Preface

I. Introduction
II. Garden Designs
III. Principles of Garden Lay-out
IV. Designing a Garden
V. Different Features of a Garden



Preface
With the increasing population on this earth very few space is left for recreation and aesthetic purposes. Garden is one of the place where people go and interact with natural beauty which gives them a pleasant feeling. Laying out of garden also needs lot of efforts to give it a natural look. This article describes designing of garden in detail.

I. Introduction
The subject of garden planning is so diverse and complicated that it is very difficult to represent all ideas of completeness in a limited space. To plan and survey the land to construct a house, an expert advice of an architect or a civil engineer is essential. In modem living, consciousness of interior decoration, including furniture, wood work, wall furnishings, carpets, painting, etc. need careful setting and the service of specialists. In order to achieve a rewarding result, a garden should be designed carefully as it is a semi-permanent feature and frequent change in design is not possible. Garden design combines the aesthetic beauty, artistry, knowledge on growth and development of plants and the principles of garden maintenance in different seasons.


II. Garden Designs

A garden may be defined as place for growing plants and exhibiting various forms of plant life which are consciously directed for ornamental or practical use or both. Now-a-days, we often use the terms like landscape gardening, landscape architecture, landscape design, etc. Arrangement of trees, shrubs, climbers and various other plants together with the building, paths, drives, artificial and natural features for the use of humanity is termed as landscape gardening. Landscape architecture is the art of arranging land and landscape for human use, convenience and enjoyment. Design is the determination of the character of an object to serve a certain purpose known in advance. Design may be of two types i.e. aesthetic and economic. Aesthetic design is purely attractive and pleasing in appearance, while economic design is meant to serve some practical and utilitarian purpose. In most of the cases, landscape architecture should satisfy in its design for both the purposes.

Before discussing the principles of gardening in detail. it will be worthwhile to make some useful suggestion. The first and foremost thing is not to imitate other garden which has earned a prize in a competition. One has to develop one's own design giving due consideration to the local conditions. One more mistake which is commonly made is planting many more specimens than a garden can accommodate. It causes overcrowding in the garden. In a landscape garden any difference in the level has to be taken advantage of but in a perfectly flat and it will be costly to create artificial undulations. In each garden, there should be at least one feature or if there is a second feature, these two should harmonize with each other. Before planning a design one must be sure for what purpose the garden is to be made whether for the purpose of utility or beauty or both.

III. Principles of Garden Lay-out

In order to lay-out a good garden, some fundamental principles are to be followed. They are as given below.

1. Garden should be reasonably laid-out for the owners comfort and convenience.
2. Simplicity in design should be the key note and undue complexity should be avoided.
3. Variety in a garden gives the greatest pleasure. But attempting too much in a small space is not desirable.
4. The natural grade of the ground should be taken as a guide.
5. The ground should be so designed that the entire garden is not visible at a glance. Even in a small plot it should not be possible to view the whole garden at a glance. It should be full of surprises, with each turn of the path revealing fresh vistas, or disclosing new interest.
6. Long and straight garden paths should be avoided.
7. Judicious use of more number of plants of different varieties should be one of the most important fundamental approaches.
8. Colour and contrast in the garden are very much desirable which are of lasting enjoyment and most satisfying means of creating interest in the garden.

Garden design involves attention to many considerations connected with the character and position of the site and its surroundings. Each particular site present a problem to itself in relation to soil, position, aspect and environment and the designer must carefully consider these factors. Artistic consideration and practical need of horticulture must synchronise. In garden planning, proper growth and flowering of plants and the comfort and convenience of those who use the garden must always receive attention. Gardens

which are made haphazardly are rarely successful, while over elaborating any feature destroys the simplicity and breadth of effect. Haste in planning a garden should always be avoided. Trained and skilled personnel should be engaged in designing and laying-out a garden.

IV. Designing a Garden

Everyone would like to have a perfect plot of land, but in actual practice the plot available for gardening either will not be in a good site or the shape and size will not be ideal. Whatever may be the case, one should not to be hopeless. A good designer is one who will make the best use of such a site. In such a case a land with natural undulations should not be leveled, but rather the differences in levels should be utilized with proper designing. Fencing, though may not look artistic but is essential in any garden. The fencing should be in such a way that it looks natural and should not obstruct any natural view. For example, if there is a natural forest, scenery or a hillock just outside the boundary, it should be incorporated in the garden as if it appears to be a part of the garden.

The other aspects of garden design which to be carefully considered while designing are briefly discussed below.

A. Axis

This is an imaginary line in any garden, around which the garden is created striking a balance. In a formal garden, the central line is the axis. At the end of an axis, generally there will be a focal point. However, other architectural features such as bird-bath or sundial can also be erected at about the midpoint.

B. Focal point
In every garden, there is a centre of attraction which is generally an architectural feature focused as a point of interest. Thus a focal point is one of the elements of good landscape design.

C. Mass effect
The use of one general form of plant material in large numbers in one place is done to a have mass effect. To see that such arrangements do not become monotonous, the size of the masses should be varied.

Various methods of collection of semen have been devised from time to time. The older unsatisfactory methods have been gradually replaced by the newer modern techniques.

D. Unity
Unity in a garden is very important, as when this is achieved, it will improve the artistic look of the garden. Unity has to be achieved from various angles. First, the unity of style, feeling and function between the house and the garden has to be achieved. Secondly, the different components of the gardens should merge harmoniously with each other. The aim is to give the visitor an over all impression of the garden rather than blowing up some special features. The last point, which is also very important is to achieve some harmony between the landscape outside and the garden. A garden laid out in complete defiance of the local conditions may look exotic. For example, cacti planted in a seashore garden is completely out of place as these are inhabitants of dry localities.

To achieve a unity between the house and the garden, it is a common practice to train creepers on the front porch which covers the rudeness of masonary work and also bring the house closer to nature. For the same reasons, foundation planting broadly means the planting of bushy plants near the foundation of the house.

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