Today, a landscape architect does more than garden design. The clients vary from private home owners to corporate offices, and from city officials to international governmental agencies. Landscape architecture has become a microcosm of various professions, involving various disciplines in the multitude of projects that landscape architects get involved in.
Landscape architecture deals with man's relationship with nature. Hence, in a built environment, man's desire to see "nature" has been catered to by plants, waterfalls, etc. Landscape is what comes to mind when people see such natural elements, not realizing that landscape refers to a broad term for a stretch of land and includes the agricultural landscape, urban landscape, forest landscape, etc. Also, people tend to confuse landscape architecture with nature and this has led to many problems, including our deteriorating environmental situation. This duality that man is not a part of nature has led to man trying to recreate nature and failing at it. We have to accept ourselves as part of nature and that we are similar to other animals in our behaviour and territoriality. We should also accept that human development and progress are with us to stay and try to reduce the negative impact of this progress on the environment, without disrupting the process of evolution.
Landscape architectects use various elements to compose their landscape designs. Plants form a major element of their palette. Water, stone, earth, terra cotta, bricks, tiles, tar, metals, glass, plastics, wood , sculpture, etc, form some of the other elements of the landscape architect's pallette. However, there are various other elemets that are also very important in the making of a garden or outdoor space. Ultimately, it is the details that make a space successful. The combination of these materials and how the materials work together is also important. The grouping of these elements with each other is as vital as how these elements agree with the principles of design, such as, line, form, unity, variety, blalance, centre of interest or focal point, rhythm, colour, texture, scale, proportion, and their relationships.
Also, light, sound, smell and texturem are important things to keep in mind. A garden must be a source of stimulation of the senses and, therefore, elements which interact with the senses must be used, can also be seen as an element, and in a park or plaza, without food, wouldn't be as enjoyable.