Tips on a Picture Garden

Color

• Warm colors -- such as red, orange and yellow -- tend to dominate or jump forward in the garden. Place them in the far or back garden where they won't overpower other plants, advises garden author Kate Jerome. Cool colors -- such as purple, blue and pink -- tend to recede; plant them in the foreground. Blues work particularly well with pinks, light yellow and cream; while purple combines especially well with hard-to-combine orange.

Balance

• Keep the ends of a garden balanced, or equally weighted, with plants or hardscapes that are either symmetrical (the same) or asymmetrical (varied). Balance creates a harmonious whole. Shrubs, with their solid weight and shapes, can create balance. Hibiscus, for example, at one end of the garden creates balance when a hydrangea is planted at the other end. Both flower at similar times, so colors must be coordinated. Evergreen shrubs also work well for balance.

Unity

• Bring unity to a landscape or garden for a unified composition. One of the best ways to achieve this is with repetition. Plant the same combination of plants -- asters against a background of fountain grass, for example -- repeatedly throughout the garden or landscape. Some gardeners achieve unity by repetition of objects like containers. Others plant the same shrub(s) or small trees throughout a garden, like boxwood or rose trees.

Focal Points and Framing

• Creating focal points, or places which capture the viewer's eye, is important in obtaining that garden picture. One way to create a focal point is to center a plant or plant groups among other, background plants. For example, a peony and delphinium grouping centered among non-flowering shrubs (and repeated for unity) creates a focal point.

  Framing a garden, or setting off an area, limits the scope of the garden view. Frame the garden with hardscape elements or shrubs or trees.

Drafting

• The strongest tip of all is to sketch out your garden ideas. Use graph paper with each square representing a foot. Use a pencil so you can easily change your design and erase. Mark shade and sun areas to plan for appropriate plants. As you draft, and perhaps redraft, keep the tips in mind for color, balance and unity and for focal points and framing.