Foliage & Focal Points – and a GIVEAWAY!
When you look out into the garden what do you see? Is there something specific that catches your eye or do you find yourself just scanning the horizon? In our excitement to add plants to the garden it is easy to forget that a garden without distinct focal points can be unimaginative at best and boring at worst. Thankfully this is easy to correct even if you have already overstuffed your garden with your favorite perennials and shrubs.
Over the next few weeks I'm going to show you four different elements you can use as a focal point; water features, garden art, structures and containers – many are inexpensive, some you may already have gathering dust in the garden shed. There is one theme we will come back to every time though and that is the use of foliage to enhance our chosen focal point, so that seems like a good place to start.
Why foliage? What about flowers?
The simple fact is that flowers only bloom for a relatively short time. Even my whirling butterflies (Gaura) seen above only blooms from mid June until late September and that is one of the most floriferous plants in my garden. If I rely on those flowers for year round interest I am going to be disappointed.
On the other hand there are many trees, shrubs and perennials that have beautiful leaves from early spring until late fall, often changing hue through the seasons and of course there are also many evergreens from magnolia trees and conifers to lavender and many grasses which keep their leaves year round. If we use foliage as a frame for our focal point we will always have something special to look at. In my front garden shown above I have dwarf conifers, silver wormwood (Artemisia), lavender, thyme, parahebe, daphne and more.
But I want COLOR!
I've got good news – foliage comes in every shape, size, color and pattern imaginable so color is not a problem. From the spots and splashes on drooping fetterbush (Leucothoe) to the multi-hued heavenly bamboo (Nandina), every shade of green and blue-green offered by conifers and the endless offerings of Heuchera and Heucherella (gold, cinnamon, black, purple, lime, orange, pink, peach, silver, green and more) your garden has no excuse to look drab.
How do I use foliage with my focal point?
Think of a picture frame – that's the role foliage plays. It will typically either surround your piece or act as a backdrop Got you thinking? Well I have exciting news for you.
Next week (September 9th) will be the launch of my online class for Craftsy;
GORGEOUS GARDEN DESIGN – Foliage & Focal Points.
This is a 7 part class that will dive into this very topic in depth. You'll walk around my garden and several others as I share ideas and we explore not only what you can use as a focal point but also how to link them together to create a garden. These classes are SUCH good value. In fact they cost less than just a one hour design consultation!
You can also watch the class at your leisure – your access never expries, so if you need to get up and put the kettle on or pour another glass of wine I'll wait for you. Craftsy is a very interactive platform too. You can post questions and photographs as well as discuss ideas and projects with your fellow students.
My free gift to you
Click on this photo and enter to win my class!
By way of thanking you for following my blog I'm giving away ONE FREE CLASS & A SIGNED COPY OF MY AWARD WINNING BOOK 'FINE FOLIAGE' ! Just click on my photo above to enter.
A winner will be selected at random on the day my class goes live; Tuesday September 9th, when you will be notified by email. Craftsy will set you up for your free class and I'll mail you my book. (Note; sadly this giveaway is only available to residents of the USA and Canada but everyone will be eligible for my 'runners-up' prize mentioned below…)
I'll have a nice commiseration prize for everyone else – but you'll have to read my next blog post (9/16) to find out what that is! And in case you are wondering the examples I'll share in my Craftsy class will be unique – everything on my blog will be bonus material.
Good luck – I'll see you in my garden
