Colors are probably the most powerful design factor in garden design. And plants are generally the easiest and most dominant element where color and contrast can be achieved and manipulated.

However, for many gardeners and landscapers in their quest for the perfect color combinations, there is another side to plants that is often overlooked. And that would be the contrast of the many wonderful and varied textures of plants. Specifically and for the sake of this article, green plants. And yes, green is a color.

Green plants not only serve as a color element just as any other color, but can also be used as a neutral transitional color that ties other elements and colors together. Or in other words, as a filler or where one area of the garden transitions to the next. Natural transition is very important in garden design.

I was reminded the other day as I spoke with a client of how so many people actually overlook green as actually being a color design element in garden and landscape design.

As we talked about her project I pointed out that we now had four colors in her plan and that we needed to repeat them throughout the design to create some balance. Remember, balance and repetition are principles of landscaping. She questionably stated that we only had three colors in her design.

At first I was puzzled but soon understood what she meant. Green isnt really a color. Its just the medium that holds the real colored parts in place.

Now if we looked at green as just being a neutral medium, I might be able to go along with this. However, as a designer, I see it in a much different way. There are many shades of green that hold many different textures that can create such wonderful contrasts that can de designed with.

Some of the most vibrant and lush gardens Ive ever seen have simply displayed this one color in many variations. Light greens, dark greens, yellow greens, etc. And I havent even touched on texture here. Even the same shade of green in different textures creates a wonderful contrast for designing purposes.

Try and picture the lushness and beauty of a dark jungle. Their beauty and contrast are generally created by the variations of shade and texture and not bright colors. Shady gardens that resemble a deep forest or jungle are absolutely beautiful in their own right.

Keep this in mind when planning your next garden. Just as one example, a mixture of Hostas, Ferns, and Ornamental Grasses can create a very memorable and eye catching display using the color green.

Yes green is a color.

Creating a lush flower garden from scratch takes time - many perennial plants need a couple of years to grow to showy sizes. So don’t worry if it takes several seasons to get your flower garden looking the way you’d want it to. That’s perfectly normal.

This is a good time of year to take stock of your garden design. Ask yourself the following questions - the answers should give you some ideas on which projects to do this spring:

• Are the flower beds too narrow? A narrow bed isn’t wide enough to show off layers of plants. If you have a skinny bed that can’t be widened, between a hedge and a walkway, for instance, fill it with low-growing ground cover plants of one or two kinds.
• Are the planting areas all over the place? Look at the entire yard, not just the individual planting beds. Try to link beds, rather than having one here and another over there.
• Have you crammed in too many types of plants? You’ll get more impact from perennials if you put three of one type in a clump, rather than three different plants or three of the same plant in different locations. Repetition of key plant groups or a key color creates harmony and coherence. Add contrasts in texture and form - for example, bigger leaves next to fine ones, or spiky flowers next to rounded and mounded ones.
• Have you screened eyesores? Treat the space around your house as a garden, not a yard. Your backdrop should complement your plants. Make storage sheds or garage walls into garden features (vine-covered trellises can hide ugly ones). Be sure to screen utilitarian necessities like the compost pile, air-conditioning units, heat pumps, and so on with attractive fences or evergreen shrubs.
• Do the garden and house complement each other? Look out the windows to make sure the picture is pleasing from inside the house too.
• Do you have a focal point? You could be asking plants to do all the work. Perhaps the missing element is what garden designers call a focal point. Try adding a bird bath, a sundial, an arbor, or a trellis. And of course no garden is complete without an inviting bench, or two.

Yvonne Cunnington is an avid perennial gardener and the author of Clueless in the Garden: A Guide for the Horticulturally Helpless. For lots more perennial gardening tips, visit her website http://www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com For more garden design tips, see http://www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com/gardendesign.html

Growing beautiful garden is more than planting trees all over and then calling it a garden. A landscaped garden has a life of its own. But depending upon what YOU want it to be the final shape and form of the garden will drastically change. Let’s examine a few points that can directly affect a landscape garden design

1) Function of a garden.

By function I mean type of human activity that will take place in the garden. The type of human activity directly depends upon the age group that will be using this garden. Kids tend to be more active in the garden than adults.

So while designing a garden layout think about the function or purpose of this space.

2) Location of the garden around your home.

If your home is a standalone unit will empty space all around then you have a lot of creativity at your hand. You can use all four sides of your home building to build an identity to your home using landscaping elements.

But if you decide to only garden in your backyard which is a more private space then the same landscaping design will have a personnel touch.

3) Characteristics of the land..

These are the various aspects of the land that you will nee to consider. For example is the land plain or sloping? How is the soil? etc..

If the land is sloping then you will have to consider creating small terraces and convert the slope into definite plane surfaces at regular intervals.

4) Geographical location.

This is quite obvious, because this will directly affect which plants you will choose to plant in your garden. The geographical location mainly alters the amount of direct sunlight and annual rainfall in that region which are responsible for healthy growth of plants.

5) Environment that surrounds the garden plot.

this is very important from a long term point of view. Is your home garden adjacent to seashore/ busy road/railway line/ sports ground/etc.. All these will affect the type of activities you should be carrying out in your garden. All these external functions will finally affect the function or purpose of your home garden.

6) Finally Your Personality

Always put YOURSELF first while designing your home garden. Try to achieve a comfortable and pleasing atmosphere in your garden using various design ideas and materials. No matter what you design but see that it goes well with your home interior theme then only you can achieve a smooth transition between the interiors and the exteriors of the home.

I hope these words were helpful to you.

Copyright Shrinivas Vaidya

Shrinivas Vaidya is the webmaster on landscapingdatabse.com If you looking for various types of FREE residential landscaping ideas visit my website and learn a variety of aspects on home garden landscaping.