Proportion can be used to evoke emotion. Plants As Elements Of Landscape Design Plants are used as materials, or building blocks, to apply the principles of design. Plants offer qualities that help to direct foot traffic in the landscape, moderate the environment around the home, hide objects, or lead the eye and stimulate other senses like smell and touch. Plants should be used together to enhance the best features of your property. The basic elements that plants offer to the landscape to express the principles of design are form, texture, and color.
Plants grow in a characteristic general form determined by genetics or the environment.
A plant can be selected for the way its form can be used in the landscape to complement the house or achieve the principles of design. For example, a prostrate plant can be used under a low window. Rounded trees or shrubs can be used with oval, spreading, or weeping plants in a pleasing border. Texture can refer to a plant's feel, but generally in the landscape visual texture is the main consideration. Large leaves cast distinctive shadows in the plant canopy, offering a coarse appearance.