...Louis decided to use the Sun God, Apollo, as the theme of symbolism for the garden. Le Nôtre and Le Brun were discovered by the king after they designed Vaux-le-Vicomte for Nicolas Fouquet. Le Brun was in charge of the symbolism and sculpture and Le Nôtre was in charge of the garden and planting design.
Le Nôtre's design technique was to make the entire garden visible at a glance, so it must be relatively narrow so that a man's eyes do not have to turn from side to side. In order for the garden to be impressive and to show its grand scale, the garden must be long, so that a man can stand on the uppermost viewing terrace and look on and on. The main axis of the garden is also the main axis of the buildings; it ran from the center of the palace westwards to the setting sun. This made Louis the center of the design. The Apollo fountain was placed along this axis at the end of the canal.
Le Nôtre used the radial pattern as the motif of the garden, and used the radial routes at both the main axis along the canal and the secondary axes of the smaller gardens. Fountains or statues were placed at the centers of the radial patterns. This way, a fountain or statue can serve as vista for multiple paths or walks. Each smaller garden may have its unique characteristic, but it must be subordinate to the whole design concept. Three grand avenues connect the Versailles town to Place d'Armes and the palace.
At the west side of the palace, high terraces make it possible for a visitor to see the entire garden at a glance and look at the main vista framed by trees and shrubs arranged in linear patterns and following the main axis of the palace. A number of low parterres and green lawn in various formal patterns have been placed close to the high viewing terrace. They can be looked down upon from the terraces and the upper floors of nearby buildings. Visitors can actually perceive geometric patterns formed by parterres and green lawn because they can look down at these patterns...
A number of patterns we'll discuss have been used in the planting design of Versailles: Axis and Symmetry, Linear Array with Vista, Radial Pattern, Motif, Repetition and Rhythm, etc. Versailles is also a good example of the balance between unity and variations. André Le Nôtre used the cross axes to set up the basic pattern of the garden, yet he also used the diagonal axes to break the pattern and create surprise, interest, and climax. The smaller gardens are similar in size and most are in rectangular shapes, yet the patterns inside each garden are unique...
A good designer should be able to master all basic formal planting design patterns and use them flexibly.
Pierre L'Enfant, the planner and designer for Washington D.C., spent his childhood in Versailles. This probably had a significant impact on his concept for the overall design of Washington D.C. (Fig. 1.1), and explains the extensive use of diagonal axes, radial patterns, and grand avenues in the planning and design of Washington D.C...
Quoted from page 73 of the 2nd edition of "Planting Design Illustrated" (ISBN-10: 1432741977, ISBN-13: 978-1432741976)
Copyright 2010 Gang Chen, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, Author of "LEED GA Exam Guide," "Architectural Practice Simplified," "Planting Design Illustrated," and other books on various LEED exams, architecture, and landscape architecture
Non-exclusive rights of use granted.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
What is "ha-ha" in English gardens?
...Bridgeman opened up the views to the countryside through the use of "ha-ha," a sunken, retaining wall and ditch; sometimes a metal fence was added at the bottom of the ditch (Fig. 5.1). Ha-ha could keep deer and domestic animals from crossing into the gardens while allowing a continuous view into the countryside; it played an important role in the development of the English naturalistic park.
The Ha-ha was introduced into England by a French gardener in the 1690s, and it was called "ah-ah" in France. The same principle is still used today in zoos to remove the visual barrier between visitors and animals. In 1731, Alexander Pope celebrated Bridgeman and summarized the new naturalistic garden design style with a poem entitle "Of Taste":
To build, to plant, whatever you intend...
In all, let Nature never be forgotten...
Consult the Genius of the Place in all;
That tells the Waters or to rise, or fall...
Calls in the Country, catch op'ning glades...
Paints as you plant, and as you work, designs...
Quoted from page 140 of the 2nd edition of "Planting Design Illustrated" (ISBN-10: 1432741977, ISBN-13: 978-1432741976)
Copyright 2010 Gang Chen, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, Author of "LEED GA Exam Guide," "Architectural Practice Simplified," "Planting Design Illustrated," and other books on various LEED exams, architecture, and landscape architecture
Non-exclusive rights of use granted.
The Ha-ha was introduced into England by a French gardener in the 1690s, and it was called "ah-ah" in France. The same principle is still used today in zoos to remove the visual barrier between visitors and animals. In 1731, Alexander Pope celebrated Bridgeman and summarized the new naturalistic garden design style with a poem entitle "Of Taste":
To build, to plant, whatever you intend...
In all, let Nature never be forgotten...
Consult the Genius of the Place in all;
That tells the Waters or to rise, or fall...
Calls in the Country, catch op'ning glades...
Paints as you plant, and as you work, designs...
Quoted from page 140 of the 2nd edition of "Planting Design Illustrated" (ISBN-10: 1432741977, ISBN-13: 978-1432741976)
Copyright 2010 Gang Chen, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, Author of "LEED GA Exam Guide," "Architectural Practice Simplified," "Planting Design Illustrated," and other books on various LEED exams, architecture, and landscape architecture
Non-exclusive rights of use granted.
Where can you find sample pages for "Planting Design Illustrated"?
See link below:
http://outskirtspress.com/agent.php?key=11011&page=plantingdesignillustrated
This book became #1 bestseller for Planting Design on Amazon.com in July, 2007, and it is still one of the bestsellers. It is also a ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Award Finalist.
http://outskirtspress.com/agent.php?key=11011&page=plantingdesignillustrated
This book became #1 bestseller for Planting Design on Amazon.com in July, 2007, and it is still one of the bestsellers. It is also a ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Award Finalist.
Book Reviews for "Planting Design Illustrated"
The following is a book review by Bobbie Schwartz, Former President of APLD (Association of Professional Landscape Designers). I think you may find Bobbie's book review helpful:
"Many books have been written on the subject of landscape design but, until recently, none had been written solely on the topic of planting design. Gang Chen, a licensed California architect, fills this vacuum with Planting Design Illustrated. He immediately distinguishes planting design for formal gardens from planting design for naturalistic gardens.
He begins with a discussion of the approach to planting design problems and then moves on to basic planting design principles. I particularly liked his drawing of texture design that illustrates the theory of contrast, this theory frequently discussed but rarely concretized. I also thought that his analysis of color theory was excellent, including the effect of factors such as the texture of the leaf, reflections from surroundings and the intensity of the light.
While massing is frequently cited as an important element in design, it is a concept that is rarely analyzed but Gang Chen defines it as the three dimensional quality of plants and relates its importance, in combination with emphasis on form, to the ultimate view. There is also an excellent discussion of the relationship between solid and void space, the type of pattern to be used, and the transition between them. This discussion includes spatial organization and contrast with analogous allusions to literature and art. In his examination of planting patterns, he says that "the secret of a good design is to achieve the balance between repetition and contrasts, between unity and changes."
The author is very erudite and uses his extensive knowledge of the arts to simplify and concretize what all designers know or should know, with many analogies to music, particularly in his discussion of rhythm.
Beneficial to every landscape designer and architect is knowledge of the history of landscape design. Most books written about formal garden design are based on Italian and French gardens but Gang Chen leads us further back in history, taking us through the evolution of formal garden prototypes while discussing how different cultures influenced that evolution. He demonstrates, with sketches, how formal gardens look from above and below and also how they evolved from hilly regions to flat ones. I was especially pleased to read of his belief that there should be unity of the building and the garden since this is an element that is often lacking in design.
While many books have been written about Japanese gardens and a few about Chinese gardens, none analyze naturalistic planting design. Gang Chen uses Chinese gardens as a case study in order to explore their cultural, symbolic, emotional and psychological aspects. These gardens serve as a subjective interpretation of the natural landscape found in China . He then demonstrates how Japanese gardens are a climatic and cultural adaptation of Chinese gardens as French gardens were of Italian gardens but distinguishes the differences between them and then compares them to the evolution of the English naturalistic gardens.
In his analysis of Chinese gardens, Gang Chen emphasizes the importance of two crucial concepts, plant iconography and Yi-Jing, to Westerners. Plant iconography is relatively easy to understand; it is the symbolism of plants and thus Eastern gardens frequently use fewer kinds of plant material than Westerners. Yi-Jing is a bit more difficult to grasp but critical to naturalistic design. It "focuses on the interaction between the designer's subjective ideas and the objective site conditions."
I found this book to be absolutely fascinating. You will need to concentrate while reading it but the effort will be well worth your time."
Jane Berger, Editor & Publisher of gardendesignonline also wrote a book review entitled "A New Take on Planting Design." Here is her review:
"At times, one of the most arcane concepts in landscape design concerns plants. Learning how and when to use them (not to mention the differences between countries, areas,weather conditions, zones and the like) sounds easy, but there are very many things to consider.
In Planting Design Illustrated (Outskirts Press, Inc, 2007), licensed California architect Gang Chen explains the history, philosophy, and cultural influences that are all a part of successful planting designs.
This is a book that you have to read, and it is more than well worth your time. Gang Chen takes you well beyond what you'll learn in other books about basic principles like color, texture, and mass. For example, he notes what each color symbolizes (yellow: wisdom and power; green: abundance and fertility); how texture is influenced by light and shadow; and how mass affects scale and balance.
The book has a number of drawings that illustrate basic concepts like formal and informal plantings, symmetry, movement, and spatial relationships.
Chen also compares Chinese and Japanese gardens, and it is the clearest explanation I have ever read about the differences between the two styles. And I loved the discussion of designing for the five senses. Sound effects can be created in the garden by water, wind, and rain. Certain plants in full sunlight create the illusion of gold. Fragrance can ease the mind and soothe the spirit.
Finally, Chen has a wonderful appendix of Asian garden plants that lists what each plant symbolizes (Banana : the tree of self-improvement; Tree Peony: nobility, wealth, honor; pines: social hierarchy). There's also a list of the plants most commonly found in Chinese gardens, a list you're unlikely to find anywhere else."
Book review by Hugh O'Connell, APLD (Association of Professional Landscape Designers):
"This unique well-written book with good illustrations (no glossy coffee table photographs) is interesting and well researched. Information for professional designers, students, and amateur garden owners... by following these principles, the designer will form better landscape and garden design. The book's international need is well overdue". A 5-Star Book.
Book review entitled "An especially 'reader friendly' and practical guide" by Midwest Book Review:
"An architect with more than twenty years of professional experience, Gang Chen turns his attention to landscaping with the publication of "Planting Design Illustrated", a comprehensive instructional guide specifically written for non-specialist general readers, as well as students of gardening and landscaping, and professional architects who must consult with soils and civil engineers, as well as other professionals, in coordinating their buildings in the context of landscape designs. Occasionally illustrated with charts, designs, and photos, "Planting Design Illustrated" covers basic planting design principles and concepts (including the Formal Garden), then goes on to cover approaching a planting design problem, the relationship of plants and human beings when designing a landscaping project, plants and spaces, the developmental history and trends of formal gardens, naturalist planting design using Chinese gardens as a model, as well as the English style natural garden. "Planting Design Illustrated" also covers plant materials, cultural influences, aesthetic considerations, functional aspects and ecological factors of the garden. Enhanced with an annotated bibliography and informative appendices, "Planting Design Illustrated" offers an especially 'reader friendly' and practical guide that makes it a very strongly recommended addition to personal, professional, academic, and community library Gardening & Landscaping reference collections and supplemental reading lists."
Book review entitled "An astonishingly detailed, extremely good book" by Tim Bigby:
"Gang Chen's book is a little masterpiece. It's definitely NOT a coffee-table book--it's the book you would want to actually read and follow in order for your plantings to resemble those you'd find in a coffee-table book! He delves into three thousand years of planting and garden design theory in order to illustrate the concepts and principles. The illustrations, in black and white, are more useful than anything I've ever seen in gardening or outdoor design books done in four-color. The amount of information and guidance in this book is really hard to properly explain in a review, it's that overwhelmingly good. I HIGHLY recommend this book, to both professional designers and 'lay gardeners' who just want to figure out how to plant their own back yards."
Book review entitled "New information" by Jan Whitner, Editor of the Washington Park Arboretum Bulletin:
"As a long time consumer of gardening books, I am impressed with Gang Chen's inclusion of new information on planting design theory for Chinese and Japanese gardens. Many gardening books discuss the beauty of Japanese gardens, and a few discuss the unique charms of Chinese gardens, but this one explains how Japanese and Chinese history, geography and artistic traditions bear on the development of each country's style. The material on traditional western garden planting is thorough and inspiring, too. 'Planting Design Illustrated' definitely rewards repeated reading and study; any garden designer will read it with profit."
Book review by Mary Lou T. Rocca:
"This is a terrific book! What a nice suprise. Between all of the different areas of design covered, the pictures and the illustrations, I find myself reading it again and again and learning something new each time. The reference sections are also very useful and make everything so easy to understand. So many levels of those interested in Planting Design would find it helpful in many ways."
Book review entitled "An information-rich planting design book" by C. J. Kaiser:
"I enjoyed reading this book, especially the part comparing Chinese Gardens with Japanese Gardens and English Gardens. This book covers extensive information on planting design. I can see Mr. Chen put a lot of efforts and research into the subject and did an excellent job. It is also enjoyable to read the book as the pictures and the illustrations help me to understand any subjects discussed."
Book review by Jed:
"This book is extremely organized and well done. It sets up the fundamental framework of planting design. Not only does it discuss some commonly used plant materials in various gardens, it also uncovers universal principles and truth for planting design. Chen raises the bar by introducing plants' symbolic meanings into the planting design. The plant lists at the end of the book make it practical to apply the plants' symbolic meanings in landscaping."
The following is my own review:
Most of the existing books on landscaping or planting design are pretty boring. This book actually makes the subject of planting design interesting. I think many of you will like it. It is not only informative, enlightening, but also entertaining. Several people who read the manuscript told me that once they started to read, they were so impressed and they just kept on reading until they finished it.
It is also a very practical book. It can really help the people who want to learn about planting design and how it is done in professional landscape practice. An e-book version of my book is also available at Outskirts Press web site as listed above, right under the header of this review. The following are some excerpts from my book:
Mr. Donald B., FASLA, CEO and Chairman of a well-known landscape design firm, accidentally read a copy of my original manuscript on planting design. He was amazed by what he read and encouraged me to seek the possibilities of getting the manuscript published. I never knew Donald before. He requested a friend of mine (an employee of his firm from whom he got a copy of my manuscript) to set up a lunch meeting with me. He told me in that meeting that he could not describe how impressed he was by my manuscript, and he felt like he had found a hidden treasure and loved to let others know about it and share it. He thought it was too good a piece to be left sitting on the shelf, and considered it to be a much needed piece in the field of planting design education and practice. In fact, he loved the manuscript so much that he requested my authorization for his firm to reproduce 6 copies of the manuscript for its in-house use. He also requested the every designer in his firm to read my manuscript and use the principles and concepts in their design.
Donald's firm is a well-known landscape design firm that designed many landscape projects in Las Vegas and other places, including Mirage Hotel, Bellagio Hotel, etc. Donald is a well-respected landscape architect and has over 50 years of experience in Landscape Design. He is a Fellow of American Society of Landscape Architects (FASLA, the most honorable and highest level of member of ASLA). His encouragement really gave me more confidence in trying to get my manuscript modified and published as a book.
I expanded my original manuscript to cover a broader range of gardens and added some basic but practical elements of planting design to meet the needs of a broader mainstream audience. Previous publications on various gardens treated them as isolated dots. I used planting design as a major linkage to connect the discussions of various styles of gardens in many different countries. I tried to connect the dots and find both differences and interactions. I compared different garden styles and noted the unique aspect of each garden style and its planting design but also tried to discover and generalize the common principles and concepts. I discussed design history, but not for history's sake. The purpose is to find out how we can learn from history and use it in our practice today. I have analyzed historical development, framework, underlying principles and major trends of various gardens and their planting design, with special attention to their potential use in modern landscape practice and planting design. If you have little knowledge of planting design, you will have a good understanding of the framework of planting design after you read this book. Even though you may not understand everything that you read at first, you will remember where the information is and can always come back to the section later after you gain more knowledge in landscape architecture. I also tried to look at the contemporary landscape education and practice from the angle of planting design, and tried to introduce landscape practice and planting design to ordinary readers...
Planting design is the arrangement of plants to achieve the best aesthetic, functional, ecological and symbolic effect. Even though there are a variety of garden styles in the world, gardening and planting design can be put into two major landscaping systems: formal gardens and naturalistic gardens...
...garden and planting design are not solely visual arts. They also involve the senses of hearing, smelling, touching, etc. Besides this, the seasonal and weather changes (spring, summer, autumn, winter, rain, snow, overcast or sunny day, etc.) can change the "Yi Jing" of the space and deeply influence the feeling of people. All these factors affect the garden indirectly with plants as their media...
...Planting design, like other kinds of art, is a cumulative process. We not only need to bring forward new ideas, but also need to inherit from the past. The challenge for us is not whether we should learn from history, but how to learn from history, how to differentiate what is constant and timeless and what is temporary and only has academic value...
"Many books have been written on the subject of landscape design but, until recently, none had been written solely on the topic of planting design. Gang Chen, a licensed California architect, fills this vacuum with Planting Design Illustrated. He immediately distinguishes planting design for formal gardens from planting design for naturalistic gardens.
He begins with a discussion of the approach to planting design problems and then moves on to basic planting design principles. I particularly liked his drawing of texture design that illustrates the theory of contrast, this theory frequently discussed but rarely concretized. I also thought that his analysis of color theory was excellent, including the effect of factors such as the texture of the leaf, reflections from surroundings and the intensity of the light.
While massing is frequently cited as an important element in design, it is a concept that is rarely analyzed but Gang Chen defines it as the three dimensional quality of plants and relates its importance, in combination with emphasis on form, to the ultimate view. There is also an excellent discussion of the relationship between solid and void space, the type of pattern to be used, and the transition between them. This discussion includes spatial organization and contrast with analogous allusions to literature and art. In his examination of planting patterns, he says that "the secret of a good design is to achieve the balance between repetition and contrasts, between unity and changes."
The author is very erudite and uses his extensive knowledge of the arts to simplify and concretize what all designers know or should know, with many analogies to music, particularly in his discussion of rhythm.
Beneficial to every landscape designer and architect is knowledge of the history of landscape design. Most books written about formal garden design are based on Italian and French gardens but Gang Chen leads us further back in history, taking us through the evolution of formal garden prototypes while discussing how different cultures influenced that evolution. He demonstrates, with sketches, how formal gardens look from above and below and also how they evolved from hilly regions to flat ones. I was especially pleased to read of his belief that there should be unity of the building and the garden since this is an element that is often lacking in design.
While many books have been written about Japanese gardens and a few about Chinese gardens, none analyze naturalistic planting design. Gang Chen uses Chinese gardens as a case study in order to explore their cultural, symbolic, emotional and psychological aspects. These gardens serve as a subjective interpretation of the natural landscape found in China . He then demonstrates how Japanese gardens are a climatic and cultural adaptation of Chinese gardens as French gardens were of Italian gardens but distinguishes the differences between them and then compares them to the evolution of the English naturalistic gardens.
In his analysis of Chinese gardens, Gang Chen emphasizes the importance of two crucial concepts, plant iconography and Yi-Jing, to Westerners. Plant iconography is relatively easy to understand; it is the symbolism of plants and thus Eastern gardens frequently use fewer kinds of plant material than Westerners. Yi-Jing is a bit more difficult to grasp but critical to naturalistic design. It "focuses on the interaction between the designer's subjective ideas and the objective site conditions."
I found this book to be absolutely fascinating. You will need to concentrate while reading it but the effort will be well worth your time."
Jane Berger, Editor & Publisher of gardendesignonline also wrote a book review entitled "A New Take on Planting Design." Here is her review:
"At times, one of the most arcane concepts in landscape design concerns plants. Learning how and when to use them (not to mention the differences between countries, areas,weather conditions, zones and the like) sounds easy, but there are very many things to consider.
In Planting Design Illustrated (Outskirts Press, Inc, 2007), licensed California architect Gang Chen explains the history, philosophy, and cultural influences that are all a part of successful planting designs.
This is a book that you have to read, and it is more than well worth your time. Gang Chen takes you well beyond what you'll learn in other books about basic principles like color, texture, and mass. For example, he notes what each color symbolizes (yellow: wisdom and power; green: abundance and fertility); how texture is influenced by light and shadow; and how mass affects scale and balance.
The book has a number of drawings that illustrate basic concepts like formal and informal plantings, symmetry, movement, and spatial relationships.
Chen also compares Chinese and Japanese gardens, and it is the clearest explanation I have ever read about the differences between the two styles. And I loved the discussion of designing for the five senses. Sound effects can be created in the garden by water, wind, and rain. Certain plants in full sunlight create the illusion of gold. Fragrance can ease the mind and soothe the spirit.
Finally, Chen has a wonderful appendix of Asian garden plants that lists what each plant symbolizes (Banana : the tree of self-improvement; Tree Peony: nobility, wealth, honor; pines: social hierarchy). There's also a list of the plants most commonly found in Chinese gardens, a list you're unlikely to find anywhere else."
Book review by Hugh O'Connell, APLD (Association of Professional Landscape Designers):
"This unique well-written book with good illustrations (no glossy coffee table photographs) is interesting and well researched. Information for professional designers, students, and amateur garden owners... by following these principles, the designer will form better landscape and garden design. The book's international need is well overdue". A 5-Star Book.
Book review entitled "An especially 'reader friendly' and practical guide" by Midwest Book Review:
"An architect with more than twenty years of professional experience, Gang Chen turns his attention to landscaping with the publication of "Planting Design Illustrated", a comprehensive instructional guide specifically written for non-specialist general readers, as well as students of gardening and landscaping, and professional architects who must consult with soils and civil engineers, as well as other professionals, in coordinating their buildings in the context of landscape designs. Occasionally illustrated with charts, designs, and photos, "Planting Design Illustrated" covers basic planting design principles and concepts (including the Formal Garden), then goes on to cover approaching a planting design problem, the relationship of plants and human beings when designing a landscaping project, plants and spaces, the developmental history and trends of formal gardens, naturalist planting design using Chinese gardens as a model, as well as the English style natural garden. "Planting Design Illustrated" also covers plant materials, cultural influences, aesthetic considerations, functional aspects and ecological factors of the garden. Enhanced with an annotated bibliography and informative appendices, "Planting Design Illustrated" offers an especially 'reader friendly' and practical guide that makes it a very strongly recommended addition to personal, professional, academic, and community library Gardening & Landscaping reference collections and supplemental reading lists."
Book review entitled "An astonishingly detailed, extremely good book" by Tim Bigby:
"Gang Chen's book is a little masterpiece. It's definitely NOT a coffee-table book--it's the book you would want to actually read and follow in order for your plantings to resemble those you'd find in a coffee-table book! He delves into three thousand years of planting and garden design theory in order to illustrate the concepts and principles. The illustrations, in black and white, are more useful than anything I've ever seen in gardening or outdoor design books done in four-color. The amount of information and guidance in this book is really hard to properly explain in a review, it's that overwhelmingly good. I HIGHLY recommend this book, to both professional designers and 'lay gardeners' who just want to figure out how to plant their own back yards."
Book review entitled "New information" by Jan Whitner, Editor of the Washington Park Arboretum Bulletin:
"As a long time consumer of gardening books, I am impressed with Gang Chen's inclusion of new information on planting design theory for Chinese and Japanese gardens. Many gardening books discuss the beauty of Japanese gardens, and a few discuss the unique charms of Chinese gardens, but this one explains how Japanese and Chinese history, geography and artistic traditions bear on the development of each country's style. The material on traditional western garden planting is thorough and inspiring, too. 'Planting Design Illustrated' definitely rewards repeated reading and study; any garden designer will read it with profit."
Book review by Mary Lou T. Rocca:
"This is a terrific book! What a nice suprise. Between all of the different areas of design covered, the pictures and the illustrations, I find myself reading it again and again and learning something new each time. The reference sections are also very useful and make everything so easy to understand. So many levels of those interested in Planting Design would find it helpful in many ways."
Book review entitled "An information-rich planting design book" by C. J. Kaiser:
"I enjoyed reading this book, especially the part comparing Chinese Gardens with Japanese Gardens and English Gardens. This book covers extensive information on planting design. I can see Mr. Chen put a lot of efforts and research into the subject and did an excellent job. It is also enjoyable to read the book as the pictures and the illustrations help me to understand any subjects discussed."
Book review by Jed:
"This book is extremely organized and well done. It sets up the fundamental framework of planting design. Not only does it discuss some commonly used plant materials in various gardens, it also uncovers universal principles and truth for planting design. Chen raises the bar by introducing plants' symbolic meanings into the planting design. The plant lists at the end of the book make it practical to apply the plants' symbolic meanings in landscaping."
The following is my own review:
Most of the existing books on landscaping or planting design are pretty boring. This book actually makes the subject of planting design interesting. I think many of you will like it. It is not only informative, enlightening, but also entertaining. Several people who read the manuscript told me that once they started to read, they were so impressed and they just kept on reading until they finished it.
It is also a very practical book. It can really help the people who want to learn about planting design and how it is done in professional landscape practice. An e-book version of my book is also available at Outskirts Press web site as listed above, right under the header of this review. The following are some excerpts from my book:
Mr. Donald B., FASLA, CEO and Chairman of a well-known landscape design firm, accidentally read a copy of my original manuscript on planting design. He was amazed by what he read and encouraged me to seek the possibilities of getting the manuscript published. I never knew Donald before. He requested a friend of mine (an employee of his firm from whom he got a copy of my manuscript) to set up a lunch meeting with me. He told me in that meeting that he could not describe how impressed he was by my manuscript, and he felt like he had found a hidden treasure and loved to let others know about it and share it. He thought it was too good a piece to be left sitting on the shelf, and considered it to be a much needed piece in the field of planting design education and practice. In fact, he loved the manuscript so much that he requested my authorization for his firm to reproduce 6 copies of the manuscript for its in-house use. He also requested the every designer in his firm to read my manuscript and use the principles and concepts in their design.
Donald's firm is a well-known landscape design firm that designed many landscape projects in Las Vegas and other places, including Mirage Hotel, Bellagio Hotel, etc. Donald is a well-respected landscape architect and has over 50 years of experience in Landscape Design. He is a Fellow of American Society of Landscape Architects (FASLA, the most honorable and highest level of member of ASLA). His encouragement really gave me more confidence in trying to get my manuscript modified and published as a book.
I expanded my original manuscript to cover a broader range of gardens and added some basic but practical elements of planting design to meet the needs of a broader mainstream audience. Previous publications on various gardens treated them as isolated dots. I used planting design as a major linkage to connect the discussions of various styles of gardens in many different countries. I tried to connect the dots and find both differences and interactions. I compared different garden styles and noted the unique aspect of each garden style and its planting design but also tried to discover and generalize the common principles and concepts. I discussed design history, but not for history's sake. The purpose is to find out how we can learn from history and use it in our practice today. I have analyzed historical development, framework, underlying principles and major trends of various gardens and their planting design, with special attention to their potential use in modern landscape practice and planting design. If you have little knowledge of planting design, you will have a good understanding of the framework of planting design after you read this book. Even though you may not understand everything that you read at first, you will remember where the information is and can always come back to the section later after you gain more knowledge in landscape architecture. I also tried to look at the contemporary landscape education and practice from the angle of planting design, and tried to introduce landscape practice and planting design to ordinary readers...
Planting design is the arrangement of plants to achieve the best aesthetic, functional, ecological and symbolic effect. Even though there are a variety of garden styles in the world, gardening and planting design can be put into two major landscaping systems: formal gardens and naturalistic gardens...
...garden and planting design are not solely visual arts. They also involve the senses of hearing, smelling, touching, etc. Besides this, the seasonal and weather changes (spring, summer, autumn, winter, rain, snow, overcast or sunny day, etc.) can change the "Yi Jing" of the space and deeply influence the feeling of people. All these factors affect the garden indirectly with plants as their media...
...Planting design, like other kinds of art, is a cumulative process. We not only need to bring forward new ideas, but also need to inherit from the past. The challenge for us is not whether we should learn from history, but how to learn from history, how to differentiate what is constant and timeless and what is temporary and only has academic value...
Studying landscape architecture
To study landscape architecture, you need to learn how to draft, how to understand and organize spaces, how to do planting design, how to identify plants, and understand horticulture and history of landscape architecture.
There are two major career paths for you in landscape architecture: practice as a landscape architect or to teach in colleges or universities. The earlier that you decide which path you are going to take, the more likely that you'll be successful at an early age. Some famous and well-respected landscape architects have combined the two paths successfully. They teach at the universities and have their own landscape architectural practice. Even as a college or university professor, people respect you more if you have actual working experience and have some built projects. If you only teach in colleges or universities but have no actual working experience and have no built projects, people will consider you as a "paper" landscape architect and they are not likely to take you seriously, because they'll think you probably do not know how to put an actual project together.
In many states in the U.S., if you want to practice landscape architecture, you need to obtain an architect's license or a landscape architect's license. A landscape architect's license requires a combination of passing scores on the Landscape Architectural Registration Exam and a number of years (usually 8 years) of education and/or qualified working experience, including a minimum number of years (usually two years) of working experience in the U.S. Your working experience needs to be under the supervision of a licensed architect to be counted as qualified working experience for your architect's license. You need to contact your state's landscape architectural licensing board for specific licensing requirements for your state.
If you want to teach in colleges or universities, you probably want to obtain a Master Degree or a Ph.D. It is not very common for people in the landscape architectural field to have a Ph.D. One reason is that there are few Ph.D. programs for landscape architecture. Another reason is that landscape architecture is considered a profession and requires a license. Many people think an architect's or a landscape architect's license is more important than a Ph.D. degree, since you need to have an architect's or a landscape architect's license to practice landscape architecture. You cannot call yourself a landscape architect if you do not have a landscape architect's license, even if you have a Ph.D. in Landscape Architecture. You'll be punished if you violate these rules.
To become a tenure professor, you need to have a certain number of publications and pass the evaluation for the tenure position. Publications are very important for tenure track positions. Some people say for the tenure track positions in the universities and colleges, it is "publish or perish."
American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) is the national organizations for the architectural profession. Membership is voluntary. There are different levels of ASLA membership. Only people with a degree in Landscape Architecture or with a landscape architect license can be (full) AIA members. If you are a landscape architectural student, you can join as an Associate ASLA member. Contact ASLA for detail information.
There are two major career paths for you in landscape architecture: practice as a landscape architect or to teach in colleges or universities. The earlier that you decide which path you are going to take, the more likely that you'll be successful at an early age. Some famous and well-respected landscape architects have combined the two paths successfully. They teach at the universities and have their own landscape architectural practice. Even as a college or university professor, people respect you more if you have actual working experience and have some built projects. If you only teach in colleges or universities but have no actual working experience and have no built projects, people will consider you as a "paper" landscape architect and they are not likely to take you seriously, because they'll think you probably do not know how to put an actual project together.
In many states in the U.S., if you want to practice landscape architecture, you need to obtain an architect's license or a landscape architect's license. A landscape architect's license requires a combination of passing scores on the Landscape Architectural Registration Exam and a number of years (usually 8 years) of education and/or qualified working experience, including a minimum number of years (usually two years) of working experience in the U.S. Your working experience needs to be under the supervision of a licensed architect to be counted as qualified working experience for your architect's license. You need to contact your state's landscape architectural licensing board for specific licensing requirements for your state.
If you want to teach in colleges or universities, you probably want to obtain a Master Degree or a Ph.D. It is not very common for people in the landscape architectural field to have a Ph.D. One reason is that there are few Ph.D. programs for landscape architecture. Another reason is that landscape architecture is considered a profession and requires a license. Many people think an architect's or a landscape architect's license is more important than a Ph.D. degree, since you need to have an architect's or a landscape architect's license to practice landscape architecture. You cannot call yourself a landscape architect if you do not have a landscape architect's license, even if you have a Ph.D. in Landscape Architecture. You'll be punished if you violate these rules.
To become a tenure professor, you need to have a certain number of publications and pass the evaluation for the tenure position. Publications are very important for tenure track positions. Some people say for the tenure track positions in the universities and colleges, it is "publish or perish."
American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) is the national organizations for the architectural profession. Membership is voluntary. There are different levels of ASLA membership. Only people with a degree in Landscape Architecture or with a landscape architect license can be (full) AIA members. If you are a landscape architectural student, you can join as an Associate ASLA member. Contact ASLA for detail information.
What is Planting Design?
"Planting design is the arrangement of plants to achieve the best aesthetic, functional, ecological and symbolic effect. Even though there are a variety of garden styles in the world, gardening and planting design can be put into two major landscaping systems: formal gardens and naturalistic gardens...
...garden and planting design are not solely visual arts. They also involve the senses of hearing, smelling, touching, etc. Besides this, the seasonal and weather changes (spring, summer, autumn, winter, rain, snow, overcast or sunny day, etc.) can change the "Yi Jing" of the space and deeply influence the feeling of people. All these factors affect the garden indirectly with plants as their media...
...Planting design, like other kinds of art, is a cumulative process. We not only need to bring forward new ideas, but also need to inherit from the past. The challenge for us is not whether we should learn from history, but how to learn from history, how to differentiate what is constant and timeless and what is temporary and only has academic value..."
Quoted from "Planting Design Illustrated," Copyright 2009 Gang Chen
Non-exclusive rights of use granted.
...garden and planting design are not solely visual arts. They also involve the senses of hearing, smelling, touching, etc. Besides this, the seasonal and weather changes (spring, summer, autumn, winter, rain, snow, overcast or sunny day, etc.) can change the "Yi Jing" of the space and deeply influence the feeling of people. All these factors affect the garden indirectly with plants as their media...
...Planting design, like other kinds of art, is a cumulative process. We not only need to bring forward new ideas, but also need to inherit from the past. The challenge for us is not whether we should learn from history, but how to learn from history, how to differentiate what is constant and timeless and what is temporary and only has academic value..."
Quoted from "Planting Design Illustrated," Copyright 2009 Gang Chen
Non-exclusive rights of use granted.
The secret codes and meaning of gardens
Through many generations of development and modification, in every culture, secret codes and meaning have been built into gardens. They are known to certain groups of people, but are kept as secret codes and are unknown by outsiders.
You probably have visited one or more Zen gardens. What were the secret codes and meaning for Zen Gardens? What was the design concept for Zen Gardens?
Here is the answer:
"...Japanese painters and Zen monks (many of them were talented painters also) combined landscape paintings and Zen Buddhism and created a very unique Japanese garden style: the Zen gardens. We could view them as landscape painting done with different materials: sands, rocks and plants. Loraine Kuck even named them "Painter's gardens." Zen paintings and gardens frequently had Zen symbolism: In Zen paintings, houses, villages and small human figures were frequently shown at the foot of a huge cliff, which symbolizes the ordinary world, from which the painter or Zen monk was constantly trying to lift himself; the tiny human figures showed their relative importance in the universe; a monastery was often shown in the background, in a somewhat higher ground; a long climbing path meandered to the peak symbolized the long and hard path to enlightenment. In Zen gardens, rocks symbolized cliffs or peaks and raked gravels symbolized valley or water. The marks on the rocks could symbolize paths to the cliffs or peaks of enlightenment for the pilgrims. The Zen paintings or gardens were not meant to be the representation of a specific scene, but an attempt to generalize the common essence and quality of all scenes observed by the painters, and a means to convey this observation and feeling to others. Only a limited number of plants were used in Zen gardens. The shrubs were trimmed into round shapes and the colors of plants were basically green. Large areas of sand were used to create dry style Zen gardens..."
Quoted from page 129 of "Planting Design Illustrated (2nd edition)," Copyright 2009 Gang Chen
Non-exclusive rights of use granted.
You probably have visited one or more Zen gardens. What were the secret codes and meaning for Zen Gardens? What was the design concept for Zen Gardens?
Here is the answer:
"...Japanese painters and Zen monks (many of them were talented painters also) combined landscape paintings and Zen Buddhism and created a very unique Japanese garden style: the Zen gardens. We could view them as landscape painting done with different materials: sands, rocks and plants. Loraine Kuck even named them "Painter's gardens." Zen paintings and gardens frequently had Zen symbolism: In Zen paintings, houses, villages and small human figures were frequently shown at the foot of a huge cliff, which symbolizes the ordinary world, from which the painter or Zen monk was constantly trying to lift himself; the tiny human figures showed their relative importance in the universe; a monastery was often shown in the background, in a somewhat higher ground; a long climbing path meandered to the peak symbolized the long and hard path to enlightenment. In Zen gardens, rocks symbolized cliffs or peaks and raked gravels symbolized valley or water. The marks on the rocks could symbolize paths to the cliffs or peaks of enlightenment for the pilgrims. The Zen paintings or gardens were not meant to be the representation of a specific scene, but an attempt to generalize the common essence and quality of all scenes observed by the painters, and a means to convey this observation and feeling to others. Only a limited number of plants were used in Zen gardens. The shrubs were trimmed into round shapes and the colors of plants were basically green. Large areas of sand were used to create dry style Zen gardens..."
Quoted from page 129 of "Planting Design Illustrated (2nd edition)," Copyright 2009 Gang Chen
Non-exclusive rights of use granted.
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