Lat 214 PLANT COMPOSITION
Fall 2007

This class will be taught by Marilyn Alexander in 2008

Plant arrangements using a variety of textures, forms and color to achieve an interesting composition.

This class will teach plant arrangement in the landscape with emphasis on the principles of art, and the design elements reflected in the major styles of garden design. Evaluation will be based on 5 drafted projects, including one team project to be presented on the last day of class, and a research paper, due at midterm. A mid-term quiz and a short essay final exam will also be given. Assignment/exam calendars may be changed in response to institutional, weather, class problems

A sample lecture topic from this class is DESIGN PRINCIPLES IN GARDEN-MAKING

TIME: 5:00 - 9:50 PM Thursday-lecture & lab

DATES: Sept.27th - Dec. 13th, 2007

PLACE: Rock Creek- Bld. #7 Rm 102

INSTRUCTOR: LINDA ENGSTROM Phone: 244-6111 x3154 or 628-2552 (home) 614-7257- Cecile Devreaux, Dept. Secretary

OFFICE: Bldg #7-202 ; hours: Thursday 4-5PM.

USEFUL TEXTS:

• Gang Chen,(NEW) Planting Design Illustrated (2007);
• Nancy Leszczynski,Planting the Landscape (1999 ed);
• Richard Austin, Elements of Planting Design
• William R.Nelson, Planting Design, A Manual of Theory & Practice
• Norman Booth & James Hiss, Residential Landscape Architecture(4th ed./2004)
• Nick Robinson, The Planting Design Handbook(2nd ed./2004)
• Sylvia Crowe, Landscape Design
• Leroy Hannebaum, Landscape Design -A Practical Approach
• Piet Oudolf, Designing with Plants
• John Brookes Book of Garden Design (or any of John's many books!)

None are required, but readings are certainly helpful. Some are classics that are out of print and some are new editions that I would highly recommend you add to your design library. I will try to have as many available either here in the lab or in the library.

PREREQUISITES: Plant Material ID sequence, Drafting / or instructor permission

EQUIPMENT and SUPPLIES: list supplied at first class (general drafting equipment)

GRADING: Plant Composition will be a "pass, no-pass" course for Fall 2007

LATE PROJECTS: All projects will have an assigned due date. Projects more than 2 weeks late will not be accepted. Students not able to make deadlines due to illness, business, etc. will be responsible for arranging for extra time for completion with the instructor. If you require specific instructional accommodations, please notify me early in the course.

INCOMPLETES: Incompletes will be given those students unable to complete course work due to unforeseen circumstances. The student is responsible for arranging with the instructor for incompletes. The student must have been making satisfactory progress in the class. Incompletes must be made up in 3 quarters from the date given or the grade will be changed to an x.

FIELD TRIPS: One garden field trip is planned which will fall outside of regular class hours. Attendance is not mandatory but highly recommended.

FIELD TRIP date: (tba)______________

ASSIGNMENTS: See General Outline. Most will be done on 18" x 24" vellum paper

Students present team projects

Project#1 Atlas Composition in earlier days

Plant Composition - General Outline 2007

9/27 Week 1

• LECT: Goals, materials, assignments, the nature of plants and the meaning of gardens
• VISUALS: Gardens Portraits- Plants in Context: Personalities of People, Plants and Places
• LAB: Plant character exercise & discussion "If I were a plant...."
• Project #1 -Pick one of the 4 areas discussed and do a sketch and scaled planting plan. After an exceptionally hard winter some of the plants need to be replaced. Use a replacement in your plan and explain why it was chosen. Due on OCT. 11th
• OBJECTIVE: To gain a feeling for the individual personalities of plants
• ASSIGN: RESEARCH PAPER on Planting Style- pick a notable designer or LA. What is their planting style? Illustrate with a garden they have designed.: Due NOV. 1st. Also....ADOPT-A-PLANT on campus and keep a weekly journal, include a few sketches. This will be presented to the class on Dec.13th
• Optional: Read Chp 10- Crowe; 8 & 9- Hannebaum

10/4 Week 2

• LECT: Plant selection : Environmental- hardiness, microclimates, landform, xeriscaping
• VISUALS: Microclimates and neighborhoods
• LAB: Studio time for Project #1
• Project #2-Design a small garden with xeriscape principles.Due Oct.18th
• OBJECTIVE: To understand ecological organization and an appropriate indigenous planting logic respectful of landform & plant community dynamics, potentials, requirements and limitations.
• ASSIGN:Select 5 plants for each of the 9 microclimatic areas discussed in class and add to your notebook. Read Booth-Hiss Chp 3-Environmentally Responsive Design; Chp 9- Crowe; 6- Hannebaum

10/11 Week 3

• LECT: Functional Aspects of Plant selection : How are plants Used?
• Plants as Architecture-terminology: walls (screening, barriers, baffles), ceiling (canopy) floor (groundcovers); direction, pooling , enframement linkage, enlargement, reduction, invitation, subdivision
• VISUALS: How Plants are used in the Landscape: The connection between spatial placement and style:Part 1
• LAB: Studio time for project #2
• OBJECTIVE: An understanding of how plants create space, as well as their limitations - they are not the only solution
• Assign: Read Leszczynski, Chp 4;Booth-Hiss Chp 11 Spatial Composition; Austin, Chp 3; Crowe Chp 11-14

10/18 Week 4

• LECT:Plant Design Qualities:The Physical characteristics of plants-Form, Color, Texture, Line, Unity (simplicity, variety, balance, emphasis, sequence, scale )
• VISUALS: Part 2:John Brookes/Denmans-Form, Color, Texture and Line
• LAB: Texture-Form exercise. Garden photo analysis
• OBJECTIVE:To gain an understanding of the use of visual design components and spatial sequence in the articulation and refinement of space
• ASSIGN:Visit 2-3 different neighborhoods (ie:Forest Heights, urban Portland, infill/townhouse lots) and bring back a brief analysis of the differences seen in planting schemes within each area.
Optional Read Leszczynski, Chp 5; Chp 6 & 8- Crowe; Chap 3 & 4- Brookes

10/25 Week 5

• LECT: Applications and Case studies
• VISUALS: open
• LAB: Form development for the townhouse, suburban and rural situations.Using 'Great Plant Picks'create 3 compositions (small flat infill lot, steep suburb hillside lot, large rolling rural lot with distant view)
• OBJECTIVE: To understand how context plays a role in plant composition spatial order

11/1 Week 6 QUIZ / RESEARCH PAPER DUE

• LECT:Plant associations, regionalism and style
• VISUALS: Far Eastern: China and Japan Planting Styles
• LAB: Project #3 -Select threeplant associations that you have seen (on field trip or in area) and do sketch plans and plan views to illustrate the plants relationship to each other within a chosen space. Due on NOV.8th
• OBJECTIVE: To gain a feeling for structure, scale, and the three dimensional interrelationships in planting
• ASSIGN: optional : read Chp 2- Crowe; Chp 7-Hannebaum; Chp 1- Page

11/8 Week 7

• LECT: Natural Planting Style: "The Native Garden"; the layering principle, natural selection
• VISUALS: Water, Grasses & Perennials
• LAB: Project #4 -The Backward Process: Draft an elevation and a sketch plan using one of the microclimate groups previously identified. Due on Nov. 15th
• OBJECTIVE:A feeling of responsibility for the sustainability of the natural environment , both on-site & regionally. To gain a feeling for time, change, and animation: playing with the senses of smell, breezes and light
• ASSIGN:(Optional )Read Designing with Plants, Piet Oudolf; Chp 7- Crowe; pgs 31-34 Ottesen; Brookes- pgs 167-173

11/15 Week 8

• LECT: Formal Planting Style: symmetry, geometry, and order
• VISUALS: French and Italian Gardens
• LAB: Studio time for Project #4 / Initial team meetings for Project #6
• OBJECTIVE:To gain an attitude for the sense of place. The coming together of plants, space, and the qualities of design
• ASSIGN: Project # 5- Seasonal Garden, Due Nov.29th

  Project # 6 (Team project) With your team members, develop a planting scheme for either a Natural Rural space, a Formal Urban space, or Japanese/Chinese garden space, and be prepared to present graphics illustrating your design to the class on the last day (12/14). Elements to be included: 1) Plan view 2) Elevation view 3) Seasonal sketch view 4) Plant and hardscape list 5) Style / design intent statement 6) picture collage 7) final presentation- all members must participate.

11/22 Week 9.....No CLASS -Happy Thanksgiving!

11/29Week 10

• LECT: Overview of Planting Styles
• LAB: Critiques of Project #5 ; STUDIO TIME for Team project #6
• VISUALS/BOOKS: Art and Structure in the Landscape

12/6 Week 11

• WRAP-UP and Studio Time for Team Projects

12/13 Week 12

• TEAM PROJECT PRESENTATIONS
• INDIVIDUAL- Bring a black line print of what you feel is your best work from lab assignments and be prepared to give a short individual presentation to the class + Adopted Plant Reports