Some gardeners not only look upon their garden as a source of enjoyment and beauty. They also have learned to become experts in landscape design. For example, they have learned over time how to add depth and height to the appearance of their garden and have learned the tricks necessary that give it added curb appeal. In short, how they design their garden has attracted interest from people in the neighborhood and passersby.
Landscape design principles.
(Courtesy: KGLandscape of Mineapolis, MN)
What they have learned is to keep things simple; mix and match shapes, textures, foliage, and colors; to balance the size of plants, and create emphasis.
For example, gardeners who have knowledge of landscaping use other design elements to add interest to the garden including incorporating walls, columns, and flowerpots.
Take balance. One can create a garden that has formal balance, which is when one side of the landscape is a near mirror image of the other side. Or one can create a garden that has an informal balance, when each side of the landscape is similar in size and weight, but not totally the same.
To add emphasis to the garden, a gardener can take a pot full of colorful annuals and place them on either side of the main entrance of the home to draw attention to the front door. An ornamental tree has been used to screen or soften the rigid look of a corner or architectural feature.
To help create the design gardeners with knowledge of landscaping design use specimen, key and accent plants to achieve the look they are after.
Specimen plants are part of the larger landscape, but stand out. These plants work in the design because of their unique form, foliage, or color and helps gain attention for a part of the house like the front door or as a primary focal point.
Key plants are used to soften or screen architectural features of a property like steps and fences or to soften the visual transition between the house and the property and allow it to fit into the total landscape.
Accent plants are commonly planted alone or in groups of three and provide seasonal interest at different times of the year.
Sequencing is a way for gardeners to show a gradual transition from one section of the landscape to another. This is achieved with short, fine textured plants in the front row, medium textured plants in the center and taller or large-leafed plants with a coarser texture in the back row.
Scale is also an important element to landscaping. It is the ratio or proportion between the sizes of certain elements in the landscape. So, large homes should have larger scaled landscaping than smaller houses. Two story homes work well with taller bushes and key plants that fit the scale of the house. Scale helps to achieve a visual transition between the lawn, shrubs, and trees on the property and the home.
Try using these concepts as you continue to update your garden and then wait for the favorable comments from impressed neighbors.
