The days are getting longer, and it won’t be long before we will be busy inhaling the sweet smell of fresh earth as we begin our garden activities in spring.

February is a great time to lay out our plans for what we intend for our gardens, beds, containers and yards while we wait for the blanket of winter to melt away.

We’ve already talked about color the last 2 garden chats, so perhaps it is time to turn our attention to form & texture.

Incorporating unusual forms and unique or varied textures is an great way to dynamic garden compositions.

Form is the shape or outline that the plant or tree presents. Think about whether the plant has a narrow upright shape like a juniper that forms a columnar silhouette, or perhaps the sprawling form of a horizontal juniper or Silver Brocade Artemisia. Does it have an arching graceful form like many of the ornamental grasses that are available, or is it rounded like that of a Little Gem Spruce or a hosta.  Incorporating a variety of different forms creates visual interest, and the contrast between them shows off their individual charms.  Think how boring a bed of all horizontal junipers would be. They would just all blend together and lose the eyes interest as it becomes a mass. Now picture that same bed with an upright tall Canna, beside the horizontal juniper, mixed with an arching Pennisetum grass and a rounded Hosta. Think about how your eyes would travel the different heights and forms of this same bed, rather than the mass of the same shaped plants.

Now turn your attention to textures, and the role they play in making your beds interesting. Contrasting textures placed together can dramatize their differences creating visual appeal. This contrast can be placing something large beside something small referring to leaf size or even flower size, such as a canna with large smooth leaves next to a small almost needle leaf of a creeping phlox.  Use your hardscape items for contrast as well, by putting a plant with fuzzy leaves of lambs ear next to a smooth sleek pot or rock.

The feathery airy texture of the seed heads of an ornamental grass next to something with a more sturdy architectural foliage such a that of a Hosta creates a juxtaposition of textures, and allows you to weave a tapestry of visual appeal.

So in summary, think about creating contrasts using different shapes or forms, textures & sizes of plants, & their leaves, flowers and seed heads, alongside hardscapes like rocks, or pebble paths. Look for a gentle balance between these elements to avoid too much busyness or confusion while you create a graceful dance of elements.