Articles
PEOPLE NEED PLANTS IN A DESIGN
It is the object of this paper to consider how plant materials are likely to be used to satisfy these needs; what kinds of plant material are going to be needed; and how the research horticulturist and other plant scientists contribute to successful landscape establishment.
It is only ten years since McHarg’s book Design With Nature (McHarg, 1969) was published.
It has been described as "a thought-provoking inspiration for landscape architects" (Colvin, 1977). It was also one of the first books to suggest an ecological basis for design.
In one of the leading chapters in the book Landscape Design With Plants, published recently for the Landscape Institute, Brenda Colvin (1977) stresses the importance of having an "ecological approach" to landscape design.
One of the most significant developments in recent times for the landscape profession has been this acceptance of underlying ecological principles.
The degree to which ecology is embraced, the practical interpretation of ecological guiding principles, varies from designer to designer.
Landscape architecture itself is seen by some as having a relatively subordinate role to the subject of landscape ecology which has been defined (Naveh, 1978) as a "human ecosystem science." Naveh states that a "landscape should neither be viewed merely as an aesthetic visual-perceptual connotation of Nature, as is done by artists, landscape architects and designers, nor considered as a synonym for a set of geomorphological landforms, as is done by many geographers.
Writing to further the cause of landscape ecology, Naveh could have been speaking for some of the more ecology-conscious landscape architects when he stated that "one of the crucial questions facing mankind is how to ensure the functional and structural integration of the bio- and the techno-ecosystems,…with emergent qualities of ecological stability and resilience, together with socio-economic and cultural values for human societies" (Naveh, 1978).
What effect does ecological awareness have on designs, plant use and the public? The ecologist to the Milton Keynes Development Corporation, John Kelcey, identifies (Kelcey, 1977) two aspects in which ecology affects design (in addition to ecological knowledge for conservation of existing habitats and sites). First, is the use of ecological knowledge to achieve an objective not primarily of wildlife conservation.
The examples that Kelcey gives under this heading are the design and management of recreational lakes and land reclamation.
Design based on ecological principles can lead to a much greater sensitivity in the treatment of commonplace landscape elements, e.g. the planting of a highway taking into consideration the details