ecological landscape designing
by admin - January 28th, 2009.Filed under: Landscaping Tips.
What is Ecological Landscape designing? It is designing a landscape by taking into consideration the existing landscape that is present. This is achieved as follows:
1. Ecological Landscape design involves taking into consideration the soil that is present. By completing a soil texture test you will have a much clearer indication of the soil that you will be working with. Is it sandy loam, silty loam, clay loam? This step will help you understand the conditions in which plants are going to live. The soil may require amendment but at least you can amend the soil before the planting to ensure the long term health of the soil and plants. This step taken early in the design process will reduce or eliminate the need for manual intrusion at a later date.
2. Ecological landscape design takes into consideration the native environment that you are designing with. If you have a Garry Oak tree as an overstorey (as you do in many instances here in Victoria, BC), you plant what you would find in a native understorey (ie. trees: Arbutus, Garry Oak – Shrubs: Oceanspray, Tall Oregon Grape- Grasses: California brome, Blue wildrye -Herbaceous plants: Great camas, Yarrow etc). You may have some success planting something non native (and I have seen many non native plants under Garry Oak) but we now know that in their natural environment these plants form a symbiotic relationship with the Oak. They basically help each other to prosper. This is ecological landscape designing, ie. designing a landscape that works in harmony.
3. The planting plan must also take into consideration the light requirements of the site, water requirements at the site, traffic (pedestrian), and useage. All of this can be determined by sitting down with the client and asking questions to determine their vision coupled with practical and ecological planning.
4. An ecological landscape design will also project what the landscape will look like in 20-30 yrs. To many times I have seen the wrong plant in the wrong location. A baby Douglas Fir may look attractive in that back flower bed but in 30 yrs what is the impact? That Blue spruce looks great in contrast to the other plants you have included but that spruce will grow quickly under the correct conditions and may cause some grief twenty years down the road or have to be removed in its entirety. Ecological Landscape Designing is designing with the future in mind to ensure the least amount of intrusion into the system.
5. What are the food requirements of the client from the landscape? This question will become more and more prevelant as the world changes. A landscape can be designed to not only provide the client with a source of food, it can be designed to attract birds, butterflies and insects. Yes, insects! Incredibly important for not only controlling pests, but they are part of the overall balance of a healthy landscape. No bees, no life on earth!
Ecological landscape designing differs from conventional thinking in that it tries to duplicate what happens in nature as opposed to planting just for the aesthetic component.