Flower Garden Design Tips & Green Thoughts

...to coordinate is all

To plant is but a part of landscape composition; to coordinate is all.

- Christopher Tunnard

‘Coronation Gold’ Yarrow is a bright companion to blue Catmint. Both are deer resistant perennials. This yarrow is vigorous and drought tolerant. It is a non-reseeding variety that blooms all summer and thrives with heat and sun in any soil including clay.

It is easy to plant a flower garden, right? The colorful flowers all blend and make a beautiful scene. On one level, that is correct— flowers can make a garden “sing.” But, some planning is necessary to to coordinate the overall composition for a striking effect. For example, you may choose to add fine leaved grasses with spherical allium blossoms for contrast. Or you can insert a tall obelisk for some height and structure amidst lanky foliage. Other possibilities include limiting the color scheme to two main colors or planting only native flowering plants.

This amazing garden is at Rotary Gardens in Janesville, Wisconsin. The obelisks add interest to an blue and yellow flower garden. Photo by Mark Dwyer.

 If there is one piece of advice that I feel strongly about, it is to plan your planting as you would a painting– spreading out color and texture, balancing it all visually. Consider the heights, the time of flowering and the cultural needs. And do not be afraid to experiment! You can always move flowering herbaceous plants around if you don’t mind the extra effort.