In landscaping design, plants play a crucial role in creating structure and defining various areas within the garden.
By strategically selecting and arranging plants, you can add visual interest, delineate spaces, and establish focal points. Here are several ways to use plants to give your garden structure.
Evergreen Shrubs
Evergreen shrubs are versatile plants that provide year-round structure and form to the garden. They maintain their foliage throughout the seasons, offering visual interest even in winter. Use evergreen shrubs to create borders, hedges, or foundation plantings that define the boundaries of your garden beds or outdoor living spaces. Examples of evergreen shrubs include boxwood, holly, yew, and euonymus.
Architectural Plants
Architectural plants feature distinctive forms, textures, or foliage that make them stand out in the landscape. Incorporate architectural plants as focal points or accents to add drama and interest to your garden design.
Tall, upright plants such as ornamental grasses, yuccas, agaves, and cordylines can be used to create vertical accents or draw the eye upwards, while plants with bold foliage or unusual shapes, such as hostas, ferns, and heucheras, can add visual impact to planting beds. Landscaping gardens is as important to your garden’s design as adding pathways will be.
Trees for Vertical Structure
Trees not only provide shade and vertical interest but also serve as anchor points and focal elements in the garden. Choose trees with a strong architectural presence, such as columnar or weeping varieties, to add vertical structure and define the skyline of your garden.
Plant trees strategically to frame views, create natural boundaries, or provide privacy screening. Consider using trees with interesting bark, such as birch or Japanese maple, to add texture and visual appeal.
Espaliered Plants
Espalier is a pruning and training technique used to grow plants flat against a wall or support structure, creating a living, two-dimensional form. Espaliered plants, such as fruit trees, ornamental trees, or shrubs, can be trained into intricate patterns or geometric shapes, adding architectural interest to vertical surfaces.
Use espaliered plants to adorn garden walls, fences, or trellises, or as a decorative feature along pathways or entryways.
Formal Symmetry
In formal garden designs, symmetry and balance are key elements that contribute to a sense of order and harmony. Use symmetrical planting schemes to create formal garden beds, parterres, or knot gardens characterised by geometric shapes and repeating patterns.
Plant identical or mirror-image specimens on either side of a central axis or focal point to achieve a symmetrical effect. Choose plants with uniform growth habits and precise spacing to maintain the desired symmetry.
Low-Growing Hedges or Edging Plants
Low-growing hedges or edging plants can be used to define pathways, borders, or garden beds while adding a sense of neatness and order to the landscape. Plant dense, compact species such as dwarf boxwood, lavender, or heather to create low hedges or edging that delineates different areas of the garden. Trim hedges regularly to maintain crisp, clean lines and a uniform height.
Repeat Plantings
Repeating the same plant or group of plants throughout the garden can help unify the design and create a sense of cohesion. Choose a few key plant species or cultivars and use them consistently in various areas of the garden to establish rhythm and repetition.
Repeat plantings can be used to frame views, define pathways, or create visual continuity between different garden spaces.
By incorporating these plant-based strategies into your garden design, you can create a landscape that is not only visually appealing but also well structured, organised, and cohesive. Whether you prefer formal symmetry, architectural drama, or naturalistic charm, plants offer endless possibilities for defining and shaping outdoor spaces.
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