The Landscape Architect's Toolkit: Contrast
Low, coarse-textured Agave ‘Blue Glow’ with upright, fine-textured Miscanthus ‘Morning Light’ in a Palo Alto front yard landscape design
Just as a great chef adeptly wields many different techniques to create a delicious meal, the best landscape architects draw from a deep knowledge of design principles to craft beautiful outdoor spaces that reflect the homeowner’s personal style and enhance their enjoyment of their property. One of our favorite elements to use in creating our designs is contrast.
Contrast in landscape design refers to the use of different, often opposing, elements in a space to create visual interest, depth, and drama. This includes using plants of varying textures, colors, and heights, as well as using different hardscaping materials, and including landscape lighting.
One way we incorporate contrast into our landscape designs is through the use of different plant textures. For example, we may pair a broad-leaved succulent with a fine-leaved grass, or a furry Lamb’s Ear with a spiky New Zealand Flax. These variations guide the eye through the space, making it feel more dynamic. (Conversely, minimizing contrast will make a composition more harmonious and soothing.)
Another way we introduce contrast is by combining plants of different heights to create layers. In a drought-tolerant California landscape design this might graduate the plantings from prostrate groundcovers such as Kinnikinnick up to small shrubs such as Lavender, larger shrubs such as ‘Dr. Hurd’ Manzanita, and a crowning Valley Oak. This creates hierarchy and shows off each plant’s best qualities.
Color is one of the easiest ways to achieve contrast in a landscape design. Pairing complementary colors such as yellow Yarrow and purple Beardtongue creates more impact than either alone would have, while bright flowers, such as a red Island Snapdragon, immediately draw the eye (and the hummingbirds!) no matter what their context.
These principles can be used with hardscape materials just as easily as plants: contrasting textures (rough wood against smooth metal), or shapes (round boulders against an angular bench), or colors (a dark stone cap on a light stucco wall) create far more drama than a harmonious composition would. Contrasting materials, like terra-cotta tiles edging a concrete driveway, elevate otherwise plain pavements; and integrating geometric or organic patterns invites a closer look, much like small works of art in a larger frame.
Judicious landscape lighting emphasizes planter boxes and the fountain streams in a Santa Clara back yard.
Effective landscape lighting is fundamentally based on contrast: choosing to light certain plants, hardscape, or sculptures signals that those features or areas are most important in the landscape. Everything that remains “left in the dark” becomes invisible—and yet this unlit backdrop remains vitally important, for if everything were illuminated, nothing would stand out.
Contrast is one of the most powerful tools in the landscape architect’s kit. By thoughtfully utilizing contrast in our landscape designs, we create visually stunning and cohesive outdoor spaces that reflect our clients’ lifestyles and values and elevate their homes’ interest.