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Designing a garden is similar to putting together a nice outfit to wear for any occasion. Imagine doing that without even considering whether the pieces match: You pick your favorite dress, then your favorite shoes, favorite purse, and favorite jewelry -- you'll end up wearing an outfit comprised of very lovely pieces in pretty colors, but they don't match, they clash, and the overall look isn't pleasing. Well, designing a garden is much the same way. Just like you don't have to be a slave to fashion to assemble a decent outfit of matching pieces, you don't have to be scientific about designing a garden; just being familiar with a few basic principles will give you a starting point and make it easier to know what looks best where, and with what. Of course you don't have to follow the principles at all; I've seen beautiful gardens where the homeowner uses no special tool or guideline, they just pick plants they like and "stick 'em in the ground". I believe they have some natural artistic sense of color and design. But for the rest of us who are color/design-challenged and want to know where to begin, here are a few tips to get you started.
The color wheel is one of the most helpful tools to use when designing a garden. Whether you're planning a garden on paper with to-scale drawings, or you're just trying to find a plant that will look good in a spot in your current garden, understanding the basics of color design will help you. Many books about garden design include a color wheel. To start, select a plant in your garden and, using the color wheel, find the colors that would look best with it. Then, do the same with the new color you select. And don't forget -- green is a color too!
The Creative Gardener, more information about the use of color in the garden, and other elements of garden design.
Color wheel chart from the Scribbles Kids Art Site.
Another color wheel at the Sherwin-Williams Paints site has interactive buttons which display the corresonding colors on the color wheel.
In addition to color, plant foliage (referring to a plant's leaves) and texture provide even more interest in the garden. You can create an entire garden where the main feature is green foliage rather than colorful blooms. Foliage is even more important than flowers because it provides color, shape, texture and interest to the garden even when nothing is blooming. Foliage creates the backdrop to the blooms. The overall effect is the result of the texture, shape, color and size of the leaves.
Texture is referred to as either fine, medium or coarse (sometimes bold). Combining various textures creates the same effect as that of contrasting colors of blooms, but foliage is a more dependable constant in the garden since it usually doesn't change with the seasons. For this reason, it is important to consider a plant's foliage in the overall design of your garden.
Foliage can be used in the same way as color, to create contrast or harmony. An example of contrasting foliage -- each of which enhances the other -- is strap-leafed foliage such as Daylilies, Agapanthus or Liriope combined with plants of different foliage such as Geraniums. A large group of different Geraniums would be harmonious -- the similar leaf shapes would blend together. Adding a small group of Agapanthus would create interest and contrast. Another example of foliage contrast is plants with small leaves placed next to plants with large, bold leaves.
You probably know that each plant prefers more or less sun than others. But do you know how much sun and shade your garden gets? It's helpful to study the sun and shade patterns for a full year before planting a garden -- unless you know for sure the area gets sun or shade all day, all year.
Full sun -- Full sun is not the same as "direct sun". Direct sun is when sunlight is directly shining on a plant; this can occur for just one hour, or for the whole day. Direct sun for a minimum of 6 hours is considered full sun.
Part sun -- Part sun is less than 6 hours of direct sun a day, dappled shade for most of the day, or a few hours of shade during the hottest hours of the day. Sometimes called "light shade".
Dappled shade -- Sometimes called "filtered shade", dappled shade occurs when sunlight shines through the branches and leaves of trees or other plants; this sunlight is less intense and cooler. Plants that require full sun in cool-summer climates, such as the Pacific Northwest, might prefer dappled shade in areas of the southwest where summer temperatures are much hotter.
Shade -- There are different types of shade. In addition to dappled shade, there is bright shade (an area that gets no direct sun but has reflected light in a bright setting), and dense shade (a dark area that gets no direct sun and no reflected light). Few plants prefer dense shade, but many plants including even some roses can tolerate a bright shade setting.
The type of soil you have will determine what plants will do best in your garden. Some plants thrive in loose, rocky, sandy soil. These usually require very fast drainage and a "lean" soil (lean means that the soil isn't rich in nutrients); they will rot in heavy clay soil. On the other hand, many plants like or at least tolerage heavy clay, the advantage being that they require a more water-retentive soil. Clay has smaller particles which bind together and retain water better than sandy soil. However, few plants can tolerate standing water or boggy conditions, so it is best to add amendment to clay soil at planting time to improve the drainage. Amendment added to sand will help retain water and add nutrients. Read more about improving your soil.
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