Focusing on a Great Landscape Design

My mission this year is to teach others the art of landscaping and I’m on a quest to teach anybody who will listen the five basic principles of landscape design. In previous articles, I have discussed balance, repetition and scale. I purposely started with the easiest ones so I wouldn’t scare anyone away! I’m just kidding, as my goal is to help you learn and hopefully enjoy and improve your own personal space at your house!

It is now time to move on to dominance, and in a future article, unity. If you have done your homework, you remember that I believe repetition to be the most important design concept of all. Since your natural tendency is to not repeat elements, you must consciously make yourself be repetitious. On the other hand, the most natural inclination most gardeners have is to put way too many dominant features or focal points in their landscapes.

Dominance is the authority of one element of a design composition to all the other parts. Due to the dominant element’s size, shape, texture, color or location, all other elements of the composition are subordinate to it. It’s important that this principle is used sparingly. As a rule, there should be only one dominant element in each view you look at.

Notice that I don’t mention landscaping in any part of the definition. As I have said many times before, “Design is design”. The principles are exactly the same whether you are practicing interior design, floral design, and landscape design or even dressing yourself in the morning.

Think about it. You wouldn’t wear all your favorite jewelry at the same time, would you? Nor would you hang every photo and knick-knack on the same wall, right? What makes a focal point dominant is its ability to attract attention and “draw the eye”.

Focusing In on a Great Landscape Design

at me!” Disneyland is usually not the look most are trying to create not to mention you would need half of their staff to maintain it!

The ideal landscape is one that mostly permits restful repose for the eye with just occasional excitement, not one that blinds you or makes you a bit nervous gazing upon it. Landscaping is really a lot like writing or speaking. Exclamation points at the end of every single sentence would be way too much to bear.

Be extremely careful when shopping online or at your local garden center, as the same features that make eye-catching elements into focal points also make them into habit-forming impulse buys. These items want to be seen.

Thoroughly think through your landscape before implementing a final design. Force yourself to come up with a master plan and a theme and then stick with it. Look at your house and garden from all angles, decide what (and where) the focal points will be. Remember; try to limit yourself to one dominant focal point per obvious view.

Potential views include looking at the front of your house from the street, looking at your backyard from the patio, looking down both sides of your house and looking out the larger windows into the landscape. Possible focal points to consider are an attractive front door, a beautiful or bold specimen plant, a birdbath, fountain or piece of garden art.

As a general rule, try to stick with your theme. If your overall design concept features an older home and antique furnishings, perhaps a vintage piece of statuary or rustic garden shed would be a good focal point. On the other hand, if your general theme is more current and flashier, a shiny piece of modern art might be in order. And of course, striking or unusual landscape specimens, whether contorted, weeping or fastigiated, all make great eye-catchers!

Send your landscaping and gardening questions to Jimmie Gibson Jr. at http:// www.absolutelybushedlandscaping.com or jimmie@absolutelybushed.com Jimmie is a Prosper resident and the owner of Absolutely Bushed Landscaping Company, an award winning, family and veteran owned and operated business created in 1980 to provide the highest quality custom Outdoor Renovation available to

homeowners in the Dallas Ft. Worth area.

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Question: Jimmie, can you recommend to me a couple of good hearty lower-tier holly shrubs that do well here for my existing landscape? I’m tired of having to plant too many flowers for the lower area in all my beds and just need something permanent there. Thank you for your time, I really enjoy reading your columns! I feel I am learning something new each time I read them! – Jackie P. in Prosper

Answer: Hi Jackie, there are many choices I could give you for permanent second tier plantings depending on what else you have existing in your landscape. If you are specifically wanting holly recommendations then probably your best two would be Dwarf Youpon Holly and Carissa Holly. If you prefer a little more natural look than structured such as those then go with a dwarf Nandina or Giant Liriope, or you may want to consider perennial color that comes back every year that you don’t have to replant. Question: Jimmie, is it too early to put out preemergent or fertilizer on my grass? Is there a specific date to go by or how the grass looks? I know you’re a busy guy and appreciate your time sir! – Johnny L. in Prosper Answer: Hi Johnny, each year can be slightly different however as a general rule of thumb go by these dates: March 1 st , June 1 st , and September 1 st --- Apply Pre-Emergent March 15 th , June 15 th and September 15 th --- Apply Fertilizer Until next time…. Happy Gardening! Jimmie

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DR. TOM CHANDLER

Dr. Tom Chandler completed his undergraduate studies at Indiana University, where he received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology in 1996. He earned a scholarship from the Army to attend the Case School of Dental Medicine in Cleveland Ohio. While at Case, he served as class president for three years, and student council president his last. He received his Doctor of Dental Surgery Degree in 2001. Dr. Chandler was commissioned as a Captain, and served as Dentist for the 75 th Ranger Regiment at Ft. Benning, Georgia, where he completed his active duty commitment. He received an Army Commendation Medal for clinical excellence and service, along with the Army Physical Fitness award all three years. Following his service Dr. Chandler completed an Advanced Education in General Dentistry Residency Program at Baylor College of Dentistry in Dallas, 2004. He went on to receive his Fellowship Award from the Academy of General Dentistry in 2005. Dr. Chandler has active memberships in the American Dental Association, Academy of General Dentistry, North Texas Dental Association, and Dallas County Dental Society.

Dr. Chandler married his wife Jennifer in 2006, and they have two beautiful boys - Vince and Max. He loves spending time with his family! He also enjoys music, sports, and the outdoors. Dr. Chandler and his family moved to Prosper in 2014, and he loves everything about the area. He enjoys practicing and being involved in the community where he lives. His patients are his friends, and he likes seeing them in the office and around town. Dr. Chandler believes what makes his practice different from others is that he has a wonderful team of individuals who truly care about their patients, and making the office a warm comfortable environment to have your dental work done. He offers a wide variety of Dental Services at his practice, including everything from cleanings, fillings, and root canals; to braces, extractions, and dental implants. Whatever your circumstances are, they will be able to meet your needs. For those patients who have anxiety towards treatment, they offer several options to make your visit comfortable including Nitrous Oxide, Oral, and IV Sedation.

A happy, well informed patient is the key to a successful Dental Practice. Dr. Chandler believes what sets him apart from others is his philosophy on Dental Care. He lives his life by the Golden Rule of the Bible…Do to others as you would like them to do to you (Luke 6:31). When treating his patients, he pretends he is the one in the chair. How he interacts and treats them is the same way he would want someone to treat him. Rarely does this philosophy not allow him to have a successful outcome, and hence a happy patient. Please visit him at www.prosperdentistryandortho.com for more information.

110 N. Preston Rd, Suite #10 Prosper, Texas 75078

Achieving optimal dental results often requires collaboration between a restoring dentist and a dental surgical specialist. At Texas Dental Surgery, they offer the complete scope of surgical procedures as their office has an oral surgeons, John-Michael Stewart, DMD and Andrew Arango MD, DDS, and periodontist, Stephen Walker, DDS, MS. For patients requiring multi-specialty treatment, this encapsulates the treatment, insurance, appointment trips and ultimately reduces stress for our patients.

They believe that close communication with your referral dentist provides the best care for their patients. They board certified and accept numerous PPO insurance plans. Their partnership allows a team approach of two different specialists for your care. The doctors are all natives of North Texas and are excited in being valued members of the Prosper community.

John-Michael Stewart, DMD (Oral Surgeon) Dr. Stewart is originally from Dallas, Texas. He attended Cistercian Preparatory School and Southern Methodist University. For the Mustangs, he was the place-kicker on the football team and was awarded Kodak AllAmerican in 1993. After college, he went to Boston University School of Dental Medicine. He graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1998 with his dental degree. His interest in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery led him back to Dallas for residency with the single aim to become a leading oral surgeon in the United States. He completed specialty training at the University of TexasSouthwestern Medical Center and Parkland Memorial Hospital in 2004. During this time, he received a medical degree from UT-Southwestern Medical School in 2002 and was certified as a legal practicing oral surgeon.

Stephen Walker, DDS, MS (Periodontist) Dr. Walker is a Diplomate of the American Academy of Periodontology. He grew up in Dallas and attended Baylor College of Dentistry. While at Baylor, he was a member of the Odontological Honors Society and was selected to receive the Oral Biology Award and Merritt-Parks Award in Periodontics. After earning his D.D.S. degree, Dr. Walker continued his education in Periodontics at Baylor College of Dentistry. At the end of his three-year residency, Dr. Walker received his certificate in Periodontology and Master of Science degree. During his periodontal residency, he served as chief resident and conducted research analyzing the bone response to a new implant surface. His research was published in the International Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Implants. Andrew Arango, MD, DDS (Oral Surgeon) Andrew earned his bachelor’s degree from Saint Louis University. He continued his education at The University of Texas-Health Science Center in Houston, where he received his dental degree. Dr. Arango became drawn to surgery during dental school and went on to attend medical school at the University of Texas-Health Science Center in San Antonio. After graduating medical school, Dr. Arango completed an internship in general surgery and then completed a residency in Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery at the University of Texas-Health Science Center in San Antonio.

As an oral & maxillofacial surgeon who is both a licensed physician and a licensed dentist, Dr. Arango is uniquely qualified to perform surgeries of the face and of the oral cavity. He practices the full scope of oral and maxillofacial surgery with an emphasis in orthognathic/reconstructive jaw surgery, sleep apnea, and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) reconstructive surgery. He also has special interests in dental implants, wisdom teeth, bone grafting, and facial trauma.

Their procedures include, but are not limited to: Extraction of Wisdom Teeth Dental Implants, Implant supported denture surgery Bone and Gingival Grafting Exposing Impacted Teeth for Orthodontists Gingival Contouring for Esthetics Treatment of Gum Disease TMJ and Orthognathic (jaw) surgery

1180 N. Coit Rd, Suite 40 Prosper, Texas 75078