The petunias are here!

I know I am not a landscape designer, but I've found through my gardening endeavors lately that I have employeddesign interior design principals into my outdoor projects. My petunias are a perfect example. (You can't imagine my excitement to discover the arrival of the petunias to home depot! Spring is officially here!).  I planted them in the new bed I installed last summers, in front of three boxwoods. I bought seven one-gallon petunia plants, four white and three purple. I planted them in a semicircle in front of the boxwoods, alternating between the two colors. I find that odd numbers work best in these types of displays, much like accessorizing in interior design. I also had to consider the actual sizes of the plants when arranging their design, since some had grown faster than others. See the picture below for the finished result. I am also renovating a large bed in our front yard to incorporate a curve. Our yard is all right angles, and that just isn't natural!  One tip I learned from researching landscape design is to try and integrate subtle, gentle curves into your design because those types of curves actually mimic nature's natural movements. Your design will then flow seamlessly into nature rather than compete with or take away from it. I find curves can bring whimsy and romance, even drama to a landscape design.  Think of moseying down a slightly curved path to find a private relaxing spot tucked away in a garden.

One designer whose designs I've been pouring over lately is Australia's Jamie Durie. You may recognize him from HGTV's show The Outdoor Room.  His projects are mostly way over the top in terms of realistic achievement of them, but his eye for continuous lines, variety of height and texture, and exclamation point elements in his spaces are certainly inspiring. The first photo in my Gardening post, with the vertical garden on the wall of the pergola, is one of his projects that has been most inspiring for my own Outdoor Room. Check out his website at www.jamiedurie.com.