Most of us love to design landscapes. It’s good for the soul and connects us with nature. We aren’t, however, all equally good at it and maybe we aren’t sure where to start. Some people don’t even spend much time thinking about how the plants will be working together. Landscape designs can be focused on walkway pavers, water features, and fire pits. Let’s face it, there are lots of elements for the plants to compete with for attention. In this article we are going to look at what to think about when choosing your plantings for a good landscape design.
Time
This should be one of your first considerations when you choose your plantings. A good landscape design should grow and mature with age. Yes, of courses you want it to be beautiful after one year. After 20 years though, it should be a completely different experience. So to do this we break it up into three time chunks. Choose something that can be planted or blooms every single year. Then choose something that you can plant that will mature in 3-5 years from now. And finally, choose a planting that will keep on maturing for the next 10-15 years or more.
Color
This one is fun. Pick plantings that work well together in terms of color. If you are planting flowers in part of the design every year, then that even gives you a bit a flexibility to play with and try new colors each year. It’s up to you how you want this to look. You can go with subtle differences or really go for contrast and have the colors really pop out. Remember which colors pop against each other: red pops out next to green, orange next to purple, and yellow next to blue.
Texture and Size
This is like the color thing. You can go for subtle or extreme, but do pick plantings that have different sizes and textures. It helps them to stand out and be recognized. And ultimately, that is what you are aiming for here. The plants need to be noticeable so that people can see and recognize their beauty. And really don’t forget size on this one. Other than color, it’s really the easiest way to make two plantings stand out next to each other if they have different sizes.
The object here is to treat this like a painting. These are all elements that will give your design a balanced composition. Landscaping Adelaide can be an overwhelming task and there is just so much that goes into a good design. The plantings are just a part of that plan but take your time to come up with a reason for picking each plant. I always prefer to use the number three when I’m coming up with a design. So for this exercise, it would be three-time chunks, three colors, and three different textures and sizes. This will give you the variation you need for each plant to be recognized and appreciated. Most of all have fun and be bold. Your enthusiasm will come through in the end result.
