10 Design Tips from the Professionals

1.Locate the largest plant material first. For a residential property this typically includes small trees and palms. The large plant material is used to anchor the house to the site. We want the house to look like it was built into the landscape not like it fell out of the sky and happened to land where it did.

2.Select a few key plants to attract attention and have all the others complement them. These plants are referred to as “focal” plants. A focal plant typically has a unique shape or character, pretty blooms or is larger in size then those around it. Any plant will become a focal plant if it is in the midst of a massing of other plants.

3.Massing small shrubs or groundcovers around a focal plant is a common and effective technique used to complement the focal plant. A massing is a group of the same plants planted together and maintained as a single contiguous shape (instead of being trimmed individually).

4.Be bold and use strong curves with your bedlines. Anything less will not get noticed.

5.Locate your plantings based on the height the plants will reach at maturity or will be maintained to with the shortest in front and tallest in the rear.

6.Turf grass requires the most maintenance of any plant. It requires the most trimming, water and pesticides. Consider groundcovers as a substitute especially in hard to grow areas like shaded areas. Turf grass next to driveways, sidewalks and the street are prone to drying out which stresses the grass and attracts insects. This is a great place to replace with drought tolerant groundcovers.

7.Create interest in your landscape by integrating plants with various growth habits, leaf shapes and foliage color. Plants with variegated or colorful foliage will provide a nice contrast to green foliage all year round. For maximum effect you should avoid locating plants with variegated foliage adjacent to each other.

8.Color attracts the eye so locate it where you want to attract attention. Typically at the entrance to the house or a place that you will see it often.

9.Pastel bloom colors or pale leaves are more noticeable when they are in front of dark colored backdrop such as an evergreen hedgerow.

10.Bedding plants, the small flowers that last for a short while then have to replaced, are a nice way to add seasonal change to a landscape but use them sparingly. Install them in containers or in a small planting area surrounded by groundcovers so that if they are not replaced immediately it doesn’t detract from the entire landscape effect.