Originally Published In The Deseret News -- Wednesday, April 20, 1994
Each Successful Plan Should Include 3 Areas - Public, Service And Living Spaces.
Each successful landscape contains three basic areas - public, service and living spaces. Define these carefully to prevent them from becoming overrun and confusing.
Public areas are those that show the house to view. Traditional public designs accent the home, but in some situations the design serves as a screen or barrier. Service areas are utility spots that harbor and facilitate functional living. Living areas are extensions of the indoor living space. Their function complements and continues the interior and exterior design of the house.
- The public area. Landscaping the public area is important because it is the most visible. It does not always lend itself to family activities but serves to frame the home and emphasize the focal point. Blend the house with the surroundings to give a natural look. The strong horizontal lines of the ground are combined with the vertical lines of the structure. This transition, if successfully done, helps develop a strong visual sense of blending the landscape with the home, soften the architectural lines of pavement and structures, and frame the home with plants.
A house is usually the most expensive purchase a person makes. The doorway usually serves as the focal point; landscape plants should draw the eye to that point. The best designs are simple and easily maintained, without frills and distractions. Trees in the public landscape should not bisect the house. Balance and proportion are important when selecting all plant materials. Choose and use plants skillfully to enhance the formal or informal architecture of the home.
- The service area. Service areas contain the "unmentionable," so acknowledge the need for such spaces and design them accordingly. Clotheslines, garbage cans, firewood, compost piles, vegetable gardens, fruit trees and utilities are all part of the service area. Add storage for lawnmowers, snow blowers, garden tools, fertilizers, outdoor furniture, recreational vehicles and equipment and the service area expands even further.
Such areas need screening from public views yet need to be convenient. Avoid the temptation to make them too large. Possessions usually expand to fill the available space. Some service functions can be located in other areas if they are skillfully designed. Include vegetables in attractive flower and border plantings. Fruit trees can double as landscape ornamentals if the design is done carefully. Play equipment may go into either the service or living spaces, but play areas for small children should be easily viewed from the house.
- The living area. The living area of the landscape is an extension of the living area of the home. Make it a personal design that reflects the habits, needs and desires of the family. Define living areas more closely than the other landscape areas by creating and emphasizing the walls, ceilings, floors and windows of the outdoor room you design. Plan for and utilize focal points carefully. Focal points can include selected trees or shrubs, garden structures, a piece of statuary, a fountain or a picturesque view. The focal points are the windows of the outdoor room.
The "floor" of the outdoor room is generally turf, although groundcovers are becoming more popular. Paving surfaces of many kinds, including those used in patios and decks and ground covers, are part of these floors. The "walls" are any structures and plant materials that form borders. The first walls are usually fences, but as landscapes grow and mature, fences are enhanced and supplemented by plants. Plant walls become higher and more natural and create beautiful, appealing living areas.
© 1998 Deseret News Publishing Co.