landscape focal point

Focal Point

Focal points are spots in the landscape design that draw our attention, then catch and hold our interest.

This concept is similar to what a fireplace does for a living room.

Use Garden Décor or Plants

Focal points create impact in a landscape design plan and can be grand like a tower, large pond, or garden structure. Or they can be simple like a bench, sundial or an urn filled with plants. These are all man-made items.

Living objects can also serve as focal points. A couple of landscaping design examples might be:

• An exceptionally beautiful tree with an interesting shape like a Japanese maple.



• A planting bed with flowers that are special for you - such as roses, like the kind your grandmother had.

Draw Attention To Focal Points

One of the main goals of landscaping design is to direct the eye toward various focal points in the landscape.

Here are some landscaping design tips on a couple ways to heighten attention on your focal points:

• If using a container or bench, paint it a shocking hue -the garden viewer’s eye will naturally be drawn to the origin of the contrasting color.



• Build a path that leads to your focal point. The eye wants to follow lines (more about lines in the next section) and will be lead down the path to the interesting object.



• In Asian gardens, large stones are often used as focal points, but they are placed so the viewer’s eye discovers them as parts of arrangements. They are placed so the eye moves from major focus point to minor one and to another slightly larger minor one and so forth until it finally arrives back again at the major stone.

When your landscape design plan is done well, the focus points make the eye travel over the whole garden in a circle that keeps the space interesting and produces a sense of calmness...
...the ideal and original purpose of Japanese gardens.

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