BAS 357
LANDSCAPING AND AMENITY HORTICULTURE
Lecture 1
Mrs. H-V ADZRAKU
hvrap@yahoo.com/0261110887
APRIL 2022
COURSE OUTLINE
• Landscape design
• Amenity horticulture
• Benefits of Landscape Design
• Challenges in the Landscape Design Industry
• Major groups in the Landscape industry
• Materials for landscape design and maintenance
• Principles of design
• Design procedure
• Types of clients
• Specification and Bill of Quantities
• Case Study: Designing the landscape of a Residential outdoor space and
Recreational Park
1
What is Landscape Design ?
• The term landscape commonly refers to the general
appearance of the land, including its shapes, texture and
colours.
• Landscape design is the art and science of changing the
appearance of an area of land so that it looks natural and
attractive. It involves working with both hard and soft
landscape features to achieve the needed effect
2
Landscape design cont’d
• In landscaping, the outdoor spaces which are created through
design become conducive/functional for man to live in, work
and relax.
• It is also to serves the needs and desires of the people who
use the outdoor space.
3
Amenity horticulture
• Amenity horticulture involves the growing of plants for recreational or
ornamentals purposes. It also includes providing, establishing and
managing an amenity horticultural site.
• Amenity horticulture and landscape design therefore play an important
role in the management of the environment.
4
BENEFITS OF LANDSCAPING
A well-conceived and established landscape functions from such
practical achievements as:
• Cooling the environment during the hot periods
• Allowing the sun’s warmth to heat the cool periods
• Blocking wind and sheltering from rain
• Controlling drainage of surface water
• Providing colours and fragrances to be sensed with enjoyment.
• Improves on the aesthetics of the outdoor space.
5
Challenges in the Landscape Design Industry
• General challenges: Vandalism, littering, poisonous plants,
hideouts for ‘bad people’, timeliness in keeping maintenance
schedule.
• Challenges peculiar to Ghana –
Answers
• Ignorance
• Lack of interest
• Lack of capital
• Poor maintenance culture
• Lack of skilled personnel
6
MAJOR GROUPS OF PEOPLE IN THE LANDSCAPE
DESIGN INDUSTRY
• There are basically four major groups of people in the
landscape industry.
These are:
• Landscape Designer or Architect
• Landscape Contractor
• Landscape Maintenance Supervisor/Team
• Nursery Man
7
Landscape Designer or Architect
• This is a professional man who takes up landscape work and
gets in touch with all others in a landscape design work.
• He is the planner and deals with the aesthetic principles
within the physical environment. The landscape designer or
architect must be concerned with the integration of the
building and its immediate surroundings as well as other
elements in a landscape
8
The Landscape Contractor
• He executes the plan developed by the designer with
the plants and specifications given by the landscape
designer.
• The contractor must determine materials needed,
labour required, overhead cost and profits anticipated.
9
Landscape Maintenance Team/Supervisor
• The Landscape Maintenance Team or supervisor determines
how the effect desired by the designer would be achieved.
• This group usually controls the future growth and
development of the plant materials after they have been
supplied and installed by the landscape contractor.
• Activities such as weed control, diseases and pest control,
mowing and pruning are some of the major operations this
group carries out
10
The Nursery Man
• The nursery man usually grows and provides plants or plant
materials used in landscape design works. Plant materials
supplied must be diseases and pests free
11
MATERIALS FOR DESIGN
Materials for landscape design are categorised into two groups:
➢Soft landscape features
• Plant Materials
➢Hard landscape features
• Water features
• Land Forms Or Topography
• Sculpture Pieces
• Ground Patterns
• Garden Boundaries
• Garden benches
12
Plant materials
• These are plants used for amenity horticulture or landscape works. They
may be categorised as either of the following;
Trees
Shrubs
Herbaceous perennials
Grasses/ground covers
Climbers/Creeping
Bromeliads
Ferns
Cacti and succulents
Water plants
13
Plant materials cont’d
Trees may be categorised into two and may be
either of the following;
• Flowering trees
• Foliage trees
14
Plant materials cont’d
• Flowering trees
• Cassia fistula: Golden shower Plumeria rubra: Forget-me-not
15
Plant materials cont’d
• Foliage trees
Artocarpus incisus-Bread fruit tree Ravenala madagascariensis: Traveller’s tree
16
Plant materials cont’d
• Flowering shrubs
Ixora duffi- Double red ixora Bougainvillea glabra-Paper leaf plant
17
Plant materials cont’d
• Foliage shrubs
Duranta spp.- Yellow duranta Acalypha willinckii- Acalypha
18
Grasses and ground covers
• Stenotaphrum secundatum Chrysopogon acciculatus
19
Portulaca grandiflora-Sun plant Setcreasea purpurea-Purple heart
20
Climbers and Creeping plants
Scindapsus aureus- Devil’s ivy Ficus pumila- Creeping fig
21
Ferns
Adiantum andreanum- Maiden hair fern Nephrolepis exaltata- Sword fern
22
Cacti and succulent
Agave americana- Century plant Rhoeo discolor- Moses in a cradle
23
Water plant
Nymphaea caerulea- Water lily
24
Water Bodies
In tropical areas, high temperatures could be psychologically cooled by
the use of water bodies in a landscape. Examples are pools, ponds,
fountains, miniature waterfalls.
25
Water Bodies cont…
26
Sculpture Pieces
These are inanimate objects or elements placed in a landscape. They are
used as architectural features in a design to depict culture, tradition or
something abstract.
27
Ground Forms/Pattern
• This is the horizontal plane on which the composition is built,
and it is just like the carpet in the living room with other
furniture or pieces of internal decoration fixed on.
• There are two forms of ground patterns namely the organic
and inorganic patterns.
28
Ground Forms/Pattern cont…
• The organic patterns include turf grasses, creepers and other
ground covers.
• The inorganic ground patterns differ from place to place
depending on what is desired.
• The inorganic ground pattern includes rocks, stones, gravels,
slabs, pavements, terrazzo works etc
29
30
Garden Boundaries
• These may be used in a design for several purposes.
Examples include demarcations, privacy, protection,
screening, confinement of children and pets.
• They also provide a background for other materials in a
landscape setting.
31
Garden Boundaries cont…
32
Landforms
• This refers to the topography/shape/slope of the land. Landforms can
influence the type of design that is put in a place.
33
34
Garden benches
35
Thank You
For any concerns, please contact
elearning@knust.edu.gh
elearningknust@gmail.com
0322 191132
Jan 2014
