Designing the Landscape: An Introductory Guide for the Landscape Designer

This highly illustrative and affordable book adequately covers practical points of the design process in a simple step-by-step format. This format is concise, readily illustrated to facilitate learning and, most importantly, can be easily applied in the landscape design industry. The book focuses on residential design, although many of the concepts and steps can be applied to commercial projects as well. As each chapter represents a step in the design process, illustrations, photos, and software imaging visually aid the book concepts to further simplify learning and provide the reader with the skills to begin a successful landscape design career. Each chapter represents a step in the design process: Finding work and interviewing clients; Taking measurements and drawing site plan; Inventory and analysis of the site; Study of the useful, or functional, aspects of landscape; Organizing the ground plane and developing a functional design; Study of the components of visual interest, balance, connection and flow; Landscape design based on concept plan using generic materials; Plants and Hardscapes; Putting together the final plan that specifies all material in design; Presentation of the design to client. Other topics include Estimation; Computer Automated Design; Butterfly Gardening; Repelling Deer; and Xeriscaping. For landscape designers.

Designing the Landscape: An Introductory Guide for the Landscape Designer takes the reader through the design process step-by-step. The text begins with meeting the client and proceeds to functional concepts, design principles, and plant and hardscape materials. Each chapter builds upon the previous one, giving the reader a clear understanding of how the chapters fit into each phase of the design process. The text concludes with the final product and how to effectively present it to the client.

• Numerous illustrations help aid readers' comprehension of the material
• Provides practical approaches to establishing a good client relationship as well as how to effectively present—or sell—the design
• Approaches design in a step-by-step fashion, helping readers to overcome the anxiety of the blank page
• Introduces the role computers play in the design process