Carole Tashel

In the Garden

Inhibit the reflex to control everything, and let plants roam, mingle and rub shoulders with each other.

Six Ways to Make Your Garden Look Better

reating a garden isn’t something you do in a week. It’s a complex design adventure that takes place over time. Though you may not think you’re an artist, in your garden you get to act like one, balancing form, line, color, texture and so on.

Attention to the following principles will help beautify existing gardens and should give beginners somewhere to start.

Discover What You Like and Why You Like It

A beautiful garden is a powerful place that can evoke an emotional response. Do you already have an image of how you want your garden to look and feel? Would it be soothing in its elegant simplicity? Or a stimulating riot of color? Do you dream of a wild, mysterious place you could get lost in? Would subtle fragrances of honeysuckle, wisteria and mock orange make you swoon?

If you aren’t really sure what you want, try some judicious snooping in established neighborhoods or join tours of local gardens. Contact botanical gardens, rose societies, gardening clubs and xeriscape councils to find out where the action is. Then shamelessly borrow others’ ideas as you plan your landscape.

When you see something you like, find words to explain what you like about it. This will help you choose the right plants later. Perhaps the contrast of deep purple (meadow sage) and pale yellow (moonshine yarrow) knocks you out. What is the mood of the garden, and how is it achieved? Do you feel expansive walking among sculptural trees, whose leaves give dappled shade to a fragrant ground cover? Notice how the juxtaposition of different shapes and textures can create a dramatic effect. And don’t forget that your primary design lessons are always available along country roads, in forests and in wildflower meadows.

Create Year-Round Interest

As autumn’s stunning colors fade, leaves lose their grip, revealing the skeletons of shrubs and trees. By December each year, northern New Mexico’s freezing temperatures bring soft-stemmed plants to their knees, and the garden disappears. What then?

If a quarter to a third of the shrubs and trees are evergreen, your garden won’t be invisible. An evergreen with character is worthy of winter attention. And some deciduous trees are anything but boring without leaves. Take for example the gnarled bones of an old apricot tree dusted with snow.

Ornamental grasses maintain their fountainlike forms in the winter, and some assume a handsome reddish color. See what you think of maidenhair grass or fountain grass.

Aside from plants, winter interest is created with lichen-covered rock walls, sculptures, a bench or a boulder.

Encourage Complex Webs of Garden Life

Some landscaping books advise limiting the number of plant species to 15. I’m sure I’ve got well over 50. (Some rules ought to be broken.)

When the diversity found in nature is imitated in the garden, the result is increased plant vigor and resilience, and much more color and texture. What’s more, you can choose plants based on their purpose, not just their appearance. For instance, herbs like thyme draw beneficial insects that eat bugs you don’t want. Arroyo lupine and purple prairie clover feed the soil and surrounding plants as they grow. Wild hyssop (Agastache cana) provides late-summer color, while its bright pink flowers drive hummingbirds to distraction.

Soften Hard Edges; Shun Straight Lines

This principle and the next reveal my preference for an informal, natural-looking garden. Lay out garden beds in irregular shapes, with sinuous, flowing lines. Experiment with new shapes by laying heavy rope or a hose on the ground; squint your eyes and imagine.

Trailing stems can be allowed to drape over walls and creep between rocks. Turkish speedwell is a well-adapted ground cover (forming a carpet of lavender flowers in the spring) that will soften and surround a flagstone path. One easy way to achieve a relaxed look is by using plants that “naturalize.” This appropriate expression means the plants spread in an unpredictable way, without help from you. Some great choices include showy Navajo tea, California poppy, blue flax, most of the penstemons, bachelor’s button and black-eyed Susan.

Inhibit the reflex to control everything, and let plants roam, mingle and rub shoulders with each other. The outcome may delight you.

Plant in Natural Groupings

Nature doesn’t plant in perfect symmetry — why should you? Instead of filling a bed with evenly spaced plants, stagger clusters of three, five or seven plants each. I read of a woman who threw out a large handful of bulbs in the fall and planted them where they landed. You get the idea.

Take an inventory of the heights of your established plants. Does your garden include ground-level, mid-story (shrubs) and upper-story (trees) plants? Adding the missing level easily turns a ho-hum garden into a really pleasing environment.

Spend some time on your roof, where it’s easy to see the flow of your lines, how the groupings work, and any imbalances in the density of plantings.

Introduce Elements to Unify Your Garden

Repeating plant material is one way to accomplish a sense of continuity. For example, one year, I planted 15 blackfoot daisies throughout two beds separated by a flagstone path. These drought-tolerant, foot-high white daisies bloomed all summer and visually tied the beds together.

An extremely effective way of creating a cohesive landscape is with meandering paths. If the path has a destination, such as a small water feature or a bench in the shade, so much the better. The garden becomes a place to move through and live in, rather than something to look at passively. Winding paths can also define areas and beds, give access for maintenance, and provide a sense of mystery.

Some gardens are unified through color. Ask your nursery for a list of blooming sequences so you can have color throughout the growing season.

GOOD LUCK, AND ENJOY YOUR MISTAKES

Be willing to make lots of mistakes. Then try to correct them. I didn’t discover what worked until I was looking at what didn’t work. Many mistakes can be remedied by moving plants to better locations, some by adding plants, and some only by finding another home for what you thought you liked. (It’s tricky to move trees, especially evergreens, so get some advice on this one.)

I admit I didn’t know any of this stuff when I started my garden. But with patience and determination, through trial and plenty of error, my garden simply happened — slowly. Perhaps if I had read an article like this at first, it might have taken less time. Then again, what’s the hurry?

This article is excerpted from Gardening the Southwest: How to care for your land while growing food, beauty and medicine (Healing Earth Publications, 1999), available from the author and some local nurseries.




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	Carole Tashel In the Garden Inhibit the reflex to control everything, and let plants roam, mingle and rub shoulders with each other. Six Ways to Make Your Garden Look Better reating a garden isn’t something you do in a week. It’s a complex design adventure that takes place over time. Though you may not think you’re an artist, in your garden you get to act like one, balancing form, line, color, texture and so on. Attention to the following principles will help beautify existing gardens and should give beginners somewhere to start. Discover What You Like and Why You Like It A beautiful garden is a powerful place that can evoke an emotional response. Do you already have an image of how you want your garden to look and feel? Would it be soothing in its elegant simplicity? Or a stimulating riot of color? Do you dream of a wild, mysterious place you could get lost in? Would subtle fragrances of honeysuckle, wisteria and mock orange make you swoon? If you aren’t really sure what you want, try some judicious snooping in established neighborhoods or join tours of local gardens. Contact botanical gardens, rose societies, gardening clubs and xeriscape councils to find out where the action is. Then shamelessly borrow others’ ideas as you plan your landscape. When you see something you like, find words to explain what you like about it. This will help you choose the right plants later. Perhaps the contrast of deep purple (meadow sage) and pale yellow (moonshine yarrow) knocks you out. What is the mood of the garden, and how is it achieved? Do you feel expansive walking among sculptural trees, whose leaves give dappled shade to a fragrant ground cover? Notice how the juxtaposition of different shapes and textures can create a dramatic effect. And don’t forget that your primary design lessons are always available along country roads, in forests and in wildflower meadows. Create Year-Round Interest As autumn’s stunning colors fade, leaves lose their grip, revealing the skeletons of shrubs and trees. By December each year, northern New Mexico’s freezing temperatures bring soft-stemmed plants to their knees, and the garden disappears. What then? If a quarter to a third of the shrubs and trees are evergreen, your garden won’t be invisible. An evergreen with character is worthy of winter attention. And some deciduous trees are anything but boring without leaves. Take for example the gnarled bones of an old apricot tree dusted with snow. Ornamental grasses maintain their fountainlike forms in the winter, and some assume a handsome reddish color. See what you think of maidenhair grass or fountain grass. Aside from plants, winter interest is created with lichen-covered rock walls, sculptures, a bench or a boulder. Encourage Complex Webs of Garden Life Some landscaping books advise limiting the number of plant species to 15. I’m sure I’ve got well over 50. (Some rules ought to be broken.) When the diversity found in nature is imitated in the garden, the result is increased plant vigor and resilience, and much more color and texture. What’s more, you can choose plants based on their purpose, not just their appearance. For instance, herbs like thyme draw beneficial insects that eat bugs you don’t want. Arroyo lupine and purple prairie clover feed the soil and surrounding plants as they grow. Wild hyssop (Agastache cana) provides late-summer color, while its bright pink flowers drive hummingbirds to distraction. Soften Hard Edges; Shun Straight Lines This principle and the next reveal my preference for an informal, natural-looking garden. Lay out garden beds in irregular shapes, with sinuous, flowing lines. Experiment with new shapes by laying heavy rope or a hose on the ground; squint your eyes and imagine. Trailing stems can be allowed to drape over walls and creep between rocks. Turkish speedwell is a well-adapted ground cover (forming a carpet of lavender flowers in the spring) that will soften and surround a flagstone path. One easy way to achieve a relaxed look is by using plants that “naturalize.” This appropriate expression means the plants spread in an unpredictable way, without help from you. Some great choices include showy Navajo tea, California poppy, blue flax, most of the penstemons, bachelor’s button and black-eyed Susan. Inhibit the reflex to control everything, and let plants roam, mingle and rub shoulders with each other. The outcome may delight you. Plant in Natural Groupings Nature doesn’t plant in perfect symmetry — why should you? Instead of filling a bed with evenly spaced plants, stagger clusters of three, five or seven plants each. I read of a woman who threw out a large handful of bulbs in the fall and planted them where they landed. You get the idea. Take an inventory of the heights of your established plants. Does your garden include ground-level, mid-story (shrubs) and upper-story (trees) plants? Adding the missing level easily turns a ho-hum garden into a really pleasing environment. Spend some time on your roof, where it’s easy to see the flow of your lines, how the groupings work, and any imbalances in the density of plantings. Introduce Elements to Unify Your Garden Repeating plant material is one way to accomplish a sense of continuity. For example, one year, I planted 15 blackfoot daisies throughout two beds separated by a flagstone path. These drought-tolerant, foot-high white daisies bloomed all summer and visually tied the beds together. An extremely effective way of creating a cohesive landscape is with meandering paths. If the path has a destination, such as a small water feature or a bench in the shade, so much the better. The garden becomes a place to move through and live in, rather than something to look at passively. Winding paths can also define areas and beds, give access for maintenance, and provide a sense of mystery. Some gardens are unified through color. Ask your nursery for a list of blooming sequences so you can have color throughout the growing season. GOOD LUCK, AND ENJOY YOUR MISTAKES Be willing to make lots of mistakes. Then try to correct them. I didn’t discover what worked until I was looking at what didn’t work. Many mistakes can be remedied by moving plants to better locations, some by adding plants, and some only by finding another home for what you thought you liked. (It’s tricky to move trees, especially evergreens, so get some advice on this one.) I admit I didn’t know any of this stuff when I started my garden. But with patience and determination, through trial and plenty of error, my garden simply happened — slowly. Perhaps if I had read an article like this at first, it might have taken less time. Then again, what’s the hurry? This article is excerpted from Gardening the Southwest: How to care for your land while growing food, beauty and medicine (Healing Earth Publications, 1999), available from the author and some local nurseries.