Focal Points in Landscaping Design

In landscaping, focal points are areas meant to capture the attention of the viewer. Attention is then held by the various design elements at work in the landscape as the viewer assesses the scene. Understandably, focal points raise many questions among beginning landscapers. What plants are most likely to grab someone's attention? What plants are most likely to keep it? Should a landscape have multiple focal points? It is easy for focal point design to seem more complicated than it actually is?once DIY landscapers understand a few important principles of design, effective focal points virtually take care of themselves.

First, homeowners must decide what they would like to emphasize. For example, landscapes designed to focus attention on flower beds may look quite different from ones designed to call attention to the property markers. Second, homeowners must be aware of the things that potentially capture a viewer's attention. As humans, we try to distinguish elements in our vision based on their size, distance, color, and motion. As such, homeowners should take advantage of the natural layout of their property. Are there any water features, gentle curves, or noticeable changes in elevation? Planting trees and shrubs on raised mounds emphasizes their scale relative to the rest of the landscape. Ornamental grasses create motion with the movement of the wind. Flowers planted near natural ponds draw the eye toward water. Essentially, the governing principle here is to plant where you want the viewer's eye to travel.

Borders are another opportunity for focus?or rather, a lack of focus. If borders are prominent in the landscape, viewers may perceive regimentation. For property markers this is often the goal, as straight lines are a powerful tool for capturing attention. A natural-looking landscape benefits from softer transitions, however. These can be achieved with groundcovers or planting in an organic design. Homeowners can use border plants as an opportunity to soften the landscape, thereby avoiding the creation of additional focal points.

Therein may be the primary concern of landscaping for focus: too many focal points will result in a crowded landscape. The viewer does not know which object the homeowner is trying to emphasize, because so many seem to be important. Homeowners can avoid this visual confusion by taking a simpler approach. Statues, trees, fences, arbors, and other tall structures need room to ?breathe.? Open space with a simple walkway around such structures can do much for reducing the complexity of the overall design.

Tags:  landscape, plant, homeowner, focus, focal point, design