Garden Design: Distance and Focal Points

We mentioned earlier that bright colors are often best for gardens that will be viewed from a distance. Blues, violets and pastel colors often get lost at a distance, especially in bright sunshine. Save these colors for beds you’ll enjoy from a closer vantage point.

Place pastel flowers near the house or a walkway so you can enjoy the flowers close up.
delphinium	columbine

Bold textures also hold up better for distant viewing. Plants with large flowers (or lots of small flowers) and heavy foliage will draw attention, while dainty plants with tiny flowers and delicate foliage may get overlooked. Save these for places where they’ll get the attention they deserve.

Focal points. Artists use certain tricks to compose a piece of artwork so that the observer’s eye is guided to the subject -- the focal point. You can use plants to create the same effect in your gardens and landscape.

Your garden is your blank canvas, and it’s up to you to choose or create a focal point. Perhaps there’s an attractive outcropping of rock in your yard, and you’d like to build a garden around that. Or maybe you love ornamental grasses, and you’d like a tall, striking grass to be the focal point of your bed. The further the observation point is from the garden, the more important a strong focal point becomes. Attractive shrubs, small ornamental trees, or a trellis or bench can draw the eye to a garden that might otherwise be overlooked. Then, rather than arranging flowers in a random pattern around the focal point, consider planting them in sweeps of color or texture, to further draw the eye of the observer.

Small ponds and garden benches make attractive focal points.

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