Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

RHS L2 Sarah - 5/6/7/8 > 5. Principles of garden planning > Flashcards

5. Principles of garden planning Flashcards

1
Q

Describe the meaning of the term Genius loci

A
  • Quality, characteristic or atmosphere that makes one location different to another
  • Often an emotional or subconscious feeling
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

State key characteristics of a garden with Symmetry

A
  • One side is a mirror image of the other
  • Used in formal gardens
  • Strong use of geometric shapes
  • Features are repeated along the axis
  • Straight paths often running along the axis
  • Key focal point, often fountains or sculpture
  • Use of topiary to create distinct shapes
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

State key characteristics of a garden with Asymmetry

A
  • No central axis
  • Used in informal gardens
  • Balance is key, e.g large tree balanced by a summerhouse or group of smaller trees
  • May reflect interior of house, an extension of it
  • Minimal straight lines - inspired by natural habitats
  • Plantings are easy maintenance
  • May include a wildlife pond
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Plants suitable for Topiary

A
  • Buxus sempervirens (Box)
  • Taxus baccata (Yew)
  • Illex (Holly)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Key Garden planning principles

A
  • Harmony
  • Simplicity
  • Balance
  • Sale & Proportion
  • Repetition & Rhythm
  • Focal point
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q
  • Harmony
A
  • The fitting together of parts so they make a connected whole
  • The garden and it’s surroundings
  • The Garden and the house
  • Within the garden itself
  • Use native tree’s as hedging to to ease transition with boundaries
  • Reflect style, shape, colour, materials of buildings
  • Link divided spaces though use of materials, landscaping and hedging
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q
  • Simplicity
A
  • Helps to add calm and avoid chaos
  • Limit the number of materials used (no more than 3 hard landscaping)
  • Repeat plants and colours
  • Limit number of features
  • Avoid multiple focal points
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q
  • Balance
A
  • Not just symmetry (easy in a formal garden)
  • Using features which have a similar visual weight
  • Patio could be balanced with a lawn
  • Large tree could be balanced with a group of smaller tree’s or a summer house
  • A pergola could be balances with a boarder of tall herbaceous plantings
  • Unbalanced gardens could include all features on one side or one large tree at the end of the garden as a focal point
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q
  • Scale & Proportion
A 
- Gardens should be scaled to allow for comfort and should not feel constricted
Consider:
- Pathways
- Patio 
- Steps
- Pergola
- Boarders
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q
  • Scale & Proportion of Pathways
A
  • Only located for a reason and should be functional to avoid desire lines
  • Consider who will be using the path
  • 1.2m ideally 1.5m needed for wheelchair access
  • Paving not gravel need for wheelchair
  • Service paths 1m wide but should not have sharp turn/right angle
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q
  • Scale & Proportion of Patio’s
A
  • Provides main link between house and garden
  • Must be generous - no smaller than 4x4m
  • Single story - width should match house height
  • Double story - width should be 2/3rd of the how height
  • Should allow 1.2-1.5m behind chairs
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q
  • Scale & Proportion of Step’s
A
  • Larger than indoor steps
  • Shallow riser 100mm (no more than 150mm)
  • Deep tred 450mm ideal
  • Wide as path 1.2-1.5m
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q
  • Scale & Proportion of Pergola’s
A
  • Must be taller than adult and allow extra room for hanging plants
  • Uprights 2.4m
  • 1.5m Wide min if used as a pathway
  • Pillars should not affect the movement of people
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q
  • Scale & Proportion of Boarders
A
  • As wide ass possible, plants spread as they develop
  • Tall plants should not be planted in narrow boarders
  • Min 1m - only 1 plant deep
  • 2-3m is ideal - combo of climbers, shrubs, perennials, bulbs
  • Height of tallest plant no more than 1.5x width of bed
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q
  • Repetition & Rhythm
A
  • Repeat shapes, patterns, colours, materials
  • Add rhythm to a path by creating an inset pattern
  • Avenues of tree’s
  • A pergola
  • Recurring clipped plants
  • Use combinations of plant forms, texture and colour
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q
  • Focal point
A
  • A feature that draws the eye - Can be good or bad
  • Bad = Conifer in the wrong place/ compost heap at the end of a path
  • Divert the eye from a bad focal point by creating a new one
  • Only one focal point should be visible at a time
  • Curving paths could have a series which are revealed as you move along
  • Tree’s, arbors, summer house, statues, containers
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Knot Garden features

A
  • Symmetrical & Formal
  • French inspired
  • Popular in the 16th and 17th century with upper class
  • Usually close to house so it can be seen from window/terrace
  • Square/rectangular in shape
  • Enclosed by a wall or hedge
  • Two main paths which cross at the center
  • Often central water feature, fountain or pond
  • Rectangular beds lines with low level hedging, infilled with intricate pattern of hedging meant to represent embroidery patterns
  • Spaces between may be filled with gravel or ornamental herbs
  • Trellises and arbors often used
18
Q

Knot Garden plants

A
  • Taxus Baccata

- Buxus Sempervirens

19
Q

English Landscape Garden features

A
  • Asymmetrical & Informal
  • Italian inspired
  • Popular in the 18th century with upper class
  • Idealised view of nature
  • No straight lines - curved, winding paths lead you on a carefully planned route
  • Edges surrounded by Tree’s
  • Dammed rivers to create lakes/ponds
  • Gently rolling lawns lead right up to house
  • Ha ha’s used to create boundaries without impeding views
  • Classical building’s (Greek/Roman temples) used to evoke memories
20
Q

English Landscape Garden plants

A
  • Quercus robur

- Magnolia Campbelli

21
Q

Cottage Garden features

A
  • Historically a functional vegetable garden for the mid-lower class
  • Has been developed into something more artistic
  • Asymmetric & Informal
  • Pathways made of brick, random paving or gravel
  • Edging in hazel, paling/picket fencing or natural hedging
  • Natural pond for wildlife
  • Rustic pergola
22
Q

Cottage Garden plants

A
  • Centaurea cyanus

- Limnanthes douglasii

23
Q

Describe Plant form and key categories

A
  • Overall shape when in leaf - can have the greatest visual impact
  • Key for tree’s, shrubs and ground cover plants
  • Mainly woody plants
  • Round
  • Columnar
  • Conical
  • Arching
  • Fan / spiky fan
  • Irregular
  • Clipped
24
Q

Round - Uses and examples

Plant form

A
  • Formal, strong
  • Used as a focal point or as a ‘full top’ at the end of a boarder
  • Yew or Box clipped
25
Q

Columnar - Uses and examples

Plant form

A
  • Outline shape of tree’s/shrubs

- Eye catching focal point, less dramatic when grouped

26
Q

Fan - Uses and examples

Plant form

A
  • Open, graceful
  • Useful in a small garden
  • Can come in a common fan or spiky fan
27
Q

Describe flower form and key categories

A
  • The shape/appearance of flowers
  • Key for herbaceous plants with lack of defined ‘plant form’
  • May change dramatically throughout the year
  • Spines/spikes
  • Buttons/sphere’s
  • Plumes
  • Daisy
  • Umbles
  • Screen’s/curtains
28
Q

Spines/spikes - Uses and examples

Flower form

A
  • Strong form

- Best used in a group in the back of a boarder

29
Q

Buttons/sphere’s - Uses and examples

Flower form

A
  • Less dominant

- Useful mid-boarder

30
Q

Plumes - Uses and examples

Flower form

A
  • Soft, create a cloud like effect
  • Used to link strong flower forms
  • Crambe cordifolia
31
Q

Describe Texture and key categories

A
  • The feel of leaves and flowers
  • Defined by size, shape and surface of the leaf
  • Coarse
  • Medium
  • Fine
32
Q

Coarse texture - Uses and examples

Texture

A
  • Large leaves have the coarsest texture
  • Catch the eye, each leaf distracts from the outline and overall form
  • Appear to advance so can overpower a small garden
  • To avoid this large, coarse plants can be planted at the front of the boarder with softer/fine textures behind or in the distance
  • Fatisa japonica
33
Q

Medium texture - Uses and examples

Texture

A
  • Used to link soft and coarse textures and soften contrast
  • Often evergreen shrubs and herbaceous plants
  • Viburnum tinus
34
Q

Fine texture - Uses and examples

Texture

A
  • Smallest leaves/leaflets
  • Easy to look at and do not demand attention
  • Give the impression of being at a further distance
  • Recede away from you making the space feel larger
  • Could be light and airy or strong form but the overall form is the dominant feature
  • Key in formal plantings - Box clipped
  • Buxus sempervirens
35
Q

Key considerations when combining form and textures

A
  • Strong forms and bold textures are dramatic and stimulating
  • High energy plants can fight for attention and to many visual forms can dull
  • Too many coarse textured plants can look chaotic
  • Balance is key - compliment/ground strong forms with areas of less demanding plantings
36
Q

Describe Colour and key schemes

A
  • Primary - Red, yellow, blue
  • Secondary - Mix of 2 primary colours
  • Tertiary - Created by mixing adjacent primary and secondary
  • Tints, tones and shades expand the range
  • Green/blues = cool colours
  • Red/yellow - Hot colours
  • Harmonious
  • Contrasting
  • Antagonistic
37
Q

Harmonious - Uses and examples

Colour

A
  • Those that are near or adjacent on the colour wheel
  • E.g Blue violet / Blue green
  • Simplest form and most effective in drifts
  • Cool look best in shade
  • Hot harmonious plants can detract attention so best to separate
  • Monochromatic harmony = tints, tines and shades of one hue
  • White garden
  • Rose garden with red/dusky old fashioned roses
38
Q

Contrasting - Uses and examples

Colour

A
  • Colours from opposite sides of the colour wheel
  • Strongest are exactly opposite - Yellow/violet
  • When placed next to each other can complement and stimulate the eye
  • Red appears brighter next to green
  • Western red gardens
39
Q

Antagonisitc - Uses and examples

Colour

A
  • Classing - groups near each other on the colour wheel
  • Classes = Red’s, pinks, oranges
  • Diluted naturally by foliage
  • Can work in the right situation but in smaller gardens can be overpowering
  • Classes of white can help brighten a dark shaded area
  • Few flowers are truly white, they have a hue and can be matched with plants with similar hue
40
Q

Differences between Hot/Cool colours and when to use

A

Hot colours

  • Can make a space feel smaller
  • Often come from warmer climates
  • Can be high energy and demand attention
  • Can be calmed down by the use of purple foliage (sparingly)
  • Better in full sun
  • Can become dull and dark in low light

Cool colours

  • Can make a space feel larger
  • More natural
  • Restful/calming effect
  • Better in shade

RHS L2 Sarah - 5/6/7/8 (19 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions