These are the elements or materials used for designing. They are used to attain certain design goals. These can be categorized in different categories:-
1. Origin:- Natural or Manmade
The landscape materials can be classified on the basis of there origin i.e. natural or manmade.
Natural materials include those which are available from nature like plants, stones, earth, sand etc.
Man-made materials are those which are used after synthesising the natural materials or machine made. They include artificial lakes, ponds, cascades, bridges, fountains, gazebos, street furnitures, etc.
There may be a category in which only chemical is used to make elements like plastic (for pipes), trellis, etc.
Tree houses for birds, dove coats are the elements which enhance the space added with the lanterns, railings (in stone or bamboo) or music.
2. Degree of Hardness :- Hard or Soft
Hard elements include stones, bricks and concrete while Soft materials include plants, water, mud or soil. In order to recharge ground water, protect soil and climatic conditions, we need to provide a lot of soft spaces in our landscape.
3. Growth:- Living or Non-Living
Living elements includes plants which require regular maintainance, fertilisation and good investment while Non-Living elements are installed once.
4. Water requirement:- Dry Gardening or Wet Gardening
Phenomenon of Dry Gardening was taken from the Japenese Gardens. They require less of water in plants like cactus, moss, etc. While Wet Gardening requires a lot of water.
