The Principle of Great

Landscape Design
 Proportion
Proportion is the relative size of
one element to another. In this
photo, the hulking tree menaces
the itty-bitty house. Use trees
and shrubs to frame a house, not
to conceal it or draw attention
away from it. Another guideline:
In a garden bed, limit the height
of any plant to two-thirds the
depth of the bed; for example,
in a 25-x-6-foot perennial garden,
the tallest plant should be no
more than 4 feet.
 Scale
In design, scale refers to the
size of items relative to
gardeners (that is, to human
beings). For example, a 4-x-
12-foot banquet table is
grossly out of scale for an
intimate dinner for two. In
the photo, the scale of the
walkway (that is, its width) is
well-suited to the modest
number of people who will be
using the walkway at any
given time. In general,
follow the Goldilocks rule:
Don't build too big or too
small to accommodate your
needs.
 Pattern
Humans like patterns because
they take the guesswork out
of a scene. In this regard,
patterns give our brains a
rest. That's why it's useful to
maintain the same paving
pattern all along a path. On
the other hand, a bold pattern
can draw attention to itself.
The tightly controlled pattern
of an herb knot garden turns a
group of mundane little plants
into a work of art.
 Balance: Formal
Balance is a general sense that the
visual elements on one side of a
scene are of equal weight to
the elements on the other side
of the scene. Balance creates a
feeling of calm. The easiest (or
boringest, depending on your
personality) way to achieve
balance is to divide the scene
down the middle and create
mirror images on either side.
This traditional home exhibits
formal balance.
 Balance: Informal
Informal balance is much harder
to achieve than the mirror
images of formal balance.
For example, in this
contemporary home several
small container plants on the
right side of the dividing line
balance a single large shrub
on the other side. With
informal balance, you have
much more flexibility
because the dividing line
(or "pivot point") can be
anywhere in the scene.
Think about how a see-saw
works and you'll be on the
right track.
 Unity
When all elements of a
garden seem to come
from the same
personality or sensibility,
you have achieved unity.
This Asian-inspired
meditation garden
achieves unity. If you
were to plop in a conga-
line of pink plastic
flamingos, the unity
would be gone, replaced
by levity -- which might
be just what the gardener
wanted! Don't worry too
much about unity in your
own garden. Your gut (or
your neighbor) will likely
tell you when something
doesn't fit.
 Rhythm
Rhythm is the regular
repetition of an element in
the garden. For example, it
might be a line of trees
beside a long driveway or
the pickets and posts of a
fence next to a 100-foot-
long sidewalk. If you are
planning a smaller area,
simply choose smaller
plants.
 Variety
It's the spice of life, and of
gardening. Introducing variety
simply means creating some
breaks in the monotony -- some
focal points that stick out.
These little bird sculptures
would be perfect in a small
shady nook. A burbling fountain
might be just the tonic for a
bland patio. Drop some garden
art in the middle of a flower
bed. You'll soon find that these
little surprises can help your
garden come alive.