| Designing your garden not only involves creating a | | | | flowers, if your mindset is "I like", you may choose |
| grand plan from A-Z, but also adding some shrubs or | | | | species that have spectacular blooms. |
| bedding plants to an existing composition. Whatever | | | | The designer on the other hand, is more likely to |
| its scale or significance, any change in the garden | | | | view the showy flowers of the bushes as competing |
| should be approached with the mindset and attitude | | | | with the flowerbed. He or she would probably choose |
| of a professional designer. While not everyone can | | | | quiet, green shrubs instead, in order to provide |
| successfully design a garden, there is nothing | | | | support to the flowerbed, rather as the choir |
| preventing you from seeing things as would a top | | | | supports the lead soprano, or as the orchestra, |
| designer. | | | | backs the first violin. |
| A professional designer rigorously distinguishes | | | | The Sub-Dominant Factor |
| between two separate aspects. One involves the | | | | A complete composition will include factors that echo |
| subjective taste, needs, and desires of the customer. | | | | the dominant feature, but at a reduced level of |
| Creating a magnificent garden that is unsuited to the | | | | intensity. Let's take a water fountain as an example |
| homeowner is like cooking a superb beefsteak for a | | | | of the centerpiece or focal point of the garden. While |
| vegetarian. The tendency of the average home | | | | the lawn, deck paving, or wooden fence surrounding |
| gardener though, is to focus entirely on what he or | | | | it, would clearly belong to the support category, how |
| she wants and likes, and to include plants in the | | | | can a sub-dominant factor be established? |
| garden on that basis alone, often or not after simply | | | | One possibility would be to plant ornamental grasses |
| thumbing through a plant catalogue. | | | | close to the water feature, as the billowing, |
| The second aspect, one that the homeowner is liable | | | | fountain-like form of the grasses (and other narrow |
| to ignore, involves choosing garden features, whether | | | | leaved plants) would echo the movement of the |
| they be plants or otherwise, according to the | | | | water! In this way, the water feature's role is |
| universal and objective principles of design. The | | | | enhanced, while peppering annual flowers around the |
| professional designer assigns a specific role to each | | | | fountain would weaken its role, by competing with it. |
| element - paths, paving, lawns, trees, statues, or | | | | Everyone has their likes and dislikes. However, if you |
| flowers, and places them in one of three categories. | | | | can detach yourself from them to some extent, as |
| The Dominant and Support Factors | | | | would a top garden designer, and ask yourself if the |
| A successful garden composition must have a clear | | | | plants you intend to add to the garden are likely to |
| motif. This could take the form of a focal point, such | | | | enhance the composition, or liable to detract from it, |
| as a water feature, a statue, or a boldly designed | | | | you will stand a far greater chance of achieving |
| flowerbed. From this all else flows. For instance, when | | | | satisfying results. |
| choosing shrubs to form a backdrop to showy | | | | |