Here’s a neat little trick that makes a huge impact on your home’s landscaping…
We’re in the age of dull landscaping. You know the look. Lonely boxwood bushes with huge gaps in between, standing guard along the facade of your house… and that’s it (cue *womp womp* sound effect). Someone please explain how generations raised on admiring the whimsical, colorful Truffula Trees in Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax grew up only to forget how amazing a landscape could be!
So what can you do to make your yard look more luxe without breaking the bank? I asked my dear friend and landscape designer, Amy Halliday, for her best tip. And she has such a simple trick that I had to share with you!
PLANT GROUPINGS.
These are pretty self explanatory, but she adds that for the best results, you’ll need to take into consideration the architectural style of your home first. Let’s break it down:
Traditional Architecture
If your home is a Tudor (like mine), a Cape Cod, or Colonial, Shingle, Federal, Victorian, Gothic, or Neoclassical style, your plant groupings should be in triangular shapes and composed of an odd number of plants in total. They can all be the same type, or the plants towards the back can match with accent plants in the front. This is where you can have some fun and use your imagination. You can place these triangle-like shapes next to each other to create an organic look, or they can stand alone to accent areas of your yard. Overall, because the architecture of your home is more ornate than a modern one, you can lean into that and mix it up with different sizes, colors, and plant species around your yard to avoid a copy-paste look. Here’s an example:
Modern Architecture
If your home is contemporary, midcentury modern, a ranch, a split-level, or Craftsman style, your plant groupings should be linear and composed of an odd number of plants to look more balanced and aesthetically pleasing. Let the total number you use be dictated by how long of a run is needed on your home. Then run a second or third linear grouping running parallel to the original to build up your landscape and add visual interest. The goal here is to coordinate with the clean lines of your home’s architecture for a cohesive aesthetic, but you can have fun with the scale and color of the plants you choose. Here’s what that can look like:
I love Amy’s landscaping tip! It gives you such a great framework to springboard your own fun ideas with your favorite plants. And if you’re planning any outdoor parties this summer, I’ve curated some dishwasher-safe, shatter-proof place settings that would be perfect, if you’re interested.
Are you working on your yard this summer? We’d love to know if you incorporate plant groupings in your landscape design.
(Photos courtesy of Canva)
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