Landscape and garden design are umbrella terms for a variety of disciplines that focus on the practical, aesthetic and horticultural aspects of an outdoor area of land, generally attached to a property. Whilst having shared purposes, the two activities can be defined separately - landscaping focuses on the relationship of the garden with its surroundings, the integration of nature with man-made elements such as pathways or the home architecture itself, and the practical side of garden maintenance and upkeep. Garden design is traditionally concerned with the choice and distribution of various plants, flowers and shrubbery around the lawn area, but depending on the desired garden, can involve the planning and design of water features, patios, decking and garden boundaries.

When landscape or garden planning, there are key elements to be considered in each case:

Landscape Planning

Practical considerations such as climate, topography, soil and irrigation, planning permission and construction.

View the landscape in terms of things that need to be retained, modified or replaced - with attention given to how original natural features can act as 'borrowed scenery' for a garden.

The overall 'genius loci' - this term refers to the ambience or atmosphere of the garden area.

Garden Planning

What will the garden space be used for - i.e. raising vegetation, sports, relaxation.

If you are growing plants or vegetables, they need to have a cohesive growth cycle and bloom-time, to enhance the aesthetic or practical function of the garden.

What man-made elements need to be introduced? This can cover water features, raised flower beds, greenhouses, decking, paved or gravel pathways.

Planning your Garden

Starting at the front of the property, it is important to remember that your front lawn provides the first impression of a property to any visitor. While a back garden is more secluded and normally has a number of utilitarian functions (clotheslines or tool sheds, for example), the front garden connects your home to the wider surroundings, and provides a platform for aesthetic display through flower and shrubbery arrangement. Decisions must also be made about human access from the street - will you need driveways or pathways? Do areas need to be covered by gravel, paved slabs, or tarmac?

Generally the backyard is planned more with your personal recreation in mind. If you plan on entertaining guests in the garden, you might want to think about dining areas, seating, lighting and heating, and cooking structure like outdoor kitchens and barbecues. Having children can have a big influence on garden design - areas for sports such as basketball or soccer need to be devised, and the safety and positioning of elements such as ponds or pools should be a consideration.

If you are a green-fingered gardener keen on raising flowers or vegetables, it's important to outline their arrangement before planting, to ensure maximum aesthetic value or harvest yield. You will also need to decide how to house your vegetation, whether in raised flower beds, rock gardens or greenhouses. Using the Landscape and Garden solution for ConceptDraw PRO gives you full creative control of all these factors before you even have to pick up your tools and get your hands dirty.

A Landscape and Garden Solution

You don't need to be a professional landscaper to design a garden, and you don't need to a technical drawing expert to use the Landscape and Garden solution for ConceptDraw PRO. The hard work has been done for you - the solution collects various libraries full of professionally designed stencils and graphics, leaving you free to concentrate on the creative aspects of your garden plan. These libraries include graphic design elements such as bushes and trees, flower and grass, ponds and fountains, garden furniture and accessories, and paths, plots and patios. Using them in combination with the handy templates included with the solution is the quickest and simplest method of starting to plan your garden design.

All this makes the solution ideal for those with any form of residential garden, and a head full of landscape ideas. Knowing that a well-designed front and back yard can really boost the resell value of your property means that proper planning and design is imperative, before you start digging holes and ripping up trees around your house. With ConceptDraw PRO you can find exactly what works for you, and works for the garden - The Landscape and Garden solution allows you to experiment with your design, and find out what it is possible to achieve with the natural space you have available.