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Introduction to Landscaping

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Landscaping is gardening turned into art. Gardening offers the joy of working with your hands in the dirt, and landscaping adds to that joy the challenge of creating a natural scene that is particularly pleasing to the eye.
Thus, the primary purpose of landscaping is to enhance the appearance of your home or business. In the process, of course, landscaping also increases the value of your property and creates a home for various native plants and animals.

You should not, however, think of a landscape as merely a big garden. Landscaping is simply the artistic development of your land, so while a landscape likely includes grass, flowers, and shrubs, it may also include a small pond, a gravel path, and/or manmade objects such as a fountain or sundial.

In addition to what they contain, landscapes are distinguished based on their appearance and their placement. In terms of appearances, landscapes are either formal or informal. Formal landscapes are essentially symmetrical; each object (except, perhaps, a central focal point) has its counterpoint on the opposite side of the landscape. Informal landscapes, on the other hand, may seem to have little design structure whatsoever.

Landscapes differ in placement between borders and islands. Borders are landscapes set against a house or other structure while island beds are surrounded on all four sides by natural elements.

Next Page: Artistic Considerations

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