Horticulture Science Lesson 77 Beginning the Design Process

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Horticulture Science Lesson 77Beginning the
Design Process
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Interest Approach
Display a landscape design concept for a house.
Choose a design that begs the question Whats
wrong with this picture? This type of design
might have a compost pile by the patio, a
high-interest planting on the side of the house,
or a play area in the front yard. Ask the
students to explain what is good and bad about
the design.
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Student Learning Objectives

• Organize landscape activities using goose egg
  plans.
• Develop bed patterns for a landscape.
• Locate trees in a landscape plan.

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Terms

• bed pattern
• deciduous trees
• evergreen trees
• goose egg plan
• lines of force
• sun calculator
• transpiration
• windbreak

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How can activities be organized into goose egg
plans?

• Design work can begin once information is
  gathered through the family inventory survey and
  the site analysis.
• As the process progresses,
  three considerations should
  be kept in mind.
• 1. The final landscape should
  be an extension of the indoor
  living space.
• To achieve this, the lot should be considered as
  one or more rooms, each with walls, a ceiling,
  and a floor.

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How can activities be organized into goose egg
plans?

• 2. The floor plan of the house and the locations
  of various rooms should be taken into account.
• It makes sense to locate a patio near the kitchen
  and family breakfast area.
• Another good design characteristic is placing a
  high-interest planting within view of persons
  seated in the living room or family room.
• 3. The landscape is viewed by neighbors and
  passersby.
• Therefore, considering what they see is important.

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How can activities be organized into goose egg
plans?

• The creative nature of design begins with
  organizing the spaces in the design.
• A fairly simple activity can help define where
  various functions will take place in the
  landscape.
• Small sketches of the house and the lot are
  quickly drawn according to the dimensions shown
  on the base plan.
• Each sketch might be only 4 or 5 inches in size.
• Then, rough ovals or circles are drawn on the
  small sketches to represent the play area, the
  patio, plantings, etc.
• The areas of activity will likely overlap, so the
  ovals or circles may overlap as well.

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How can activities be organized into goose egg
plans?

• 1. A plan with these odd shapes is sometimes
  referred to as a goose egg plan, a bubble
  diagram, or a functional diagram.
• With the process, the designer can get a feel for
  how to separate a vast area into smaller rooms or
  spaces.

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How can activities be organized into goose egg
plans?

• 2. There are several important points to remember
  when developing a goose egg plan.
• a. The sketches should be done quickly and
  roughly.
• Also, each sketch should differ a little from the
  others.
• Do not worry about placing too much detail in the
  sketches.
• Just try to get an idea of where activities would
  best fit in the landscape.
• b. Sketch the goose egg plan with function in
  mind.
• Think about how people will move through the
  landscape.
• Refer to the family inventory survey to make sure
  that all the clients desires are met.

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How are bed patterns developed on a landscape
site?

• The next step in the design process is the
  establishment of bed patterns.
• A bed pattern is a border that outlines where
  plants will be planted and forms the framework
  for the design.
• The border separates the lawn from the plantings
  within a bed.
• Besides providing a neat, organized appearance to
  the landscape, bed patterns reduce landscape
  maintenance.
• Since the viewers eye will follow the patterns,
  the patterns should be bold.
• They should also be wide enough to hold shrubs,
  flowers, and groundcovers.
• All material in a yard, except trees, should be
  within planting beds.

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How are bed patterns developed on a landscape
site?

• Bed patterns are affected by lines of force.
• Architectural structures have dominant lines
  created by corners, windows, chimneys, and doors.
• 1. These lines, which have visual energy that
  extends into the landscape, are called lines of
  force.
• The design of the bed patterns for the patio,
  deck, or planting beds should be in harmony with
  the lines of force.

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How are bed patterns developed on a landscape
site?

• 2. An example of how to do this is to start a bed
  pattern at the corner of the house or at the edge
  of a window.
• In another example, the edge of the deck or patio
  might line up with a jog in the wall or with the
  frame of a door.
• 3. Designing bed patterns with lines of force
  helps to unite the house with the landscape.
• If the home has a solid wall, the bed pattern
  should begin and end either a or b down the
  length of the wall.

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How are bed patterns developed on a landscape
site?

• There are three major types of bed patterns.
• They are straight lines 90 degrees to the house,
  straight lines 45 degrees to the house, and
  curved lines.
• 1. Straight lines drawn 90 degrees to the house
  reflect the architecture of the home and often
  lend a formal appearance to the design.

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How are bed patterns developed on a landscape
site?

• 2. Bed patterns consisting of straight lines
  drawn 45 degrees to the house create an
  asymmetrical design.
• They reflect the architectural lines of the home
  but are more dynamic than the 90 degree bed
  patterns.
• 3. Curved bed pattern lines are free flowing and
  give a natural look to the landscape.
• They should be drawn as bold arcs. Short,
  squiggly lines lack definition and create visual
  confusion.

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How are bed patterns developed on a landscape
site?
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How are bed patterns developed on a landscape
site?

• Bed patterns should be consistent throughout the
  yard.
• Since it is unlikely anyone could view both the
  outdoor living area and the public area at the
  same time, the bed pattern style used in each
  area may differ.
• However, only one bed pattern should be used for
  the public area, and the same pattern or another
  should be used for the outdoor living area.
• Using different bed patterns in the same area of
  the landscape creates a jumbled appearance,
  making it hard for the viewers eye to follow the
  design.

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How are bed patterns developed on a landscape
site?

• Draw rough sketches of possible bed patterns,
  using the best goose egg plan as a guide for
  locating the various activity areas.
• The paper used for the bed pattern can be laid
  over the goose egg plan.
• Sketch the house and the property lines.
• Using different sheets of paper, create different
  bed pattern ideas including the 90-degree,
  45-degree, and curved styles.
• Work quickly, taking no more than a few moments
  for each.
• After a number of sketches have been drawn,
  select the best plan for the landscape project.

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How should trees be located in a landscape plan?

• Trees are the largest element of the landscape.
• In the design process, they can be located on the
  plan once the bed patterns have been established.
  
• At this point, do not select the specific trees.
• Selection of specific trees comes later in the
  design process.
• Rather, choose the location of each tree and
  decide whether the tree is small, medium, or
  large.

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How should trees be located in a landscape plan?

• The location and size should be determined by
  family needs and site conditions.
• Carefully placed trees provide shade, serve as
  backdrops to the house, screen poor views, and
  frame good views.
• Trees give a sense of permanency to the
  landscape.
• They can dramatically affect the microclimate
  around a house and make a landscape
  more energy efficient.

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How should trees be located in a landscape plan?

• Trees affect the temperatures around and in a
  house.
• 1. Deciduous trees lose their leaves in the fall.
  
• Most deciduous trees have broad leaves that
  produce shade.
• Shade produced by trees on the outside walls of a
  house keeps the interior rooms cooler than if the
  walls were exposed to the suns rays.
• Also, transpiration, or the loss of water from
  tree tissues, cools the air.
• The temperature under a large shade tree can be
  15 to 25 degrees cooler than in the sun.
• Locating trees in the landscape for cooling
  purposes requires the designer to know the angles
  at which the suns rays strike the house.
• The angle of the sun changes with the seasons.

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How should trees be located in a landscape plan?

• a. In the winter months, the suns rays hit
  primarily the south wall.
• It is good to allow these winter rays to hit the
  house to warm the interior.
• Evergreen trees keep their leaves year round and
  block the suns rays.
• Evergreens are not a good choice for planting on
  the south side of a house because they would
  block warming rays.

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How should trees be located in a landscape plan?

• b. In summer, the sun is farther to the north.
• The east and west walls of a house receive the
  greatest amount of radiant energy in the summer
  months.
• As the sun rises, the rays hit the east wall.
• Between 1100 A.M. and noon, the suns rays
  increase.
• Placing a deciduous tree to shade the east end of
  the south wall or the south end of the east wall
  during that period improves energy efficiency.

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How should trees be located in a landscape plan?

• From noon until 100 P.M., the amount of radiant
  energy absorbed by the walls of the house is very
  small because the sun is overhead. As the sun
  descends between 100 and 200 P.M., the rays
  begin to hit the west wall.
• At around 400 P.M., the sun reaches its greatest
  heating capacity.
• Shade trees placed within 25 feet of the house
  block the rays that would hit the west wall
  between 300 and 500 P.M.

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How should trees be located in a landscape plan?
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How should trees be located in a landscape plan?

• 2. The sun calculator is a tool that can be used
  to help locate trees on a landscape plan for
  energy efficiency.
• The calculator is slid under the tracing paper
  and oriented correctly in terms of north and
  south.
• The center of the calculator is positioned where
  shade is needed, such as on a patio or a west
  wall.
• Following the angles of the calculator permits
  trees to be effectively positioned.

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How should trees be located in a landscape plan?
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How should trees be located in a landscape plan?

• Trees alter the wind speed and direction.
• 1. Frigid winter winds can be reduced by grouping
  evergreen trees in the path of the prevailing
  winter winds.
• In much of the United States, the prevailing
  winter winds come from the north and northwest.
• Carefully located trees block the prevailing
  winter winds, resulting in lower heating costs.
• In the summer, trees used as windbreaks slow hot
  summer winds and reduce their drying effect.
• A windbreak is a row of plants that provides
  shelter from the wind.
• Windbreaks are also called shelterbelts.

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How should trees be located in a landscape plan?

• 2. Wind protection can be calculated.
• A row of closely planted trees deflects the force
  of the wind for a distance 20 times the height of
  the plants.
• The calculation is made by multiplying the height
  of the windbreak by 20.
• For example, a 10-foot-high windbreak would
  provide protection for a distance of 200 feet.

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Review/Summary

• How can activities be organized into goose egg
  plans?
• How are bed patterns developed on a landscape
  site?
• How should trees be located in a landscape plan?