scale garden design

Scale

Scale is the size relationship between objects both within the garden and to the landscape as a whole.

Choose the size of your elements so that they seem to be appropriate for the area they’re in.

You know you’ve achieved good scale in your landscape design plan when you walk through your garden and you have …

… a comfortable experience.

We’ve noticed that most often scale is not considered when choosing entrance paths.

Most often a four foot wide path is chosen. While this width is comfortable for one person to walk on …

… it’s tight for two.

And if you have a two story home or sprawling ranch style with an average front yard the scale of the path is also off for the size of your home and yard.

Whereas, a six foot path gives a feeling of graciousness, which is the feeling that most of us would like our guests to feel as they enter our home. So if your front yard is large enough, opt for the six foot path in your landscaping design.

Make Your Space Work

I once had a writing teacher tell me, when thinking about writing a story, put aside any thoughts about structure, spelling, grammar. Just get it down on paper. Let it flow from you.

The same is true for your landscaping design. Put aside its current drawbacks. Think of it as just an empty space that you can fill with any shapes you choose.

And don’t get caught up in worrying about how you don’t know anything about horticulture. The first stage of a landscape design plan only deals with making the space work in a way that is visually pleasing.

If you’re considering:

• seeking professional help for your landscape design plan, be sure to visit our section on How to Hire a Landscape Professional.


• doing your landscaping design project yourself, be sure to read the information in our Landscaping and Gardening System that is also on this site.

Regardless of whether you decide to venture forth and create your own landscape design or work with a professional …

...enjoy the process.

We’ve found that we learn far more from the gardens we create than we could ever have imagined when we began the journey. We think the same will hold true for you.

Be sure to email the Fun Guys pictures of your landscaping design and stories of your ideal garden.

We’d love to share in the magic of your adventure!

Buy Plants From: Spring Hill Nursery has been a leading developer, researcher, and provider of perennial gardens since 1849. Since its inception, Spring Hill has been America's Favorite Mail Order Garden Center. No organization has more knowledge about which bulbs grow and bloom best in all sections of the U.S. than Breck's. They take advance reservations, and then just as soon as the crops are harvested, the staff of Dutch Bulb Experts makes an on-the-spot selection of the finest bulbs available to fill those reservations. Dutch Gardens For nearly a century, Dutch Gardens has been supplying Holland's finest bulbs and plants to beautify gardens throughout the U.S.