Landscaping - Gardening - Lawn Care

Color

11. Foliage is important. Go for contrast in color, texture, and shape of flowering plant foliage. Don't think of everything as plain green. Put the tall, emerald green, grasslike foliage of Siberian iris next to the low, chunky, silver-gray foliage of lamb's-ears, for example. Foliage also comes in yellow-greens, spring greens, blue-greens, and with variegations that include bits of white, red, purple, and other colors.

12. Come up with a color theme. As tempting as it is to choose a splash of this and a bit of that, the best gardens have a general color theme, such as pink with touches of blue, white, and yellow.

13. Experiment. Sometimes seemingly unlikely combinations are stunning, like the vivid red tulips that bloom next to the deep purple tulips, or the silvery foliage that tones down an orange flower.

Mood

14. Choose a theme for your garden, and look to your house for inspiration. Do you have a Cape Cod that cries out for a cottage garden look? Or a Georgian-style home that's perfect for a formal garden? Or maybe a contemporary home with rough wood siding that is a natural for wildflowers?

15. Use garden accents sparingly. A birdhouse or two, a bench, and perhaps one very well-chosen statue are about as much as a small garden can withstand. Don't clutter the natural beauty of plants with too many outdoor knickknacks.

16. Fragrance is important. Plant with special attention to those plants that are intensely fragrant (lilacs, Oriental lilies, roses, and others). Even if the garden isn't looking perfect, it will smell that way.

17. Go for regional flavor. Rely on plants native to your region and on garden accents that fit in with the locale. Midwestern gardens, for example, are perfect for prairie flowers with accents such as old wagon wheels, antique pumps converted into fountains, and weathered picket fences.

18. Don't rule out a formal garden. Formal gardens tend to scare people who think they have to be stuffy and high-maintenance. But a formal garden with informal elements, such as a wood-chip path rather than brick and a low lavender hedge rather than clipped boxwood, can be casual and low-maintenance.

19. Include an element of mystery. Create a path that winds out of sight even if it ends up nowhere. Plant large plants that block the view of at least a small part of the garden. Don't let your garden unveil itself in one sweeping view, and it will be more interesting.

Better Homes and Gardens

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