Diversity and Design in the garden

Been kind of busy doing car shopping but as I sit here at the computer with the window open it is a wonderful cool temperature. The breeze drifts in bringing the scent of the Jacaranda tree just outside, the male dove is once again trying to convince is partner that the branch he is sitting on is a good one for a nest (it isn't) and it is wonderfully quiet.

The cool temps will give way to oppressive heat but not as bad as yesterday..unless you are driving in a car for a half hour with no AC. Rocky just came and meowed that we're behind schedule on taking him for walkies and I think two dogs in the area heard him as they are barking now.

There isn't a whole lot of garden diversity in my area. We have various trees that can be listed on two hands, same with shrubs and vines. I'm not saying it isn't green around here it's just not lush and full. Sometimes that is what can grow in your soil and climate zone or maybe it's just lazy gardeners.

The more money you have the more disposable income you have to do gardening (if that's your thing). 

 

Diversity does not mean tons and tons of different plants but plan for varieties of textures and colors, leaf shapes and flower timing. A lot of home gardens are a mish mash of 'ooh that's pretty' 'oh I need some color for a party coming up' 'oh I need something tall there' and the ever present, 'I need to block my neighbors so I want some tall trees/bushes/bamboo'. 

 

Knowing what goes where and looks good takes an education or at least some knowledge of landscape design.  But the inherent understanding of color/form/style can come from art design or study that you had once in your college days. I am lucky that I spend 3 1/2 years going to college as an adult to learn landscape design and it has stuck with me. I had one art class in high school and color theory/wheel has stuck with me and was useful in design.

Nature works in odd numbers unless you are doing a balanced garden but even then you can still work in odd numbers. Look at any flower and count the petals, look at a compound leaf and count the leaflets. Fibonacci numbers are all over the place as well.

 

I find it awesome but unless you have enough space for a wonderful spiral garden, how does this work in a small garden? 

Work in threes, fives or sevens. If you want to plant a flower bed think about how it would look out in the wild. Maybe one here, a cluster over there a bunch in another spot because that's where seeds fell or the main plant is growing that divides every year. 

Plan for bulbs in the spring summer and fall and small perennials inerspersed throughout the yard to cover the bare spots when they die back.

Plan for waves of color. The most amazing use of color I saw was actually at Sea World. 

They had a small lawn area, no bigger then 20x40 with a bed surrounding it in a horseshoe. They made a flower rainbow. Starting on the left they planted red flowers that gave way to orange, then yellow, green, blue then purple. I was stunned when I realized what they had done. Mostly cutting and wildflowers  and I recognized what flowers and plants they used. I think I have a picture of it waaaayyy deep in my archives not going to dig it out now. Don't forget to plan for your pollinators but that will come if you use the right flowers.

Diversity in all things is a fact of nature. People didn't come up with it on their own, it's always been out there showing us the natural order of things for us to admire and imitate.