What it Takes to Become a Landscape Designer

If you've ever wondered if you have what it takes to become a landscape designer, then you probably already have an interest in the architexture of an outdoor environment. Much like a painter, landscape designers focus on form, color, and balance. We'll let you know what it takes to become a landscape designer, and give you some helpful guidance on your own garden.

What is required to become a Landscape Designer

One of the most popular routes to take as a landscape designer is to get a 4 year degree in Landscape Architecture. Since not all universities have a program for this degree, be sure to do plenty of research. With that done, you would be best served with a few years of on-the-job experience. This would involve taking an internship with an established landscape designer to learn the ropes. An internship can go on for as long as you wish, but considering that many projects take many months, it isn't uncommon that landscape designers would work in an internship for over a year.

After an aspiring landscape designer is ready to start off on their own, most states will require them to take an examination. The Landscape Architect Registration Examination, or LARE, is administered by the primary governing body behind landscape designer accredation. This group, CLARB, maintains stringent standards for landscape architects. The 17 hour exam tests a landscape designer's knowledge of design, conservation, best practices, project management, and site assesment. After this extensive examination is complete, an individual should have everything they need to become a landscape designer.

Principles of a Landscape Designer

If you're going to become a DIY landscape designer, here are a few helpful terms you should know.

Hardscape

The hardscape is essentially any non-organic element of your landscape design. This includes the walls of your home, pavers, walls, fountains, mulch and more. It is important that your hardscape and your softscape blend effortlessly. They should never compete.

Softscape

The softscape includes any horticultural elements of your landscape, including flowers, shrubs, trees, and grass. The best landscape designers blend the living elements of the design with the inanimate, making a seamless transition.

Line

Line is the way that you use placement to draw the eye's attention. Using different plant species and shapes, a skilled landscape designer can create corridors of focus that allow viewers to appreciate the entire work.

Color

By using different colors and color temperatures, a landscape designer can draw attention in a more subtle way. Reds, pinks, and bright oranges create a beautiful spring or summer feel, while moss-color greens and white blossoms create a heritage feeling.

Rhythm

Rhythm is a reference to how staggered plantings mix color and shape. A practical example of this is the arrangements of tulips; a mixed field of violet and yellow bulbs would create a playful springtime feeling, while an all yellow planting with only a few violet bulbs would create a more serious and deliberate feel.

Form

Form makes reference to the shape of each piece of softscape. The upright form of a tulip has a more fragile, maintained look than the California Cranesbill, which has a thinner stem and shorter mature height.

Scale

Scale is a comparison of size between different elements, both in the softscape and the hardscape. Skilled landscape designers know better than to build oversize walls, plant lonely trees, and appreciate the bridge in scale that a well placed bush provides.

Texture

Texture is a bit of a misnomer. Texture refers to the size, shape, and sheen of a plant's foilage. A shrub with many little leaves may appear to have a softer texture than a reedy weeping willow tree. Likewise, an evergreen shrub would seem much more coarse than a broad-leaf ivy covered wall. The best landscape designers will use these visual cues to their advantage when creating transitions between areas.