What is landscape design about?

Landscape design weaves together nature and culture to create the ideal outdoor masterpiece. Just as interior design seeks to beautify the interior of our homes and buildings, the goal of landscape design is to enhance the exterior of a space using elements from nature and also architecture.

If you have seen movies depicting 17th or 18th century England, you would have seen English Mansions surrounded by expansive lawns dotted with statues, fountains, fishponds and an assortment of systematically planted trees, plants and flowers. All in all, it is an impressive view to take in both in real life and in fiction.

Landscape design has been around for centuries, it used to be only accessible to royalty and the upper class as they were the ones who could afford and had spaces for landscape designing. Nowadays, governments around the world are setting aside funds to equip public spaces with landscape design as a way of attracting visitors and also upgrading the quality of life for their citizens.

The most basic form of landscape design that you may across here in Singapore is at public parks around residential areas. Landscape contractors are tasked with landscape maintenance at public places and also commissioned to do landscaping at private estates.

Apart from the technical aspects of landscape design such as tree pruning, shearing, pest control and fertilizer application, the design aspect of landscaping is a much sought after service.

Some popular landscape designs that people often request for their outdoor spaces are:

Traditional Japanese gardens are gardens inspired by Japanese customs, culture and philosophies. Japanese gardens do not rely heavily ornamentation but seek to utilize nature to its full potential. Japanese gardens are inspired by the many Japanese periods, each period introducing new and unique designs to their gardens.

Japanese gardens are made distinguishable by some common features. Water is an important element used in designing Japanese gardens. Water features such as ponds be it natural or man-made and waterfalls can often be spotted in Japanese gardens. Fishes and turtles can usually be found inside the ponds as a way to pay homage to nature.

Bridges and pagodas are also a common sight in Japanese gardens where visitors can explore and take their rest at. Trees and flowers in Japanese gardens are carefully chosen and planted in designated positions to achieve the most picturesque environment possible. Just imagine being in a Japanese garden during the cherry blossom season, it will truly be a sight to behold.

Japanese gardens can be easily integrated into modern spaces, either in public spaces or backyard of houses. You can consider choosing elements of a Japanese garden that is practical for the amount of space you have. Plants such as bonsai and bamboo and commercial water features can be used to bring to life a mini Japanese garden right in your backyard.

A zen garden, as the name implies is a garden that revolves around the notion of zen. Zen is a school of thought that is inspired by Japanese Mahayana Buddhism which places emphasis on meditation and intuition. In other words, a zen garden is a space intended for people to relax, meditate and if possible, gain enlightenment.

Zen gardens are also known as Japanese rock gardens. This is due to the fact that rocks and sand are heavily used in this garden design. Symbolism is a defining feature of zen gardens, sand and gravel are meticulously raked into round and spiral patterns to represent waves in the sea. Rocks are placed on top of the sand to symbolise trees, water and fire depending on their shape and structure.

Unlike traditional Japanese gardens, water features are not present in zen gardens. A minimal amount of plants are sometimes placed systematically in a upright position among the sand and stone.

The design and goal of a zen garden is to promote meditation through visual comprehension of the elements in the garden.

The Gardens of Versailles is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is connected to the Palace of Versailles.

The gardens encompass a landmass of 2000 acres. Inspired by the classic French garden landscape design, you will notice that the landscaping of the Gardens of Versailles is symmetrical and in order. Intricately designed lawns are surrounded by systematically positioned stone sculptures, fountains and flowers.

Any visitor to the Gardens would feel as if they were transported back to 17th century France. Commissioned by King Louis XIV in 1661, it took 40 years to complete the Gardens as well as the Palace.

The process of creating the Garden involved levelling an expansive amount of land, areas were dug out to form fountains and canals. Trees from different parts of France were transported to Versailles to be planted in the Gardens. Maintenance of the Gardens requires that plants and trees be replanted every 100 years.

Singapore’s famous garden in the city weaves together modern architecture and nature to bring to life an urban green space in the heart of Singapore. Covering an area of 101 hectares, Gardens by the Bay consists of three gardens which are the Bay Central Garden, Bay East Garden and the Bay South Garden.

Bay Central Garden connects both the Bay East and Bay South Garden and features a 3km boardwalk where visitors can enjoy a stroll or cycle from the city centre to the east of Singapore.

The Bay East Garden design features gardens in the shape of large tropical leaves, each leave with its own designated design, theme and character. Visitors are treated to the full view of the city skyline along the Bay East Garden, this is the perfect place to soak in the expanse of the cityscape both in the day and at night.

Bay South Garden is the largest and most iconic among all three gardens. The Garden is modelled in the shape of an orchid, paying tribute to the national flower of Singapore. Bay South Garden features conservatories that houses the flower dome and the cloud forest and the Supertrees which the Garden is famous for.

BSG Landscape & Construction has provided quality landscape maintenance services for over a decade. Our team includes certified arborists, horticulturists, landscape technicians and safety officers. We provide a full range of services including horticulture services, arboriculture services, tree maintenance, grass cutting and landscaping. We are the preferred contractor to make a clean and beautiful green landscape for you.