The plan or outline of the garden should be bold and obvious. Trees and shrubs help point up the plan and give the garden form. They also make it more exciting by providing shadows, texture contrast, and an interesting skyline. Evergreens are especially useful in gardens because they are still colorful in the winter when perennials and annuals are absent. Try to include a background against which to display your flowers. And enclose the garden as completely as you can so that it becomes a definite unit within the landscape. 

Paths, fences, benches, pools and other features emphasize the design and help create a mood. For example, brick paths and picket fences give a garden a colonial air, while gravel paths and louvered fences make the very same garden appropriate for a contemporary house. 

Perennials and annuals are the two major kinds of flowers you can grow, and by combining them you can have a spring to winter color display with little effort. A lovely garden is possible if you select plants on the basis of their height, growth habit, season of flower, color, and preference for sun or shade. This information is available in all reliable catalogs and on seed packets and plant descriptions and in our store. As your interest increases and you learn more from reading and experience, your garden can become a masterpiece of floral art, beautiful in its total effect as well as in the perfection of individual flowers. 

There is rarely space in the average yard for borders that are wider than 4 feet, but this is ample space for a distinctive planting. The tallest flowers are placed in the back or center of the beds, depending on whether they are to be seen from one or both sides. Medium and short flowers are graded down in front of the tall ones. 

For unity, repeat the use of one kind of plant in various parts of the garden. For example, plant a single peony at each end of the garden and group several together near the center. Later in the summer, a large group of phlox may brighten each end of the garden, and a few scattered plants in the center ensure a touch of color there as well. 

Planning A Perennially Pleasing Flower Garden

With the right plants, a garden can be one of the most beautiful places on earth. On the other hand, the wrong combination of plants can be disastrous. If you're not sure how to plan your garden, take heart. Creating a pleasing palette of plants is easier than you imagined!

Let's take a closer look at three of the factors involved in planning a garden: bloom time, color, and size. Once you understand how these elements work, you'll be amazed how simple it is to plan the perfect garden.
 

Bloom Time

One of your first considerations when planning a garden should be bloom time. Think about what time of year you'd like to see the most flowers. Do you look forward to springtime blooms, autumn color, or an ongoing flower show? If you choose your plants carefully, you can have color in any season--even in the midst of winter.

You'll also want to consider when you spend the most time at home. For example, if you're away all summer, it makes sense to choose a garden that blooms in spring or fall, when you'll be able to enjoy the blooms.

You'll also want to think about what your plants will look like after they bloom. Even if you're only interested in spring blooming bulbs, you may want to plant some flowers and foliage to camouflage the bulbs after they've bloomed.

There are several ways to extend your garden's bloom time. Look for flowers that bloom more than once per year, or choose different cultivars that bloom at different times during the year. Planting groups of plants at two-week intervals will also extend your bloom time.

Remember that there's more to a garden than its flower. You can keep your garden bright and cheerful all winter by choosing plants with showy fall foliage, evergreen leaves, berries or seed pods.
 

Colour

Colour is one of the most exciting aspects of any garden. Your garden may bloom in every color of the rainbow... or just one or two. But before you start mixing colors, let's review the basics of color theory. Warm colors, such as the reds and yellows of tulips and narcissus, seem to "pop" toward the front of a landscape, while cool colors, like the hues of purple violets or blue iris, recede into the background. Neutral colors, such as grey and brown, go with everything and help to unify competing colors. In the garden, green also works as a neutral color.

Mixing opposite colors, such as red and green or yellow and violet, makes each color stand out even more, while combining colors from the same "family," such as blue and green or yellow and orange, makes a more harmonious color scheme.

Experiment with colors by cutting a few pictures out of garden catalogs and rearranging them. To help tie different sections together, repeat a few colors throughout the garden. Try cool colors with a few sparks of warm colors, or warm colors with a few cool colors. Multicolored flowers can also give you a few clues about mixing colors. After all, who knows better than Mother Nature?

Whatever color scheme you decide upon, it's important to plant in masses of color. In other words, plant each flower in groups of at least three. Otherwise, the different colors may not have much impact.

Size

When choosing your plants, don't forget to consider the size. Keep tall plants toward the back of borders with shorter plants at the front. A tall, lacy plant can be treated as a short plant since you'll be able to see other plants through its foliage.

Remember that a tall, bushy plant may look short and spindly for the first year or two. Try planting a group of young plants and thinning them out as they mature, or fill in the empty spaces with annuals. To keep the garden interesting, try to provide a variety of sizes all season long.

Bloom time, color and size are among the most common reasons for choosing plants, but they aren't the only reasons. You may select a certain plant because of its fragrance, texture, culinary value, or an number of other reasons.

Whatever your preferences, a little planning is all it takes to ensure a gorgeous garden.