3. Planting Design Composition
Planting design, like writing beautiful music or painting a masterpiece, requires good composition. The process behind creating an attractive and fully functional planting design necessitates a good deal of thought and planning as each plant possesses unique characteristics. Not just any plant will fit the bill for any given landscape project. Each plant has to be selected based on specific sets of criteria in order for the planting composition to work. Factors such as color, texture, and fragrance all play their part when it comes to making decisions on plant material.
Understanding color theory is essential in planting design (no, color theory doesn’t just apply to art) because of the extremely wide array of colors that appear in plants. Variations in colors are seen not only in flowers, but also in the foliage, fruit, and even branches of some species. To compose a visually coherent planting design, an effort must be made to use colors that complement and or harmonize with one another. You also need to think about which colors are hot and pop more to the eye, and those that provide a more soothing, cooler color. For example, Bee Balm with its bright red flowers will stand out more in the landscape than the cool blue flowers on Catmint.
Bee Balm is a native to the Southeastern US and adds a bright splash of color to sunny locations in the landscape.
Image Source: www.monrovia.com
Catmint provides soothing hues of blue and light purple to the landscape. It also is a tough plant that will tolerate dry, rocky soils—even if the soil is low in plant nutrients.
Image Source: www.monrovia.com
Texture is also important because of the visual weight that different plants create within the composition. Plants that have large leaves are referred to as being coarsely textured, while plants with small leaves are finely textured. A plant that has coarse texture will be more prominent to the eye when seen in the landscape while one with a finer texture will recede visually into the landscape. An example of a plant with coarse leaves would be Southern Magnolia while Blue Star would be considered a more finely textured plant.
Little Gem Southern Magnolia is an excellent, coarsely textured, evergreen tree. The large white flowers on the Little Gem in the late spring to summer will also add fragrant elegance to the garden.
Image Source: www.theplantingtree.com
Blue Star is a finely-textured, native perennial. The brilliant yellow-orange foliage in the fall is another great feature on this plant.
Image Source: www.wwgreenhouses.com
Fragrance is, unfortunately, a feature that many people forget about when designing a landscape. Adding a plant with a pleasant scent to your garden will add depth and dimension to the sensory experience. A garden with fragrance will also give visitors a lasting memories of your garden. As studies show, fragrance has an affect on the portions of our brains that control the emotions and memory formation. A good place to locate a good smelling plant is in either a high traffic location—such as an entryway flowerbed, garden path, or along a sidewalk—or a place in the landscape where people will linger—beside a swimming pool, adjacent to a patio, or an outdoor living space. A flowering shrub with good fragrance (and good visual appeal) is Miss Kim Lilac.
Miss Kim Lilac bears fragrant, pinkish-white blooms in the late spring and the leaves turn a deep, burgundy red in the fall.
Image Source: www.maydreamsgardens.com
In summation, creating a planting design with good composition requires an investment of time, creativity, and consideration in order to be successful. It’s best to not skimp on a solid design composition before following through with the installation process. Without good composition, the likelihood of having a less than satisfactory finished product increases. Contact Shippey Landscape Architecture to learn more about how to turn your property into a well-composed landscape!