Fall is perfect time to contemplate changes, make improvements

Fall is the perfect time of year to consider changes to the landscape and get new plants into the ground due to warm soil and cooler nights. The roots will grow quickly and by next spring the plants will be ready to take off. It’s all about planning!

Learning landscape design took me a few semesters of college and several years of experience, but this article is designed to provide the basics of design concepts in a nutshell here. Hopefully it can provide some ideas of what the possibilities are in the garden.

To begin with, there are eight basic garden design principles: unity, repetition, color, balance, line, proportion, simplicity, and transition.

Unity and Repetition

Unity should be one of the main goals in creating a landscape – it’s what "ties” everything together, from hardscape (house, patio, paths, boulders, etc.) to the softscape (plants). Unity ties in closely with repetition which is repeating a pattern. Try to either plant groups of the same plant together or repeat the same plant throughout the entire landscape – both is even better.

Groups of three are the ultimate, but if it's only possible to plant one of something due to space constrictions, make sure further down in the planting area that another one is planted. That will help tie the landscape together. Unity can also be achieved by utilizing the same rocks, bricks, etc. in the beds, patios, and house. That is also repetition, although typically when speaking about repetition, the referral is to plant repetition.

Unity can also incorporate a theme in the garden. Some examples might be a Japanese, tropical, or a Mediterranean-style garden. Those are themes that unify the garden and should be carried throughout repetitively. There’s nothing worse than seeing a "hodge podge" of garden styles all mixed together.

Color

Next there is color. When planting a landscape, the plan is to have consistency with colors that "work together." This can be anything from an all-white garden, to an all-green garden, or one with few flowers such as an Asian garden. A color wheel comes in handy to see which colors complement each other. An example would be lavender/purple and yellow which are contrasting colors. Whites and grays are great blenders in the garden as they make the transition smoother between colors. I love to use them for this purpose.

When we talk color, we are not just talking about flowers but about entire plants and leaves as well as pots, ornaments, etc. that one places in a garden. Keep in mind that warm colors, such as orange, yellow and red, tend to "pop" in the landscape. They’re very noticeable, whereas cool colors, like lavender, blue, pink and even greens tend to recede and blend more. If enough distance is allowed between a warm color and a cool one, they can work just fine.

The use of variegated foliage can be a plus. Typically used in partial shade, it can make a huge difference so that one doesn't just see green, green, and more green. The variegation is typically ivory-colored and really makes plants stand out in darker areas. Most variegated plants do not do well in full sun, that’s where you want to use those grey-leaved plants for a little variety and break from the green.

Balance

Balance is an important topic. There are two basic types of balance – symmetrical and asymmetrical. Symmetrical is where each half of the garden is literally a "mirror" image of the other. An asymmetrical garden plan is more typical and to achieve balance, one might have a large specimen shrub on one portion of the yard offset or balanced by a group of three smaller shrubs on the other side.

The basic idea is to balance the yard. It can also be achieved with utilized structures, such as gazebos or pergolas, etc. to possibly offset or balance a tree.

Sometimes it's possible to combine both symmetrical and asymmetrical designs in the garden. For example, a formal symmetrical herb garden, can be surrounded with an asymmetrical garden with shrubs and a bench on one side and a tree on the other. Unity and repetition play into balancing the garden as well, so it’s necessary to take all these principles into consideration when planning a good design.

Line

Another element is line, one of the more structural principles of landscape design. It can mostly be related to the way beds, walkways, and entryways move and flow. Straight lines are forceful and direct while curvy lines have a more natural, gentle, flowing effect.

A good strategy is to add curves to a yard that is very square or rectangular to "soften" the look, and whatever is done with the "lines" will then also come into play with "repetition" – it's important to repeat those types of lines throughout the landscape, be they square, flowing, or even circular to create "unity."

Proportion

Next on the list is proportion and this is an important one that has to do with size. It is desirable to have things be in proportion to what is around them or what is already there. If one has a smaller-sized home, it's not wise to put in a pine or oak tree that’s going to get 100-feet tall – that is totally out of proportion to the home.

Likewise, if creating a small courtyard garden, an enormous seven foot garden statue placed in the center would be way out of proportion just as a small four-foot waterfall and pond placed in the center of a large open yard would get lost in the expanse. Balance comes into proportion as well. Think about having plants that are proportionate to the property, house, hardscape, and other items already in the landscape.

Simplicity

Simplicity means exactly what it says – keep it simple, the more "cluttered" the look is, the more jumbled and less "cohesive," the less inviting it is to the eye. When one plants in a random style - adding one of these and one of those, dotted here and there, nothing matching, it’s not very relaxing.

Think of Asian "Zen" gardens, and how peaceful they are. That is an example of simplicity. They don’t overcrowd the garden with too many different types, colors, and styles of plants, which creates a relaxing effect on the beholder – so try to pick plants and hardscape for simplicity to enjoy a relaxing vista in your garden.

Transition

Last, but certainly not least, is transition, moving from one area to the next. Does it "flow" nicely or does it look like it's going from Mexico to Sweden via Japan?

To achieve good "transition" from one area to the next, incorporate some of the same plants in different areas, or achieve it through the hardscape, say brick running through pathways and incorporated into raised beds. Another idea is to have a particular rose variety in various spots in both the front and backyards, this covers several design concepts, as well as transition.

Focal Point

One should also consider having a focal point in the garden.

A focal point can be a large urn, a waterfall, a pine tree, a statue, a fountain, or a "specimen" plant, such as a yucca or agave. What the focal point will be is an individual decision, but consider having one or more, depending on the viewpoint and size of yard.

A beautiful and well done landscape is an asset to any property and adds actual monetary value, as well as enjoyment and pleasure.