THE MYSTERY OF DESIGNING YOUR GARDEN

We are in the middle of summer and people are outdoor enjoying their garden. This is when many people think about what their garden could look like if..... In Southern California, in the middle of drought, some people are thinking about drought tolerant landscape to replace the lawn or wonderful tropical water hogs. Some people moved into a house and have never updated the landscape that looks very tired right now. Some people have only relied on their gardeners to replace plants or to dress up their yards with annuals. If you are happy with your garden there is no need to change. But if you need some help in making some changes, this article is for you.
In newsletter 3 I mentioned that it would be a good idea to meditate and visualize your garden. When I am working with a client to design a garden I read their energy to see what type of garden would most support them. When we are in an extensive design process, I often give them choices so that they can choose a very structured option or a less structured option. Everyone has certain predispositions in terms of design. Some people love order and those people might want very structured garden. Some people love the wild and free look so they may love an English country garden or something like it. No matter what you love here are a few principles that you can put into practice when designing your garden.

1. Symmetry. Are you going to have a formally symmetrical or an asymmetrical design. The key to symmetry is balance. A symmetrical design is one that usually is much more formal as there are elements and plants on both sides that balance each other, indeed that are usually identical. An asymmetrical balance is where the balance is unseen. So there may be focal plants on both sides of a walkway but they don't mirror each other. Usually the asymmetrical balance feels more natural because the plants are in a more natural formation. The balance comes from using elements throughout the composition that are repeated and balanced in other parts of your composition.

2. Focal plants. Focal plants are plants that grab our attention. In recent years people have used the New Zealand Flax as a focal plant because of its striking shape and there are many choices of plants that will do the same job. Once you have selected a focal plant, be sure not to use too much of it so that it loses its impact. You want to pair it with plants that are more sedate, either in shape, color or texture. If I am using a very bold plant then I like to design minimally around it so that the drama really shows through. When I am working with something like an country garden motif, I may use some plants that will draw your eye but not one focal plant because the idea in a country garden is lots of plants and lots of action with little single drama. The drama comes from the play of plants together.

3. Movement. Movement is a sense of a flow. There are many ways to create this. Most commonly we will use a groundcover or a large grouping of plants to convey movement in the design of a garden. When there is movement you don't get stuck on one plant. Your eye is carried throughout the garden and you can experience the delight of each area.

4. Theme. Immediately after movement, I must remind you that you need consistency in the garden. A theme could be a style of garden or it could be a color range or it could be a purpose like a bird refuge. The one mistake that is made by amateur gardeners and people like me that love plants is what I call the botanical wonder garden. That is a garden that has one of a kinds all over the place so that there is no consistency. A garden like that is fine for a botanical garden but for a pleasure garden a lack of consistency with plants frustrates the eye and disquiets the soul. Repeating plants so that there is a solid feeling in the garden and having an idea of the theme and purpose of you garden goes a long way.

5. Contrast. There are many ways to provide contrast. Contrast is another way to bring drama to your garden design. You can contrast textures so that you have bold textures like Fortnight Lily against soft textures like Wormwood. It is common to contrast colors. The most dramatic contrasts are the ones across the color wheel like contrasting purple and yellow. You can also contrast light and dark colors like light gray and burgundy. Other contrasts to consider are the form for instance, spreading vs upright plants.

6. Boundaries. Most of us live on limited lots and have fences, walls or our neighbor's houses to provide a boundary to our design. Boundaries make us feel safe. In planting design we want to assess whether the views from our property are desirable or not. If they are, perhaps there are ways of capitalizing on it for instance if your neighbor has climbing roses on the fence between your yards, you may want to add some on your side to "expand" your property. If your neighbors have built a huge imposing house that invades your privacy, you shoudl plant large shrubs or trees to shield you and keep your own haven private.

FINAL TIPS

Be aware of what you are working with. If you have an English country manor don't plant a severe modern landscape. If you have a very contemporay home, don't plant an English country garden. No matter how beautiful your garden, if it is not in context with the house and neighborhood, it will never feel right.

In the same vein, be aware of the colors of your house so that you don't plant flowering plants that clash with your house. So orange flowers with a red house may not look good together.