Landscape gardening has often been likened to the painting of a picture. A picture lovely to look at has a central point of interest; everything else in the picture just adds to the loveliness or provides a complimentary background.

Imagine, a good extent of open lawn space is your canvas. If you cover your lawn space with many trees, with little flower beds here and there, the general effect is choppy and cluttered. It would be the same as taking paintbrushes and just blotting paint on a blank canvas, not a lovely picture. A single tree or a small group is not a bad arrangement on the lawn, but do not center the tree or trees. You should not choose an overpowering tree; the tree should be one of good shape, with something interesting about its bark, leaves, flowers or fruit. Placement makes a huge difference in the selection of a tree. Don’t group trees together which look awkward. A long-looking poplar does not go with a nice rather rounded little tulip tree. The bright berries of the ash, the brilliant foliage of the sugar maple, the blossoms of the tulip tree, the bark of the white birch, and the leaves of the copper beech, all these are beauty points to consider.

As trees are chosen because of certain good points, so shrubs should be as well. The red bark of the dogwood makes a bit of color all winter, and the red berries of the barberry cling to the shrub well into the winter. Certain shrubs are good to use for hedge purposes. A hedge is rather prettier usually than a fence. The Californian privet is excellent for this purpose. Osage orange, Japan barberry, buck thorn, Japan quince, and Van Houtte’s spirea are other shrubs which make good hedges. Just make sure you choose something that is interesting to look at and that will compliment your focal point.

You may choose your landscape gardening to follow along very formal lines or along informal lines. The first would have straight paths, straight rows in stiff beds, everything, as the name tells, perfectly formal. The informal is, of course the opposite. You should examine the disadvantages of each. The formal can look very stiff and uninviting; the informal can be fussy or even chaotic looking. As far as paths go, keep this in mind, that a path should always lead somewhere, some little something that is interesting to look at. Garden paths may be of gravel, of dirt, or of grass. One sees grass paths in some very lovely gardens; however, they would not serve as well in your small gardens. If you use a dirt path, try to line underneath the dirt with rock, this forms a natural drainage system.

You may also want to include a building or fencing into your landscape gardening, to make a unified whole of the property. Vines lend themselves well to this work. Close your eyes and picture a house of natural color, that mellow gray of the weathered shingles. Now add to this old house a purple wisteria, a lovely picture indeed. You will want to use a perennial vine, so this becomes a permanent part of your overall landscaping. The Virginia creeper, wisteria, honeysuckle, a climbing rose, the clematis and trumpet vine are all most satisfactory.

Flowers are also an important part of your landscape. Along the side of a building or along a walkway or sidewalk are perfect uses of flowers. In general keep the front lawn space open and unbroken by beds. The place for a flower garden is generally at the side or rear of the house. How disappointing it would be to leave a beautifully landscaped front lawn, round the corner and see an unpleasant view. You can use formal flower beds or a little more informal layout.

Before you start your landscaping you should have an idea of the direction you want to go. Do you want formal or informal? You should choose this before you start and you should not mix them once you have begun. You should also consider the blending of colors in your flower gardens. You should try not to have color combinations that would hurt your eyes when you look at them up close.

With a little planning you could turn almost any little plot of land into a beautifully landscaped garden. Just remember, open, free lawn spaces, a tree or a proper group of trees well placed, flowers which do not clutter up the front yard, groups of shrubbery, these are the points to be remembered when doing your initial planning.

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