Designing for Aesthetics

A Beautifully Designed Florida Landscape Adds Value to Your Property

Florida's miles of coastline and warm weather draw tourists from around the world. Those who live in the Sunshine State have the opportunity to grow magnificent gardens and create wonderful outdoor living spaces. Landscaping your home will not only increase your property value, but also your quality of life. Imagine being able to spend time with friends and family in your own backyard retreat. Popular outdoor living elements include pools, kitchens, and fire features. Florida yards are often landscaped in a tropical style, with palm trees and hammocks creating a resort look. Landscaping concerns specific to Florida include humidity, bugs and hurricanes.

Landscape design is concerned both with the aesthetics and functionality of landscaping. Aesthetics is the study of the appreciation of beauty and how we as humans perceive beauty.

Here is a list of popular themes for a tropical landscape:

• What plants to include in your plant palette that will create a tropical setting
• Asian and Brazilian tropical landscape are extremely popular. The modern tropical landscape movement is evident in Singapore and Rio de Janeiro. The Balinese culture with its love of observing, absorbing, adapting and adopting, if interpreted property can create simple natural tropical surroundings
• Incorporating water features - either in the form of simple Japanese water gardens or complex Polynesian waterfalls
• Installing gas tiki torches
• Remodeling an existing pool and spa so that the new element creates a wonderful lifestyle component to the property
• Creating dappled shade throughout the landscape
• What plants to include in a modern garden design to create a minimalistic look
• Patio and pool deck furniture selection
• How to go about choosing the right paving materials for a tropical landscape? In a number of cases it is important to create an old world look with the paving material.
• What is the definition of sustainable landscaping? How do you implement principles of sustainable landscaping? It is important to use recycled items in your landscape. Low impact development and sustainable landscape initiative are two very important principles to consider when designing a new landscape. Rain gardens, permeable pavers, cisterns, green roofs, bio swales, smart irrigation technology, etc. etc. are all important elements in the new landscape design paradigm.
• There is no such thing as low-maintenance landscaping. However, there are smart and innovative methods to design a landscapes that makes it easy for maintenance crews to move through the landscape and perform weekly or monthly maintenance duties. The more complicated a landscape, the more difficult it is to maintain.
• How to effectively integrate ornamental grasses into the landscape
• What are the best substitutes’s to replace a lawn
• A good landscape design always considers drainage
• Palms are a highly sought after element in the landscape. It is important to consider canopy hardwood trees to integrate with our Palm plantings. Canopy trees moderate heat island effect, effectively deal with carbon sequestration, provide Stormwater BMP in the form of rain for interception and native trees are important to our neighborhoods biodiversity
• It is important to consider selecting materials that will tolerate humidity. Especially in the design of tiki torches, outdoor hearths and fire pits
• Vanishing edge swimming pools
• Perimeter overflow pool has the pool surface level at the same level as the surrounding hardscape of the pool. The water of the pool drains into channel drain around the pool, which creates a lovely visual impression. In essence a reflective pool.
• Creating a strong sense of arrival for your home's front yard

Key elements to ensure that a landscape keeps its aesthetic design intentions as well as remaining functional:

• Eliminating unnecessary water and chemical use
• Landscape with plants that require less care
• Protect the environment by:
  • Conserving water supplies
  • Using chemicals properly and only when necessary to keep waterways and drinking water clean
  • Reduce yard waste by recycling yard trimmings into free fertilizer and mulch
  • Build and maintain healthy soil
  • Plant the right plants in the right places
  • Adopt a holistic approach to pest management