A garden-for-housing project, like any gold landscaping project, requires in-depth technical expertise, and an understanding of the garden concept at deep levels: it is much more than a simple choice of plants.
Planning the organization of space and circulation, assigning areas with functionalities that meet the requirements of each family, choosing and combining materials, textures, colors, flowering times and volumes are some of the aspects that determine whether the garden will be a common planted space or an exhilarated, harmonious, balanced place, where aesthetics and functionality find themselves creating a small paradise of life.
The garden project for housing
Areas and functions
Balance between areas, their dimensions and their functions – the basis of the success of a garden suitable for the use expected by its owners lies in the harmony of the spatial distribution of its structure. Elements such as malls, paths, meadows, mix-borders, flowering flowerbeds, groves, patios, among others, have different functions that should be balanced in the whole that is the garden.
The adequacy of the relationship between the size of each of these spaces, their location and the connections they establish between them, determines in no way whether the garden will be a pleasant, balanced space that invites to experience. This is the kind of knowledge that allows landscape architects to draw authentic works of art.
The colors, smells, textures and flowering seasons
“God is in the detail”. The phrase by Mies Van Der Rohe portrays the importance of thinking the detail, and giving it space to be noticeable and appreciated. A garden, especially when small, lives on details and the balance between simplicity and clearness of detail. This detail is in the texture and color of the materials chosen, in wood, steel, stone … in the texture and color of the vegetation used, and in the way the whole set is combined.
Predicting how the color distribution of foliage and flowering varies throughout the year is the key to raising the interest of the seasonal dynamics, ensuring that space is at its exponent throughout the year. It is also up to the designer to draw on knowing the smells of plants, predicting the sounds that the elements of water will produce, and the sensation that the touch of the materials provides – a garden is a space of stimulation of all the senses.
The maintenance
There are no gardens without maintenance. The nature of its composition, mostly consisting of living material, in constant growth and alteration, requires a precise knowledge in its planning in order to adapt the future maintenance needs to the availability of gardeners and predicted budget.
Reducing the value or labor that will be allocated for maintenance can be achieved with the proper choice of materials, plants, and planting strategies. This point dictates the future of the garden: when maintenance requires more manpower or budget than is available, the result will be a sloppy, ineffective garden. In contrast, when this relationship is balanced, the garden conveys this balance, making it an inviting and pleasant space.
Thinking about water reuse and an optimized watering system is crucial for reducing maintenance, increasing plant growth, and reducing the incidence of pests and diseases. The efficient management of water also allows to take advantage of this precious asset for the creation of lakes, water mirrors, waterfalls, jets and other elements that greatly value the garden.
The balance between architecture, landscaping and gardening is key! The landscape architect has in-depth knowledge of the needs of plants, and by introducing this knowledge into garden planning, optimizes the maintenance required for an appropriate balance between aesthetics, functionality and costs to have the garden in your dream home.
