The Site

When envisioning the layout of your future garden, consider its shape and nearby features. For an island bed, the tallest plants will be centered, encircled by medium-height plants, with the shortest along the perimeter. This ensures your garden is beautiful from every angle without hiding flowers. Planting a large specimen such as a shrub or ornamental tree will “anchor” the bed. While it doesn’t have to be dead center, avoid planting it on a far end. If your garden is raised or tiered, creeping or cascading plantings may help soften the edges. A garden bed against a structure has different schematics; tallest go in the back, with medium height plants in the center, and shortest at the front. Try adding interest and height with a trellised plant. When planting shrubs or trees by a building, factor in mature size and allow for plenty of distance to grow, saving you potential structure damage and awkward pruning down the road.

Color Theory

A basic understanding of color theory helps create balance, cohesion, or contrast in your garden beds. Warm colors (reds, oranges, and yellows) appear to come forward in the landscape and are used to draw the eye toward them. They evoke a lively, energetic mood. Conversely, cool colors (violets, blues, and greens) appear to recede in the landscape, making small spaces feel bigger. They elicit a sense of calm and tranquility. When you combine colors, you further influence the mood. Remember that color wheel you learned about in elementary school? Complementary colors, located directly opposite each other on the wheel (purple and yellow, blue and orange, red and green), work together to make the other pop. Adjacent colors, near each other on the full wheel, create a harmonious balance when paired. A monochromatic color scheme focuses on just one color, offering cohesion while emphasizing plant form and texture.

Texture

Create a stimulating, visually pleasing garden by incorporating various textures. Consider soft, fuzzy Lamb’s Ear, spiny Globe Thistle, the fluffy inflorescence of Smokebush, curly-cued Corkscrew Rush, or the fern-like foliage of Yarrow. Accentuate textures by grouping contrasting ones; place a large, smooth-leaved Hosta alongside Astilbe, another shade-loving perennial with serrate-edged foliage and feathery flower plumes.

Growth Habits

Take note of the growth habit of a plant, which is its mature form. Mounding, climbing, erect, and creeping are a few terms you’ll run into at the garden centers. When assigning spots in the garden, balance each other’s growth habits and remember to fill in the gaps. For example, tall, erect flowers such as Foxglove might be staggered with a medium-sized vase-shaped bush, such as a Rose. This way, the shortest flowers in the front of the bed aren’t left with a towering wall behind them. Instead, our eyes will float along the varying levels of height.

Grouping

The way in which you plant your beds ties everything together. Refrain from scattering single specimens throughout. Instead, plant in “drifts”- larger groupings of the same plant. This technique mimics nature and better attracts pollinators. So, while it may cost more upfront, grab several of each plant you select when you’re at the store. Lastly, follow spacing requirements to avoid nutrient competition and disease pressure later.

Effective garden design is multidimensional and harmonious. Take cues from the natural world around you when building your beds. Keep the elements of design front and center when selecting plants. Additionally, Cornell University has wonderful online resources that can help you select the right plant for the right place. Take advantage of these resources, draw up a plan, and plant intentionally to create a respite you’ll enjoy for years to come.   

Happy gardening, friends!