Transition is the third principle of landscape design that I
will discuss. As the word transition suggests, you want to avoid any abrupt or
radical changes. Transition in the landscape is a gradual change. This
transition can be illustrated in plant height, color, textures, foliage shape
and size and the shape and size of different elements.
The first example of natural transition is the ‘step effect’
or using large trees, to medium shrubs, to bedding plants. Proper plant
selection by a landscape company in this instance is necessary. Knowing the
growth rate and mature height of various plants is very important.
The second example of transition can be achieved by the
gradual ascending or descending, arrangement of different elements with varying
forms, sizes, color and texture. As a result, transition can be used create
illusions in the landscape. A transition from taller plants to shorter plants
gives a sense of depth making the garden seem larger than it really is. A
transition from shorter plants to taller plants can be used to frame a focal
point to make it seem closer than it really is.
The third example of transition is to use heavier textured,
larger leaved plants in the back and finer textured, smaller leaved plants in
the foreground. By doing this the heavier textured plants frames and supports
the finer textured plants that would otherwise be lost if they were mixed in
with or planted behind the heavier plants.
