Garden designs with balance and harmony

Creating harmonious garden designs is a matter of finding the right balance between cohesion and contrast. The way you link different elements in your garden design can mean the difference between harmony and chaos.

The appeal of a garden design is very much in the eye of the beholder. Some people may be impressed by the vibrant colours of certain plants, while others will be turned on by the sight of a perfectly manicured lawn.

But often it's more subtle factors that can make or break your outdoor spaces. And this is where clever garden design and landscaping comes into play. The way you tie all the different elements in your garden together - from plants to hard landscaping features - will determine its overall appeal.

Clever garden designs manipulate elements to create a balance between harmony and disorder.

Make garden connections

Consider linking objects in your garden to elements that occur elsewhere in the landscape, or in your house, to create a sense of harmony. For instance, if the wall of your house incorporates a certain type of brick, then using it as garden edging or as a paver for a path or open area will cause a viewer's eye to - consciously or subconsciously - make a link between the two.

Give garden features a go

Or perhaps there are timber frames on windows looking into one section of your garden. Using a timber element in that area could create a thematic link between indoor and outdoor spaces. You could place a simple timber seat under a tree, build a timber retaining wall, or even place an abstract piece of timber art in a spot to catch the eye.

The same goes for rocks, gravel and pebbles, and more contemporary materials like iron, steel and plastic. Where these elements occur in a garden, consider where else you can use them to create a thematic link.

Join house and garden designs

Plants can be an effective way to unify your house and garden design. Try placing certain species at different points around the garden to connect the space. Or you could be more subtle and utilise similar types of plants, rather than exactly the same species. Place a few tall, slim trees at intervals to create a vertical element in your garden, or install several groups of shrubs in different areas to link them together.

Consider garden themes

Effective garden themes and designs can also be created by using elements from the same country or climate. Consider creating a Japanese, native or tropical garden by using several of the same types of plants and hard landscaping features.

Create a balanced design

Remember this basic garden landscaping rule: too much repetition becomes monotonous - but too much contrast creates chaos. Finding the perfect balance between the two is the key to taking your garden design to the next level.

For help with creating a harmonious garden on your property, talk to a professional landscaper: