The Unreality of "Reality" TV

How many times have you seen them? You know what I'm talking about. Those reality TV shows where the host of the show talks and walks us through the complete installation of an entire landscape in just a scant 23 minutes?

Unfortunately, reality is much different than what we see on TV. What we don’t see, and generally never really consider, is that a quality landscape can take at a minimum of several weeks to even many months from initial concept, complete design, planning and to final installation. Rarely are even the simplest landscapes installed without something unexpected happening; yet we sometimes seem to base our ideas on what happens by what we see on reality TV. One would hardly consider that anything could go wrong based on the seamless operation of these shows. And that is one of the major drawbacks of these types of shows.

Now, when we see this fantastic transformation of a landscape, from bare dirt to lush paradise, take place in the space of ½ hour our understanding of what can really happen (and generally does) can indeed become rather skewed. For example, do we really consider that many months of planning go into the production of these shows? Have we stopped to think that behind the host, the “talking head” of the show so to speak, a literal army of producers and technicians stand at the ready to make everything go as smoothly as possible? Or that virtually everything is carefully planned months in advance? Unrealistic expectations can and unfortunately do arise from not considering these facets of TV production.

Now I am certainly not knocking these TV shows. As a matter of fact, I appreciate them very much because they have actually helped grow my business more and more as people understand the value of planning ahead and putting their ideas on paper before even one spade of dirt gets turned or one dollar is spent. I even learn new techniques and ideas from these shows! Thanks to these shows many people have been inspired to invest in one of the most important tangible investments they can ever make, their home. That has certainly led to some new business for my firm for sure.

What I would like the landscape design client to take away from this article is simply this: Temper your ideas and expectations about your landscape project with a rather large dose of “true” reality and plan ahead accordingly. Many times the lead time for a landscape design from beginning concept to final presentation is 6 to 8 weeks. A quality landscape design takes that kind of time because there really is quite a bit in producing a unique design tailored to the individual client. Add to that a minimum of 2 to 4 weeks in getting bids of your project from various contractors and you can see close to 2 to 3 months has been expended. Add to that the 2 to 6 weeks (or more depending on the complexity of the project) of construction and installation of the landscape and it doesn’t take long to see that a quality landscape can take many months, not a mere half-hour, to install.

The 6 Basic Principles of Landscape Design

Understanding the basic principles of good landscape design will help insure a visually appealing and functional landscape for the client, as well as enhancing property value and reducing maintenance costs. These principles are not necessarily based on a particular individuals understanding of creative or artistic principals, but rather stem from the inherent visual sense possessed by most people, whether they regard themselves as creative or not. By the way, I do not necessarily consider myself to be all that "creative" either and that's why I rely on understanding these basic principles myself.

1. Balance
Simply put, balance is the state of seeing as well as being seen. There are 3 types of balance: symmetric, asymmetric and proximal/distal. Symmetric balance is the balance of formal gardens where one side is the mirror image of the other. Asymmetric balance can generally be more visually appealing in that there are two sides to observe and expose. Regard for exact duplication of sides is minimized. Proximal/distal balance is asymmetric but carries it further by dealing with depth in the field of vision. It is not uncommon to combine the basic types of balance, but it should be done with great forethought.

2. Focalization of Interest
Anything that is designed well has a focal point. Focalization of interest is the principles of the design that selects and positions visually strong items into the landscape composition. Focal points can be created using plants, hardscape items such as fountains or swimming pools, architectural elements of the home, the color, movement, texture of plantings or a combination of all of these features. Generally speaking, most homeowners have the tendency to overuse focal points, which usually creates complexity and visual confusion within the landscape composition. A general rule of thumb to consider with focal points is that less generally equals more.

3. Simplicity
Simplicity seeks to make the viewer of the landscape feel comfortable within the landscape. Simplicity is not always the opposite of complexity and should not imply simplistic, boring or convey a lack of imagination. Rather, simplicity avoids the use of too many plants and plant species, too many textures, too many shapes, too many focal points, and/or too many curves or angles within a specific area or within an overall landscape.

4. Rhythm and Line
The principles of rhythm and line may be regarded separately or collectively. Rhythm is established when any element repeats enough times within a standard interval and usually deals with a measured space. Line is created where different materials meet, such as turf meeting pavement or a mulched planting bed. Curved lines generally add more interest to the landscape in that they are longer, thus “stretching” the eye and enhancing the view of the landscape. This is not to say straight lines should be avoided. In fact straight lines, when used properly, can also be used to add a tremendous amount of visual interest in the landscape.

5. Proportion
Proportion is concerned with the size relationships between all of the features and elements of the landscape. That includes both vertical and horizontal relationships as well as spatial (space) relationships. The concern for proper proportion should extend to building size, lot size, plant size, areas dealing with mass and void, as of course the human users of the landscape.

6. Unity
As a principle of design, unity is the easiest to measure, as long as the previous five design elements have been applied properly and comprehensively. Each component of the landscape, whether it is plant material, color and texture, planting bed shape, the choice and use of paving materials, color selection, lighting plan or any other component of the landscape within a project, is obligated to be a part of the whole. Even the most novice among us can appreciate the overall uniformity of a well planned landscape design.