Landscape and Garden Design
What the domain covers
This domain tests garden and landscape design: site reading, functional layout, design principles, plant selection, and presentation. The exam expects you to justify a layout, not just draw a pretty plan.
Core rules and concepts
- Principles include unity, balance, proportion, scale, rhythm, emphasis, and simplicity.
- A site analysis records sun, wind, slope, drainage, soil, access, views, and existing features.
- Zones serve functions: entry, seating, play, utility, service access, and planting beds.
- Hardscape includes paths, walls, decks, and edging; softscape is living plant material.
- Select plants by climate, mature size, water need, root behaviour, maintenance, and function.
- A focal point should be deliberate; repetition creates rhythm; scale must suit the house and plot.
Worked example
For a 10 m × 6 m home plot with full sun and a narrow side access, place the focal point at the far end of a curved 1 m path, keep a 3 m canopy tree away from the house and boundary, and group low-water shrubs in beds with a 1.2 m seating area. The reasoning uses scale, maintenance access, and mature spread. A large tree at the centre would block light and crowd the path.
Traps
- Designing for instant effect and ignoring mature size.
- Mixing plants with opposite water and light needs in one bed.
- Drawing paths narrower than practical access or cleaning needs.