Effective vs. Affected: How to Get the Best From Your Garden Design

My green thumb came only as a result of the mistakes I made while
learning to see things from the plant's point of view. ~H. Fred Ale

For the gardener who wants to get just the right look from their flowers and/or foliage, choosing the perfect plants for their garden is a must. Often, it is easy to simply walk into a greenhouse and choose everything that looks great. It is important to remember though, that greenhouses usually create their displays for a certain effect as well, to look good and to sell well.

When choosing your flowers, think about some things ahead of time in order to get the best effects possible. Where will your garden be placed? Will it be in front of the house, a small patch around a sign, or a large garden to stand alone?

What style are you looking for in a garden? Something soothing and calm to work in on your day off? Something with a romantic or homey feel? Perhaps you are looking for something vivid and eye-catching to be noticed by the neighbors and people driving by.

What colors are you considering? What combinations will give you the effect you are looking for? What is just going to end up looking tacky when you want polished?

Here are something some things to keep in mind when you are thinking about all these options:

Style: What style are you looking for in your garden? Do you want a polished, fancy look? Are you looking for something romantic and fragrant? Do you prefer your garden to look natural and wholesome? Do you want something wild and crazy looking? What flowers you choose and how you arrange them can play a big part in the impression your garden makes.

If you prefer a polished, modernized look for your garden, try exotic flowers that are elegant but eye catching. Often tall, brightly colored plants framed by shorter, interesting foliage draw attention to themselves very well. The trick is to find combinations that look bright, without looking loud.

If you prefer a romantic atmosphere to your garden, you should choose plants with large, fragrant blossoms. Romance requires less foliage, more bloom, and of course, scent! Also, where the modernistic garden goes for the spikes of bright color reaching for the sky, the romantic garden goes for soft clusters of closely bunched flowers. Some of the more flowery geraniums work very well for this look, as well as the ever-popular double-roses.

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