Garden, Plants and Hardscaping

Lessons from a Student Design Competition

Abstract

The article presents the experiences and lessons learned from a student garden design competition. The goal of the competition was to create garden or park designs that achieve harmonious integration between hardscaping and plant materials. The primary challenge for the participants was determining the optimal ratio of paved surfaces to green spaces, as well as the creative use of materials such as paving stones and wall cladding in garden design. The submitted projects offered interesting and original solutions, each reflecting the open-ended competition brief in different ways. The article provides a detailed analysis of the winning entries, showcasing various approaches to garden design composition, highlighting the importance of spatial organization and plant usage in successful landscape architecture.