principles of landscape designcetrinity.ucanr.edu/files/259199.pdf · 2017. 3. 22. · principles...

Wait! What if we had a clean slate…… Don’t start by picking out the plants

LANDSCAPING

WHY “DESIGN”?

Create a plan to extend indoor space outdoors

Take advantage of natural features

Assess limitations Install complementary

hardscape Plan efficient irrigation Selecting plants that fit

design

Or improve your curb appeal?

SOME DESIGN PRINCIPLES

Scale Perspective

Don’t make small spaces boxier or visually closed in

Balance Unity Rhythm, repetition & unity Accents

WHAT TO CONSIDER? User’s wants &

constraints Do you want to

spend your free time maintaining the landscape?

Climate! Site Analysis Materials Budget

WHAT DOES THE USER WANT?

Consider activities, routines, & traffic patterns Play area for kids? BBQ & entertainment Area for pets Outdoor rooms Orchard or vegetable garden Public Area (curb appeal -

seen when entering property) Maintenance Things change

CLIMATE CONSIDERATIONS: DON’T TRY TO FIGHT IT

“Mediterranean” Temperature Range (plus snow load) Dry Summers Hot summers

Evergreen vs Deciduous trees (allow summer shade and winter light)

Vegetable garden in sun, afternoon shade? Outdoor living area in shade

Microclimates

SITE ANALYSIS

Notice wind, sun, shade patterns Soils Topography

Terracing of steep slopes Retaining walls

Preserve best features Traffic patterns Hide/screen “ugly” stuff

Neighbors, sheds, services AC, garbage cans, compost, propane

tanks, clothes line Potential hardscaping

Patios, walkways, driveways

MATERIALS & BUDGET

Suitable for our area Freezing & thawing Gauze tents vs shade

tree Metal vs PVC fixtures

Appropriate for intended use Paving in high traffic

areas Fence or wall vs hedge

Plants Year round interest Lower maintenance Consider native plants

Think about long-term cost – design efficient irrigation system

Layout plan & start with key elements

Plants grow, start small Use cheap or free

materials Mulch, DG, river rock Recycled materials

REGULATIONS & OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

Fences over 6’ tall need “engineered design” for wind, etc

Don’t try to hide propane tank Turn-around for fire trucks Consider safety (trip hazards,

nefarious characters, fire)

DESIGN STEP #1

• Use graph paper and make map to scale. May also use available software Include

North Point Undesirable and desirable features Views House, Garage, Other buildings Trees, Rock Outcroppings Existing Walls, Driveways, Paths Contour of Land Direction of Surface Flow of Water Sun / Shade Pattern

DESIGN STEP #2 DESIGNATE THE USE AREAS May use tracing paper to make layers over existing site Determine if each area is functional in relation to house

Is clothes line easily accessed from laundry room? Are views from house as intended?

Fit use areas together with traffic flow Are the driveways, walkways and parking areas easily

accessible to house? Does it flow/work?

Are service areas not in view of outdoor living space or windows from inside?

Locate septic tank/lines and easements

DESIGN STEP #3 FINALLY WE GET TO THE PLANTS!!! Draw to Scale Choose plants for water-wise, fire resistant and deer

resistant landscaping, attracting pollinators Select with these characteristics in mind:

Form Color Texture Seasonality (time in bloom) Overall aesthetic value

Select plants or groups of plants to meet the specifications of your plan and design

PLANT SELECTION CONFLICTS

Redding Water Smart Gardening

Choose what’s relevant to you:

Fire Resistant? Deer Resistant? Drought

Tolerant? Native Plants? Pollinators?

LANDSCAPE TREES

TREE SELECTION

What’s its function?

Shade Wind protection Privacy Aesthetics Architectural

element

EVALUATE BEST LOCATION

Consider size at maturity Don’t plant under power

lines (PUD or yours) Don’t plant too close to

sidewalks, walkways, patios, foundations

Consider maintenance, leaf litter, smell

CONSIDER WATER & CLIMATE

Does it need lots of water?

Don’t mix natives that expect dry summers in a irrigated lawn

Look for Zone 7 trees See County tree planting

list

SHRUBS IN YOUR LANDSCAPE

PRUNING SHRUBS Suggested Pruning Time

for Common Flowering Trees & Shrubs Summer-Flowering

Plants: Prune before spring growth begins (produce flowers on current season’s growth)

Spring-Flowering Plants: Prune after flowering (produce flowers on previous season’s growth)

Doesn’t Matter: evergreen hedge or unknown

FIRE RESISTANT LANDSCAPING IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE

THE BASICS OF FIRE RESISTANT LANDSCAPING

Determine your DEFENSIBLE SPACE zones and appropriate landscaping.

Remove DEAD or DYING vegetation. Break up CONTINUOUS vegetation. Eliminate LADDER FUELS. Make your defensible space LEAN (less fuel load) and

GREEN (watered where appropriate). Keep up with regular MAINTENANCE

DEFENSIBLE SPACE

Zone 1: Home + 30 ft Zone 2: 100’ from house Zone 3: >100’ from house

ZONE 1: STRUCTURE IGNITION ZONE

Most houses catch fire from embers, not flame front Clean gutters & roof “valleys” Get rid of dry grass, brush, flammable materials

(deck furniture, etc) around home & deck Woodpiles > 30 feet away Clear flammable materials away from propane tank Metal screens to keep embers out of vents and

metal window screens Enclose area under deck Less flammable plants, watered, “oasis zone”

ZONE 2: FIREBREAK ZONE

30’-100’ from house Don’t have to eliminate

vegetation, just break up fuels and “fuel ladder” Reduce fuels Space trees & shrubs out Prune lower 6-10 feet of trees

Watered grass or gardens Gravel or paved breaks Again, less flammable plants

USE LANDSCAPE MOSAICS

ZONE 3: REDUCED FUEL ZONE

Zone 2 minimum 100’: more depending on slope & wind

Thin trees, reduce fuel ladder, reduce woody debris

Create a defensible space

OTHER PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS

Post your address Mark USABLE water

sources with blue reflectors (check with VFD)

Meet CalFire requirements for turn-around and passing

Trim overhanging trees along driveway

PLANT ZONES Compatible with

waterwise landscaping

High water zone - “Oasis” closest to home

Moderate water zone (i.e. lawn as buffer)

Drought-tolerant plant zone furthest from house

BURN CHARACTERISTICS OF MULCH

Most to least combustible Shredded rubber Pine Needles Shredded Western Red

Cedar Medium Pine Bark

Nuggets Byproducts of chipper

(wood chips, bark, needles, other biomass)

Composted wood chips

CHOOSING PLANTS

Realize that plants are NOT fire- retardant; they can be fire-resistive.

Know your elevation and microclimate when making your plant selection. Healthy plants fare better.

Irrigation and maintenance are key factors in your choice of landscape plants.

Replace or eliminate flammable plants

AVOID HIGHLY FLAMMABLE PLANTS

They contain fine, dry or dead material

Contain volatile waxes, terpenes or oils

Have aromatic leaves Loose or papery bark Sap is gummy, resinous

Examples: Artemisia, incense cedar, broom, juniper, pine, arborvitae, bay, Douglas Fir, manzanita, CA buckwheat, rosemary, dry annual grasses

CHARACTERISTICS OF FIRE RESISTANT PLANTS

Moist & supple leaves Tend not to accumulate dry, dead material within

plant Sap is water-like and does not have a strong odor Sap or resin materials are low Influenced by plant age, moisture content, total

volume

FIRE RESISTANT FLOWERS

Yarrow Allium Columbines Coreopsis Delphinium Gaillardia Daylilly Iris Lavender Echinacea

Lupine Poppies Penstemon Salvia Lamb’s Ear Evening

Primrose Hosta Coralbells Dusty Miller Tulips/bulbs

FIRE RESISTANT GROUNDCOVERS

Bugleweed (ajuga) Creeping thyme or phlox Wild Strawberry Snow-in-summer Sedums Hens & Chicks Vinca California Fuchsia

FIRE RESISTANT SHRUBS & VINES Chokecherry

Barberry Butterfly Bush Spirea Rose of Sharon Oregon Grape Lilac Flowering Quince Forsythia Potentilla Mock Orange

FIRE RESISTANT TREES

Fruit Trees Maple Oak Catalpa Ash Sweetgum Locust Hackberry Smoke Tree Redbud

Use deciduous trees, not conifers

MAINTENANCE IS CRUCIAL FOR FIRE-SAFE LANDSCAPING

Simple, well maintained landscapes are safer than elaborate landscapes that are neglected.

Prune deadwood from beneath ground covers and shrubs.

Remove fire (fuel) ladders.

You’ll improve appearance and maintain safety at the same time.

DEER-RESISTANT LANDSCAPES

Fencing Repellents Plant Selection (see list)

Fawns will try anything Hungry deer will nibble

NATIVE PLANTS IN THE LANDSCAPE

Common Rush Western Redbud

Woodland Strawberry

Wild Ginger Douglas’ Iris

California Native Plant Society © Copyright 2010.

Presentation by Christie Wagner, MG

BENEFITS OF GROWING NATIVE PLANTS

Adapted to our environment Use less water No fertilizer necessary

Enhance the soil health Promote indigenous bacteria, fungi, earthworms, and

other underground benefactors Low maintenance Encourage birds, beneficial insects and pollinators.

KEYS TO GROWING NATIVES

Get to know your plant communities Know where the plants come from and what

conditions will make them thrive

Understand your site conditions Soil Sun exposure Water availability

Choose plants to suit your site

SUBSTITUTE NATIVES FOR TURF?

•KILL GRASS to start

•Stop watering •Mow short before going to seed •If seeding, collect clippings •Turn under, if possible •Water to germinate seed bank and repeat above steps

•Sow native seed mix

•Water and mulch Example - Tomcat Clover (Trifolium willdenovii), Bicolor Lupine (Lupinus bicolor), Yarrow (Achillea millefolium), Squirrel Tail (Elymus elymoides)

BUTTERFLY GARDENS Mountain Pennyroyal – Painted lady Yarrow – Checkerspots and hairstreaks Milkweed - Monarch Ceanothus – California Tortoise shell Redbud – Mormon Meltamark Penstemon - Checkerspots Coffeeberry – Pale Tiger swallowtail Buckwheat – Buckeye, Spring Azure

A GREAT list can be found at: www.californiagardens.com

BORDER PLANTS

Chinese Houses, Collinsia heterophylla

Pink Flowering Current, Ribes sanguineum

ACCENT SHRUBS

Mock Orange, Philadelphus lewisii Serviceberry, Amelanchier alnifolia

SHOWY SPRING SHRUBS

Large Feature Plant

Primrose Monkey Flower or Monkey Moss (Mimulus primuloides)

Flowering Stream Plants

Blue wild rye (Elymus glaucus) planted by CalTrans along Hwy 299 in Weaverville

Grasses

SOURCES OF NATIVE PLANTS

Nurseries CNPS Plant Sales -

http://www.shastacnps.org/ Trinity Nursery in Weaverville Floral Native Nursery -

www.floralnativenursery.com Cornflower Farms -

http://www.cornflowerfarms.com/index.php Las Pilitas Nursery -

http://www.laspilitas.com/

Wild crafting Need collection permits on public lands Limit collection to 10%

CNPS Plant Sales

When you shop for plants, request natives! They maybe able to order them.

MORE RESOURCES

Native Landscape Design http://www.cnps.org/cnps/grownative/garden_plans.php http://www.native-again-landscape.com/index.html List of California Natives http://www.laspilitas.com/plants/california_plants.html http://www.californiagardens.com/Lists/plant.htm http://www.laspilitas.com/easy/deerfire.htm http://www.bewaterwise.com/fire02.html#Anchor-Trees-42456 Identification Site – GREAT PHOTOS Calflora - http://www.calflora.org/ CalPhotos - http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/