Editing Garden design (section)

==Elements==
Whether gardens are designed by a professional or an amateur, certain principles form the basis of effective garden design, resulting in the creation of gardens to meet the needs, goals, and desires of the users or owners of the gardens.

[[File:Walkway through the rose garden.jpg|thumb|left|Curved garden paths are a common form of [[Hardscape|hardscaping]]]]
Elements of garden design include the layout of [[hardscape]] such as paths, walls, water features, sitting areas and [[Deck (building)|decking]], and the [[softscape]], that is, the plants themselves, with consideration for their horticultural requirements, their season-to-season appearance, lifespan, [[Habit (biology)|growth habit]], size, speed of growth, and combinations with other plants and landscape features. Consideration is also given to the maintenance needs of the garden, including the time or funds available for regular maintenance, which can affect the choice of plants in terms of speed of growth, spreading or self-seeding of the plants, whether [[Annual plant|annual]] or [[Perennial plant|perennial]], bloom-time, and many other characteristics.

Important considerations in the garden design include how the garden will be used, the desired stylistic genre (formal or informal, modern or traditional, etc.), and the way the garden space will connect to the home or other structures in the surrounding areas. All of these considerations are subject to the limitations of the prescribed budget.
{{clear}}

===Location===
A garden's location can have a substantial influence on its design. Topographical landscape features such as steep slopes, vistas, hills, and outcrops may suggest or determine aspects of design such as layout and can be used and augmented to create a particular impression.<ref name="6 Most Beautiful Garden Designs">{{cite web|url=http://www.dronezon.com/best-drone-videos/six-most-beautiful-gardens-by-drone-calms-the-heart-and-mind/|title=6 Most Beautiful Gardens Designed To Calm The Mind|access-date=20 September 2015|work=Dronezon|date=18 September 2015 }}</ref> The soils of the site will affect what types of plant may be grown, as will the garden's [[climate zone]] and various [[microclimate]]s. The locational context of the garden can also influence its design. For example, an urban setting may require a different design style in contrast to a rural one. Similarly, a windy coastal location may necessitate a different treatment compared to a sheltered inland site.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Royal Horticultural Society encyclopedia of gardening |date=2012 |publisher=Dorling Kindersley |location=London |isbn=978-1409383949 |pages=28–29 |edition=Rev. and updated}}</ref>

===Soil===
The quality of a garden's [[soil]] can have a significant influence on a garden's design and its subsequent success. Soil influences the availability of water and nutrients, the activity of soil micro-organisms, and temperature within the root zone, and thus may have a determining effect on the types of plants which will grow successfully in the garden. However, soils may be replaced or improved to make them more suitable.

[[File:Andains de compost, sur une plateforme de compostage.JPG|thumb|Alignment of several compost piles on a composting facility in France]]
Traditionally, garden soil is improved by amendment, the process of adding beneficial materials to the native [[subsoil]] and particularly the [[topsoil]]. The added materials, which may consist of [[compost]], [[peat]], sand, mineral dust, or manure, among others, are mixed with the soil to the preferred depth. The amount and type of amendment may depend on many factors, including the amount of existing soil humus, the soil structure (clay, silt, sand, loam, etc.), the soil acidity/alkalinity, and the choice of plants to be grown. One source states that, "conditioning the soil thoroughly before planting enables the plants to establish themselves quickly and so play their part in the design."<ref>Brookes, John (1991). ''The Book of Garden Design.'' New York: A Dorling Kindersly Book, pp.213. {{ISBN|0-02-516695-6}}</ref> However, not all gardens are, or should be, amended in this manner, since many plants prefer an impoverished soil. In this case, poor soil is better than a rich soil that has been artificially enriched.<ref>Brookes, John (1998). ''Natural Landscapes.'' New York : Dorling Kindersly Limited, pp.54. {{ISBN|0-7894-1995-5}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sustainablehorticulture.com/myth-soil_amendments.pdf|title=Welcome sustainablehorticulture.com - BlueHost.com|website=www.sustainablehorticulture.com}}</ref>

===Boundaries===
{{further|Hortus conclusus|Walled garden}}
The design of a garden can be affected by the nature of its boundaries, both external and internal. In turn, the design can influence the boundaries, including via creation of new ones. Planting can be used to modify an existing boundary line by softening or widening it. Introducing internal boundaries can help divide or break up a garden into smaller areas.

The main types of boundary within a garden are hedges, walls and fences. A hedge may be evergreen or deciduous, formal or informal, short or tall, depending on the style of the garden and purpose of the boundary. A wall has a strong foundation beneath it at all points,<ref>{{cite book|title=The Garden DIY Expert|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780903505376|url-access=registration|publisher=pbi publications|year=1992|isbn=0-903505-37-1|author=Dr D. G. Hessayon|author-link = D. G. Hessayon}}</ref> and is usually – but not always – built from brick, stone or concrete blocks. A fence differs from a wall in that it is anchored only at intervals, and is usually constructed using wood or metal (such as iron or wire mesh).

Boundaries may be constructed for several reasons: to keep out livestock or intruders, to provide privacy, to create shelter from strong winds and provide micro-climates, to screen unattractive structures or views, and to create an element of surprise.

===Surfaces===
In temperate western gardens, a smooth expanse of [[lawn]] is often considered essential to a garden. However, garden designers may use other surfaces, for example those "made up of loose gravel, small pebbles, or wood chips" to create a different appearance and feel.<ref>Brookes, John (1991). ''The Book of Garden Design.'' New York : A Dorling Kindersly Book, pp.226. {{ISBN|0-02-516695-6}}</ref> Designers may also use the contrast in texture and color between different surfaces to create an overall pattern in the design.

Surfaces for paths and access points are chosen for practical as well as aesthetic reasons. Issues such as safety, maintenance and durability may need to be considered by the designer. Gardens designed for public access need to cope with heavier foot traffic and hence may use surfaces – such as resin-bonded gravel – that are rarely used in private gardens.
[[Image:Planting-design.jpg|thumb|right|Naturalistic planting design]]

===Planting design===
Planting design requires design talent and aesthetic judgement combined with a good level of horticultural, ecological and cultural knowledge. It includes two major traditions: formal rectilinear planting design (Persia and Europe); and formal asymmetrical (Asia) and [[naturalistic planting design]].

====History====
[[Persian gardens]] are credited with originating aesthetic and diverse planting design. A correct Persian garden will be divided into four sectors with water being very important for both irrigation and aesthetics. The four sectors symbolize the [[Zoroastrianism|Zoroastrian]] elements of sky, earth, water and plants.<ref name="The Persian Garden">{{cite web|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1372/|title=The Persian Garden|access-date=25 January 2011|work=UNESCO}}</ref> Planting in ancient and Medieval European gardens was often a mix of herbs for medicinal use, vegetables for consumption, and flowers for decoration. Purely aesthetic planting layouts developed after the medieval period in [[:Category:Renaissance gardens|Renaissance gardens]], as are shown in late-Renaissance paintings and plans. The designs of the [[Italian Renaissance garden]] were geometrical and plants were used to form spaces and patterns. The [[gardens of the French Renaissance]] and Baroque ''[[French formal garden|jardin à la française]]'' era continued the [[formal garden]] planting aesthetic.

In Asia the asymmetrical traditions of planting design in [[Chinese garden]]s and [[Japanese gardens]] originated in the [[Jin dynasty (266–420)]] of China. The gardens' plantings have a controlled but naturalistic aesthetic. In Europe the arrangement of plants in informal groups developed as part of the [[landscape garden|English Landscape Garden]] style, and subsequently the [[French landscape garden]], and was strongly influenced by the [[picturesque]] art movement.

====Application====
A planting plan gives specific instructions, often for a [[general contractor|contractor]] about how the soil is to be prepared, what species are to be planted, what size and spacing is to be used and what maintenance operations are to be carried out under the contract. Owners of private gardens may also use planting plans, not for contractual purposes, as an aid to thinking about a design and as a record of what has been planted. A [[planting strategy]] is a long-term strategy for the design, establishment and management of different types of vegetation in a landscape or garden.

Planting can be established by directly employed gardeners and horticulturalists or it can be established by a landscape contractor (also known as a landscape gardener). Landscape contractors work to drawings and specifications prepared by garden designers or landscape architects.
[[File:Rosenneuheitengarten, Baden-Baden 2018 (7).jpg|thumb|Garden chairs in Rosenneuheitengarten Beutig in Baden-Baden, Germany]]

===Garden furniture===
{{Main|Garden furniture}}
Garden furniture may range from a patio set consisting of a table, four or six chairs and a [[Umbrella|parasol]], through benches, swings, various lighting, to stunning artifacts in brutal concrete or weathered oak.<ref>''The Book of Garden Furniture'', Charles Thonger, BiblioBazaar, LLC, 2008, {{ISBN|0-554-70114-6}}</ref> [[Patio heater]]s, that run on bottled [[butane]] or [[propane]], are often used to enable people to sit outside at night or in cold weather. A [[picnic table]] is used for the purpose of eating a meal outdoors such as in a [[garden room]]. The materials used to manufacture modern patio furniture include [[Rock (geology)|stones]], metals, [[Polyvinyl chloride|vinyl]], plastics, [[resins]], glass, and [[Wood preservation|treated]] woods.

===Lighting===
[[File:Garden, Kampala, Uganda (15299305026).jpg|thumb|[[Landscape lighting|Garden lighting]] in Kampala, Uganda]]
[[Landscape lighting|Garden lighting]] can be an important aspect of garden design. In most cases, various types of lighting techniques may be classified and defined by heights: safety lighting, uplighting, and downlighting. Safety lighting is the most practical application. However, it is more important to determine the type of lamps and fittings needed to create the desired effects. 

Light regulates three major plant processes: [[photosynthesis]], [[phototropism]], and [[photoperiodism]]. Photosynthesis provides the energy required to produce the energy source of plants. Phototropism is the effect of light on plant growth that causes the plant to grow toward or away from the light.<ref>American Horticultural Society (1980). ''Houseplants.'' Ortho Books and the Franklin Library,</ref> Photoperiodism is a plant's response or capacity to respond to photoperiod, a recurring cycle of light and dark periods of constant length.<ref>"Phoroperiodism." ''The Merriam-Webster Dicrionary Online.''</ref>

===Sunlight===
{{See also|Shade garden}}
While sunlight is not always easily controlled by the gardener, it is an important element of garden design. The amount of available light is a critical factor in determining what plants may be grown. Sunlight will, therefore, have a substantial influence on the character of the garden. For example, a [[rose garden]] is generally not successful in full shade, while a garden of [[hosta]]s may not thrive in hot sun. As another example, a vegetable garden may need to be placed in a sunny location, and if that location is not ideal for the overall garden design goals, the designer may need to change other aspects of the garden.

In some cases, the amount of available sunlight can be influenced by the gardener. The location of trees, other shade plants, garden structures, or, when designing an entire property, even buildings, might be selected or changed based on their influence in increasing or reducing the amount of sunlight provided to various areas of the property. In other cases, the amount of sunlight is not under the gardener's control. Nearby buildings, plants on other properties, or simply the climate of the local area, may limit the available sunlight. Or, substantial changes in the light conditions of the garden may not be within the gardener's means. In this case, it is important to plan a garden that is compatible with the existing light conditions.