Professional Planting Design: An Architectural and Horticultural Approach for Creating Mixed Bed Plantings » (1st Edition)

Scott C. Scarfone, ASLA, is a principal at Oasis Design Group, a landscape architecture, planning, and design firm he founded in historic Fells Point in Baltimore, Maryland. He is an instructor in the continuing education programs at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, The School of the Chicago Botanic Garden in Chicago, and Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, Maryland. He frequently lectures around the country on various topics including garden design, planting design, and garden travel. Scott is a registered landscape architect and a certified professional horticulturist with a specialization in herbaceous perennials.

"This is a great reference book for planting design, which is an arena where so many of us are hugely challenged. Information in it is well written, engaging, useful, accessible, and original."
— Holly H. Shimizu, Executive Director, United States Botanic Garden

"A unique blend of classic planting-design principles and ecological plant-selection criteria."
— Scot Medbury, President, Brooklyn Botanic Garden

"After reading the book, you will be able to experiment with nature and use its myriad of facets to make your own original statement. You will be ready to take risks and design exciting and original gardens."
— From the Foreword by James A. van Sweden, Oehme, van Sweden & Associates

A comprehensive guide to the "high art" of designing mixed bed plantings

When done successfully, mixed beds represent the pinnacle of planting design — a living work of art in which small trees, shrubs, perennials, grasses, bulbs, tropicals, and groundcovers combine to create a true feeling of place. Professional Planting Design initiates you into the principles of planting design and helps you develop the ability to think about the planting design process, so that you can develop your own effective compositions that sustain multi-seasonal interest.

Richly illustrated with photographs and drawings, Professional Planting Design covers the basics as well as the advanced concepts of planting design including: selecting plant characteristics, types of mixed bed plantings, structuring and composing mixed beds, creating mixed palettes for seasonal variation, designing in elevation and plan view, and choosing plants. You'll find coverageof design, landscape architecture, and horticulture interwoven throughout the guide, along with detailed steps for developing mixed bed planting compositions at a variety of scales for projects on both residential and commercial sites.

Clear and concise yet thorough, this book will supplement your talent with the knowledge you need to create harmonious mixed plantings in the landscape that will provide continual interest throughout the seasons.

Foreword   James A. van Sweden     vii
Foreword   Fergus Garrett     viii
Introduction     ix
Planting Design: A Unique Design Profession     xii
Practicing the Art of Mixed Planting Design     xiv
Mixed Planting Basics     1
Mixing and Matching     2
Evolution of a Planting Style     3
The Theory Behind Mixed Plantings: The Role of Dynamism and Diversity     7
Making the Most of the Mix     9
The Role of Plant Functionality in Design     10
Mixed Planting Bed Functions     10
Mixed Planting Bed Types     12
Cultural and Maintenance Considerations as Part of the Design Process     15
Moving on with the Planting Design Process     16
The Power of Succession     19
Planning for Succession     20
Components of the Mixed Planting     21
Permanent vs. Temporary Plantings     35
Applying Design Fundamentals to Planting Design     37
Elements of Composition     38
Using Color in the Landscape     50
The Language of Design     54
Structuring and Adorning the Mixed Planting Composition     69
Imposing aPlanting Structure     70
Punctuating with Decorative Plants     73
Working with Plant Forms     75
Incorporating Leaf Characteristics     81
Using Foliage Color     89
Maintaining Seasonal Interest     94
Form-Based Approach to Mixed Planting Design     101
Understanding Form Relationships     102
Blocking a Design Pattern     107
Creating Mass: Grouping and Arranging     108
Assembling the Abstract Composition     116
Evaluating the Composition     123
Designing in Plan View: Creating the Beds     125
Going Horizontal     126
Grouping Plants: Developing Masses     131
Calculating Bed Depth     138
Establishing the Bed Line     140
Developing a Design Theme     145
Using a Grid     161
Conclusion     173
Composing and Structuring a Mixed Bed     175
Layering as Part of the Planning Process     176
Locating the Plants     177
Identify Locations of Structure Plants     177
Add Theme Plants     184
Insert Accents or Focal Points     190
Infill or Filler Plantings      196
Understanding the Importance of Massing to the Planting Composition     197
Factoring in Maintenance     203
Conclusion     206
Specifying Plants by Their Characteristics     207
Specifying Characteristics     208
Planning for Succession     218
Creating a Memorable Impression     226
Keeping It Simple     234
Understanding the Planting Environment     237
Understanding Soils     238
Exposure to the Elements     241
Accounting for Growth Behavior     243
Giving Plants Room to Grow     246
Exploiting Plant Genetics     249
Conclusion     249
Completing the Process: Selecting the Plants     251
Selecting Plants     252
Maintaining the Composition     254
Conclusion     255
Bibliography     259
Index     261