Traditional Landscape Design

Landscape design begins with a survey of a specific parcel of land, followed by mapping of all the physical features the surveyors have identified. These features include hills, gullies, trees, streams, ponds, and any preexisting structures, roads, or driveways. A landscaper then contours the land to accommodate any new building about to be constructed on the site.

A trimmed and fertilized lawn became
the hallmark of landscaping in the early
20th century. Green lawns appeal to
many people, but, unless the landscape
is carefully managed, a lawn breaks up
natural vegetation, destroys habitat,
wastes water, and often includes chemical
fertilizers that run off the lawn and
contaminate surface waters. Many lawncare
companies now use sustainable lawn
management by applying only organic
fertilizers and selecting grasses adapted
to the environment, so they need less
watering. (Taylor Made Lawncare Services)

Traditional landscaping for decades began by cutting down trees and bulldozing the site to make access easier for construction workers. Often landscapers used dynamite to break up large rock formations. They then hauled away surface boulders, filled ponds, and drained wetlands. Sometimes they lopped off the tops of trees to improve a view. These changes to the land were once thought to be enhancements to a property, but environmental engineers now understand that the greater the change made to a landscape, the greater the disruption to natural ecosystems. Ecological landscapers have now changed the way in which landscaping is done for three purposes: (1) preserving natural habitat, plants, and trees; (2) leaving as much natural contour in the land as possible; and (3) using the natural landscape to enhance the energy use of the new building.

Today’s ecological landscaping still has a need for heavy earthmoving equipment, but ecological landscapers make greater efforts to preserve natural hills and depressions, streams and wetlands, and trees. All landscaping has evolved so that today it incorporates the following aspects:

1. water, topsoil, and energy conservation
2. reduction of storm water runoff
3. horticulture of native plants
4. pest management that reduces the use of chemicals by using natural pest antagonists
5. nutrient replenishment of soils by methods other than chemical fertilizers
6. new plantings and gardens to restore habitat
7. waste reduction and recycling of construction wastes

 Landscapers who include these features in their work are called ecolandscapers. Unlike landscaping of just a decade ago, eco-landscaping makes every effort to include the natural geography and topography of the site to be altered. Eco-landscapers follow nature’s lead in order to preserve ecosystems and conserve energy.

Even landscapes that contain traditional features such as lawns, gardens with nonnative plants, and nonnative fruiting and flowering trees can be transformed into a more compatible fit with the surrounding ecosystem. Some homeowners have done this by replanting lawns with natural vegetation and replacing nonnative growth, such as a rose garden with a garden of native plants and shrubs. A landscape that in the past received major changes to its contour cannot be rebuilt to its original shape, but owners can take other steps to return the land to a natural state.