A Beautiful Yard And Garden Can Be Yours

A backyard garden can be a piece of heaven on a city street or in a suburban neighborhood. Families and friends of all ages have cultivated priceless memories during their hours in their backyards and gardens.
Imagine lounging in a hammock; snoozing in the shade of your tree lined yard or staring at that new roof, sitting on that padded chair while soft breezes caress. But maybe you are the type of homeowner who has no idea where to begin yard and garden to gain that final result. The trick is in the garden design.

Like most successful things in life, landscape design has rules. It has five basic principles. The first principle is unity. Every item in the garden must belong. This unity can be accomplished with the use of repetition, balance, transition, and proportion; all elemental principles of design.

The use of the same type of flower, shrub or tree around the yard is an easy way to create unity. This is called repetition. Repetition is also effective at providing balance in many yards. Repeating the plant type is only one way in accomplishing this. The repetition of color is also very useful in unifying a garden.

A well-designed garden feels balanced, with equal visual interest on all sides. Creating mirror images on two sides is, perhaps, the simplest way to carry this out. This is called a symmetrical balance. The second type of balance, asymmetrical balance, does not use a mirror image, but relies on common shapes, textures, and color, without necessarily adhering to a common theme.

Another element of the landscape is proportion. It is the use of different sized plants to create an exciting and unified design. The size and amount of plants must match the size of its home. A half dozen tulips will not fill a five-foot square garden just as a tree would look out of place in a pot by your front door.

Transition is applied to avoid abrupt changes in your design. Plants and flowers should flow gradually up or down toward the next, allowing the eye to glide along with the garden, and the owner to relax.