Garden landscaping is a professional art: expert

Islamabad

Arif Masud, a professor in architecture from Comsats, has said that garden landscaping is a professional art but can be developed by any person he or she closely sees, and has objective, motivation and inspiration for developing a garden.

Mr Masud was speaking on ‘Principles of garden design: landscaping’ organised by Amateur Gardening Club at Islamabad Club here on Monday. Newscaster Sufia Shahid conducted the proceedings.

Mr Masud said that he came from abroad to design Pakistan Monument but stayed back to serve the country. He said that learning is dormant in everybody. He said that landscape is an expanse of natural scenery that can be seen from a single viewpoint. Garden is a part of land upon which flower, fruits and vegetable are cultivated. He said that garden landscaping is art of designing the basic fabric of the ground upon which a beautiful landscape or a delightful garden is created.

He said that sight, sound, smell and touch are essential to a garden. He also stressed the need of observation, objective, motivation and inspiration in the exercise. He said that harmony, scale, balance, proportion, rhythm and night lighting are six principles in garden landscaping. He said that eve size of a window matters. He said that texture, contrast, combination, lines fall under these principles.

Mr Masud said that falling of shadows of trees on lawn is very important. Geometry can be inscribed in landscaping. Sitting areas can be added at suitable location while colours and balance add to beauty. He suggested giving breaks of different material to change the experiences in walking area. He said that water movement and smell has their own attractions. He differentiated placid, rippling, moving and sprinkling water in a house garden. Stairs can have different experiences. He said that accessories are not used in Pakistan as such but are good additions. He asked the audience to use wall surface for artwork. He said lights used in Pakistan Monument are marvelous. He said watching trees in night create enchanting experience but no naked lights directly visible should be avoided. He said eight months in outdoor Islamabad are very pleasant.

Yasmeen Suleman, President of AGC, presented a bonsai tree as a gift to the speaker in the end.  First prize in open terrarium (arrangement in open glass) was given to Hina Kamran and in close terrarium Ms Asma Ansari got first prize. Local farmers also had stalls of their products for introduction and sale at the venue.