Aesthetic Considerations

not appreciative, of designed landscapes that rely on native species. Appreciating the beauty of native plants has become more the norm, particularly in regions where changing climate and other environmental conditions have forced the transformation of the public’s aesthetic preferences, based in large part on understanding and accepting the desirability of sustainable approaches to landscape design.

The topic of aesthetics and the art of plant selection and composition would merit volumes of its own. In fact, there are shelves in libraries covering the subject, a subject of philosophers and art historians through the ages, beginning at least with the Greeks. There are so many aspects and approaches one could take in crafting a discussion to do justice to the topic. The facets in a discussion on plant aesthetics should include at least the following few, such as visual and artistic ideals of aesthetics.

From a Western perspective, theories on aesthetics began with the opposing views of Plato and Aristotle. Plato points to the heavens and to an ideal world of forms and the notion of some out-of-the-world, godly ideal. Aristotle, on the other hand, points toward the Earth, arguing that the ideal in aesthetics is more accessible and within the grasp of human experience. The idea of an ideal suggests that human aesthetic creations are an attempt at imitation and their creations would be judged by their skill at imitating as opposed to creating something new, a concept more recent (since the Renaissance) as modern and contemporary ideas of aesthetics and art are considered.

The principles for defining what makes for a good landscape design draw from principles used in the visual arts (painting, sculpture, printing, etc.). Composition in the arts is the framework for arranging objects in two and three dimensions. A successful composition is one where the objects have been arranged in such a way that they seem united into a pleasing, balanced, and harmonious whole. What unites the elements can vary: unity can be achieved with symmetry or a grid-like organizational structure and by the repetition of elements such as color, texture, or form. An arrangement of objects that causes the eye to move through a space in a pleasing and satisfying way can unify the space and elements contained within or defining that space. The placement of objects that are balanced, not necessarily of equal form but perhaps where the fulcrum (as in a see-saw) is set, so that what may appear to be unequal weights are equalized by the fulcrum’s position. Rhythm and pattern are also used to create a harmonious composition in the landscape. Think of the notes in a musical composition. The notes are ordered within a set structure (time signature) allowing for variation of speed (or duration) in which different tones as well as volume variation are played. Color and texture of the objects are also used to provide balance and create visual harmony. One should make an effort to study color theory in order to master the art of creating visually harmonious and exciting plant compositions.9