“Garden Colour Schemes”

Many successful garden colour schemes are created with the use of two or three chosen colours such as red, orange and yellow, but can be equally exciting using just one colour such as an all white flower theme. The key to creating a successful white garden lies in the realization that a white garden is not predominantly white, but also green.

The various textures of the foliage act as a foil to the stark-white blossoms, muting their brilliance with a calm and cool effect. Grey-leaved plants, such as lamb’s ears, santolina, and artemisia, also perform a beneficial role: Used in moderation, these “almost whites” act as a bridge between dark and light and serve to link the two serenely together.
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“Balanced Garden Design”

It can be a tricky matter to determine whether a landscape is balanced or not. You’ll probably rely more on intuition than conscious calculation. While there are complex mathematical formulas you can follow, the best solution may be to simply step back and take a good look, just as a painter would do with a piece of art.

Take a look at these examples to get a feel for this design principal:
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“Garden Design Plan”

Draw up garden design plans to scale, using pencil on vellum over graph paper (four squares per inch). Use tissue over the vellum layer for idea sketches before drawing out the final plan. It may take several attempts to achieve the one satisfactory design; the final plan may take the best elements from each sketch. Your plans don’t have to be so elaborate, however. After all, a plan is simply a map for you to follow in your garden. As long as you can understand it, that’s all that matters. And while planning for spring, summer, and autumn glory, don’t forget to add plants with winter interest—beautiful bark, berries, textures, form, or colour.
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“Garden Design”

There are basically two roads to follow when seeking balance in the garden design: symmetrical and asymmetrical. Formal landscapes have symmetrical balance. A formal design is best used on flat ground or when working with a central feature, such as a fountain or front door. Formal gardens, such as Mediterranean gardens, consist of symmetrical compositions balanced about a central axis.
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“Garden Style”

Study pictures of beautiful gardens in magazines and books. This is a fine way to get ideas and discover your favourite garden style. Build arbours and pergolas to separate spaces, contribute height, add charm, and provide cosy places to sit and admire the view. Remember, trees and shrubs, in addition to hard landscaping, provide structure to a garden and are therefore termed the “bones” of your design. Changes in ground level may already exist and can be accentuated by building steps and walls at these points. Raised beds are invaluable for adding interest to a flat area, and variety can be introduced by arranging plants of different heights.

Certain design garden style have evolved in response to a particular climate or geographic conditions. The native plants that thrive in hot and dry climates define a Mediterranean style, but it also reflects certain building materials and architectural styles associated with the Mediterranean area. This style of garden is characterized by warm, earthy tones in the structures and containers, specifically terra cotta, combined with dry-climate plants like erigeron and lavender, drought survivors such as cacti and the agave family.
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“Garden Design”

Many people think about garden design only in terms of plant choices. But picking plants is the last and often easiest part of putting a garden together. Before the plants are put into place the fencing, buildings, paths, paved areas, steps, lawns, archways, etc. should be put into position.

The modern concept is to create outdoor rooms, which can be used by all the family for specific purposes. You may have a play area, eating area, areas to sit and take in the beauty and serenity, areas to grow food or to keep livestock. This approach to garden design can break down the plan into manageable portions, otherwise, the design as a whole could appear to be to daunting for most of us to undertake.
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