Shapes and Shades

Gardening by the Yard : Episode GBY-624 -- More Projects »
The most interesting gardens are the ones that combine shapes, textures and shades in fun and imaginative ways to add form, beauty, strength and character. Master gardener Paul James takes a look to see how they can affect the look of any garden.
PHOTO

Figure A
Shapes

The river birch is a perfect example of a clump shape (figure A). Multiple trunks rise up from the base of the tree and gently spread out and up. A Japanese maple assumes a vase shape, and a mature dogwood has established an umbrella shape. A dwarf Alberta spruce has a distinctly conical shape and a cryptomeria has a more narrow columnar shape. Some trees and shrubs, such as the mugho pine or boxwood, maintain a round shape, while others may be pyramidal, like the Colorado blue spruce. Katsura creates a wonderful weeping form, and some atlas cedars have whimsical shapes.

By combining various shapes and heights, you can add interest to any garden. James mixed plants of different heights, which draws the eye to up and down. The leaves of the plants add even more interest.

PHOTO

Figure B
PHOTO

Figure C
One of the simplest leaf shapes is that of the needled evergreens--including the long-needled pines and short-needled yews (figure B). Then there are the straplike leaves of grassy plants such as miscanthus, daylily and garlic. Even more interesting are the saw-toothed edges found in the leaves of nepeta (figure C) and verbena. Slightly more refined are the lance-shaped leaves of penstemon and rudbeckia. Some persicaria leaves are pointed while those of the smoke tree sport a round shape. Fleshy leaves such as those on succulents can make a bold statement in the garden. The delicate leaves of Japanese maples--whose shape is known as palmate--are just one of the features that make these trees so popular. Less delicate--but interesting--are the pinnate-shaped leaves of an oak. Plus, fronds of ferns come in a variety of shapes.

Textures

PHOTO

Figure D
Textures can be one of the most exciting aspects of any garden. Texture is something that you can create and enjoy with plants, hardscaping and yard art. Hackberry trees have a warty, ornamental bark (figure D), and the crape myrtle and Japanese maple have a smooth bark. Mature trees--such as a red oak--may develop burls in their bark, which serve to enhance the texture they offer. Even younger plants, such as a newly-planted goatsbeard, offer pleasing texture in their leaf forms.

Stones can provide the most interesting texture of all, especially useful as a border, in a water garden or as a stand-alone object of interest. The same is true of wood when used as a border. Accents--like a willow table--combine texture, form and functionality. Pots--with or without plants--make great textural accents.

Shades

Of all colors associated with gardening, green would have to be the most familiar, but there are many shades of green. There is the lime green of the creeping jenny, the medium green of astilbe, the blue-green of hosta, the grey-green of eucalyptus and the reddish green of the coral bell. You also have variegated greens, and they can be found on everything from dogwoods to Solomon's seal.

When you combine the various shades of green, and add different plants as well as leaf shapes and textures, you'll have something more interesting, more visually appealing and more exciting.

Also in this Episode
Gardening by the Yard : Episode GBY-624
•Transition to Summer
•Shapes and Shades
•Garden Folklore
•Boosting Iron