone number:(979)845-3211
5. University of Washington- seattle:
Address: 1400 NE Campus Pkwy, Seattle, Washington 98195
Phone number:(206)543-2100
6. University of southern California:
Address: University Park, Los Angeles, California 90089
Phone number: (213) 740-2311
7. University of Maryland- college Park:
Address: College Park, Maryland 20742
Phone number: (301) 405-1000
8.Miami University- Oxford:
Address: 500 High St., Oxford, Ohio 45056
Phone number: (513) 529-1809
9.University of Georgia:
Address: Athens, Georgia 30602
Phone number: (706) 542-3000
10.University of Illinois at Urbana – Champaign:
Address: 601 E John, champaign, Illinois 61820
Phone number: (217) 333-1000
Being in USA you can have quality degree with all modern facilities available. Make a call to all the respective universities to more about the top university facilities and offerings about landscape design and other related Subjects.
Landscape Design Tips for Amateur !!!
People may think that one need to know lots of things to design any part of his or her own house and for that reason always try to have advice from others how he or she should design any part of the house. But designing any part of your house should be of your own choice only otherwise you may get frustrated after making a design you do not actually like.
Everybody has his or her liking and disliking while designing those should be prioritized not what other thinks. Whenever you put something together that is something like landscape designing and it is nothing more than that. So you start thinking what you need to design first and make a detailed plan for every part of your house. you have front yard, back yard, garden, balcony, dining room, drawing room, kitchen etc on which you need to design.
First of all you need to know something basic for every area and what features you want to have from each design. designing can be said as decorating though both of them has different meaning. For kitchen you need to have great working environment specially smooth movement of everything you need. For bedroom enough space for all the major equipment , for dining room direct link with kitchen and for other areas some ornamental decoration that gives the visitors some lasting impression.
Garden landscape design is different from landscape design of any other areas of your house as it is more related with plants and natures. First of all you need to have strong passion for gardening and intention of taking frequent care of the plants although you should choose those plants that takes relatively less care like watering and less light if that plant is inside any room. One thing you need to emphasis while any of the interior landscape design that once you make a design you can not change that immediately so before making a perfect plan you should not go for implementing that. This may not be granted for outdoor garden landscape design.So you can have some trails in your garden.
There are some basic elements that should me used and placed perfectly in any landscape design. Have a look on those and check if they are p[perfect after every landscape design. Before understanding some basic languages of landscape design you may fail to understand certain landscape design ideas and tips available online. They are:
1. Color: There should have proper color combination in each of the design be it a interior design or exterior design. you can have emphasis on both traditional and modern use of color. But be sure if the color combinations are not perfect or at least decent your design will be unsuccessful. color can be categorized as primary, secondary, tertiary and neutral.
2. Form: Form is the shape of all the plants and equipment that are used in landscape designing. Some from may not be suitable everywhere where other may be. So you need to have proper understanding of where what form is perfect.
3. Line: Lines refers to the facts that that the viewer’s eye flow or actual movement is taken by the proper arrangements of the forms used in any design.
4. Texture: This is the perceived quality of the surface of any object used in landscape design.
So, go ahead with all your confidence and passion for designing your own landscape design. Get more from our site to have elaborate knowledge of landscape design.
Make an Attractive Balcony Landscape Design !!
Everybody love to spend their free time in their balcony of the houses and for this reason balcony landscape design gets some extra emphasis like front yard landscaping. We have already mentioned in our front yard landscape design that front yards gives the visitors the feelings of long lasting impressions and it is tough to break that impression and people who do not enter into all other areas of your house see the front yard of your house.
Balcony is almost something like that as people can see the balcony of your house from the street. So, balcony need to design in a way that it can give the visitors a positive lasting impression. Balcony gives a building an outstanding look if designed perfectly. Balcony are regarded as mainly a sitting spaces in the afternoon and in the morning or even at night if you like to enjoy full moon with your family members. But balcony can be even in the backside or any other side of your house and for this reason designing a perfect balcony depend on the amount of spaces available to design that balcony.
Followings are the guidelines for a perfect balcony landscape design:
1. Color combinations are important for balcony landscape design, better if the balcony is more colorful.
2. Balcony might be a very good place for container gardening and you can make proper combination of gardening and sitting arrangement in the balcony.
3. Facilitate proper sitting arrangement so that you can have fresh air sitting on your balcony.
4. You can even make your balcony like a full garden which will make you forget that you are sitting in a balcony and give the feelings that you are sitting in a deep garden by arranging lots of green leaf trees .
5. Use colorful containers that can give an outstanding matching with the surroundings.
You can have a close look on the pictures on this page to analyze how balcony should be but it totally depend on the amount of spaces available to you. You must have some choices of your own but before implementing that plan you should try to find more plans online.
Arrange an Outstanding Living Space in Your Garden
If you are fond of landscape design and want to enjoy natural environment in your garden by making an outstanding living spaces there then you must be searching for some tips and suggestions for that outdoor garden living space. You have come to the right site you can get those tips and suggestions.
We all love Nature . Garden gives us that taste of Nature for this reason naturally we all love gardening .when we walk through a garden we feel better by taking fresh air. Ultimately it gives us a fresh mind and encourages us to enjoy the life.
You might be tired of not getting the right suggestion you need. You should make a proper arrangement of your garden outdoor living with flooring facilities, ceiling like what you have in your indoor living room and can manage some walls just in any side which will not hinder wind to flow around and will make some shade too.
There are a lots of aspects that must be considered such as sun-shine, attractive views, garden layout, wind, drainage system, plant selection, garden mode and the more .The smartest way to begin this type of job is to do what the professionals do, put all this information down on paper .Using this method as a initial point in the design of your garden may take a little time and attempt in the start, but ending result will make all the distinction. Just as blue prints are essential for the exact construction of a residence; these design steps helps to construct the process of garden design well-organized and will minimize some frustration that may happen due to not having proper landscape design ideas and tips you need to have. An outside living region can be a place that you may sit and have the benefit of the sights and sound of nature or walk through the garden and take the benefit from the experience of your own garden. Others dreams of an outdoor space can be as simple as a green area with a table and chairs, either way ,the variety is totally up to what you expect to see in your outdoor garden living space. Your front and backyard is an additional room to your home, a series of probable spaces where outdoor accommodation can provide extra living spaces for you, your visitors and family to enjoy .These types of outdoor living spaces are formed by the utilization of landscaping plant materials and hard-scape materials shaped to be floors, walls and ceilings just as in a home construction. Watchful placement of these outdoor accommodation and their linking paths can construct an exciting and forceful garden space with a variety of outdoor accommodation and connecting walks to use and experience in the calmness of nature.
your outdoor living space should be kept full with beautiful flowers and plants which will give you the feelings of just being in a garden not in any room although that space will avail some of indoor facilities you want so that you can enjoy the nature at the same time can work being in the garden. People may like to arrange any part of their house with garden like kitchen just beside garden with a small swimming pool. You may or may not have that opportunity but if you have that you can add some smooth movement arrangement with a proper combination of pool, garden kitchen, garden dining room or just living space to spend time in your pastime. But remember one thing that do not do anything excess which might make the whole plan unsuccessful.
Use Bonsai Trees in Landscape Design of Your Indoor Garden
If you are planning to decorate your home like never before then using bonsai trees would be a great idea for an inner landscape design. From the primitive period, people use bonsai trees as a part of landscaping purposes inside the rooms. The farming of bonsai trees began in China first and soon after that the Japanese also started growing these decorative trees.
The word “bonsai” refers to any tree that contribute in cutting to specific designs and shapes which are just the miniature of a big tree. A good design using bonsai trees is not that tough nor so easy either. One has to be artistic and creative in this regard. A good design always conveys a message regarding the area and the designer as well. Environmental factors, tree morphology and plant psychology are also very important to consider where you need to make the right choice of tree as every tree can not take into a suitable form of bonsai.
A convincing coordination of all the factors makes the design divine. One should not be very infatuated being a beginner rather he or she has to develop an idea that may suit the environment. There are several styles of bonsai and those are: upright formal with straight trunk, upright informal curving, “windswept” or slanting, half-cascade, and semi cascade. Formal straight is the most convenient style to start with. A good design takes some steps to consider like: movement and rhythm, contrast, balance, space, unity and simplicity. In bonsai design, movement is the visual effect that gives a travelling view from the trunk to crown to the viewers. Movement can also be gotten by the repetition of the work. On the other hand, contrast is something which adds visual interest. Sometimes, too much repetition makes the design boring and by adding contrast in the design, one can enhance the beauty. Then comes balance. Balance in bonsai art is not the physical balance rather it is an illusion that makes a positive impact on the viewers. Space stands for the distance among the elements. Blank space is a good part of bonsai design which not only creates a mystery but also gives an illusion. Unity is the sign of a good work. Altogether, all the components make the thing praiseworthy. Ignoring unimportant things in the art is called simplicity and in bonsai design, it is essential to keep in mind.
When someone starts landscaping design of his or her garden with the bonsai trees, he or she has a couple of choices. Being a beginner, one can start with the miniature or dwarf varieties, these trees are grown-up in shallow pots, and one can add them as an accent to a small garden. And even an urn would be a good container for the tiny bonsai.
When one feels prepared, one can install any of the larger bonsai, such as pine, juniper, fig, umbrella tree or maple. These trees can easily be grown in small places or even in small container so that one can move them. One can grow these plants indoor to avoid the extreme heat that may exist outside which can cause damage to the plants. One thing is very important for the smaller ones that they need to be watered more frequently than those of other normal house plants.
In case of avoiding hassles, one can think of purchasing bonsai from outside. But, one thing should be kept in mind that these are out door plants and are not supposed to be purchased from shopping malls and other stores. Rather, they should be purchased from bonsai nursery as recommended by master gardeners. While purchasing, one must go for the ones which have strong trunks with plenty of branches. Trees having wiring spots should be avoided.
If you closely look at the pictures here and just think the pictures of these bonsai trees without the container it will look like a big tree. You can make your bonsai garden in your balcony and within rooms, you can keep them on tables and can use as show piece in any corner of your house. One thing that we can guarantee that bonsai trees fits in any part of your house. Most importantly you need to have certain expertise in making the right shape of your bonsai tree and if you are a new in making that you need to be a bit more careful in cutting and giving the right shape. It is said that the more little you can make a bonsai tree the beautiful that tree looks as it gives the appearance of a big and vast tree. you have another choice in hand that is to make the shape of the bonsai tree as anything else you want. That might be a animal, or any other symbol that tell about your personality and ideology.
Use bonsai trees as a tool to boost the beauty of your landscape and enjoy every bit of it like the others are doing.
Good luck.
Landscape Design for Bungalow Houses
The origin of the bungalow houses is coming from India, which first was just small houses with one floor. This type of houses have various landscape design styles such as English Tudor, Craftsman or Bangla. Craftsman bungalows’ veranda often boast a roof kept in place by big columns that are frequently covered with materials such as bricks or stones. One of the main characteristics of the bungalow style house is that they have low-pitched roofs and a horizontal view in the structure. There is also a wide front veranda and the interior floor are open. These features are all a contribution to the bungalow houses in terms of flexibility, accessibility and of course affordability. It also provides a great view if it is decorated with flowers.
It is usually seen that bungalow houses are consisted of a single floor, however it can be turned into a two storey bungalow house. This type of houses are easy to modify and very flexible. If you have limited accessibility and if you own a house, then possibly you should prefer single storey houses for self convenience. In addition to these benefits, there is one very important use of bungalow houses, the economical aspect of it. It is cost effective to own a bungalow house in that the maintenance of this kind of houses are really affordable. As they are mostly one storey houses, the heating does not require high costs and it is the same for the cooling in the summer.
A Unique Tree House Design
Since the early ages of our lives, tree houses, which are well known landscape design objects, has been very popular places to spend our time joyfully. It is a well known fact that designing a tree house for actual living is a hard task to accomplish. Many architects and landscape designers have designed this tree house concept which offers not only attractiveness and exceptional look but also a comfortable environment for actual living. In addition to these facts, the tree house concept provides people with a green life style, that is another reason to prefer modern tree houses. Owing to the goal to offer better solutions for the nature, the contemporary technology and modern design cooperate with a green style, supplying an innovative way of living, the tree house concept.
Robert Harvey Oshats is a well known modern architect, who has many contributions to the tree house concept, he developed many concepts throughout the world. The featured house is situated in Portland, Oregon. It is more than a tree house, it is like a giant tree with a capacity of providing its owners the comfort of any other modern house. Designing the house vivid in terms of the sense that you get when you are in this tree house, the architect used a flag spot to base the house on that is above the forest ground. The tree also provides a natural canopy, improving the natural appearance of the tree house. The exterior design is also complex in that the wood ceiling is completely natural and floats on wooden beams.
