Landscape Gardening

by: Joanna Harris

Have you ever stopped and looked at a beautiful building with even more beautiful gardens? Have you ever wondered whether this is a park or a commercial / residential building? And the credit for such eye catching features goes not only to the architecture of the building but also to the surroundings. So what is landscape gardening all about? It is basically a relatively new theory which tries to take care of the Earth’s landscapes in a creative, holistic and sustainable manner. It encompasses arts, sciences and various technical philosophies and practices in order to create a landscape which is in harmony with the surroundings and is appealing to the eye. Landscape gardening is pretty similar to gardening but there lies one major difference between the two of them. Both arts are concerned with the ways in which planting, landform, water, paving and other erecting structures can be done. But whilst gardening deals with private spaces such as parks, private gardens , landscape gardening deals also with unenclosed or public spaces such as town squares, country parks, greenways, golf courses etc.

Landscape gardening requires knowledge and expertise in various fields such as biology, zoology, soil science and plant symbiosis. It is only then that a dry, unusable piece of land can be transformed into a magnificent garden. It is the hard work of the landscape gardener who makes a designer garden which is unique in its own way, has the creativity of the designer, keeps in mind the requirements of the client and is in sync with the environment and surroundings.

If you thought landscaping is done only on the ground, it is time to think again because nowadays, landscape gardens adorn the city’s roofs too. Apart from the obvious landscaping, it helps reduce pollution, reduce storm water run off, increase thermal insulation and life of the roofs.

Whatever and wherever the landscaping is done, there is definitely an edge over the other areas which are not landscaped. Many landscaped buildings have become major tourist attractions. It should be the endeavour of the builder to landscape the area around the structure being constructed. It will go a long way in providing the much needed greenery to this planet apart from being pleasing to the eye.