Do It Yourself : Landscaping : How to Put Structure in the Garden

Flowers are fine; adding structure is better. Structure comes from trees, hedges, walls and other enduring plantings and objects that add mass and definition to a garden.

Your home is the major structural element of the landscape. Link it to your garden with an arbor. Train plants to climb the arbor and add some shrubbery and perhaps a well-placed bench. Put some flowers near the bench, extending an invitation to sit.

Water, even a trickle, can add structure to a garden by defining area. The same effect can be achieved by the mere suggestion of water, such as a dry stream bed of rounded stones laid down to suggest a water course. Plant flowers around a small pool or birdbath.

Plants add structure to a garden only if they are of sufficient size or density. A 100-year-old oak offers massive trunk and stout limbs. A yew provides a verdant island of cool green. While flowers disappear from northern gardens in winter, structural plants and garden ornaments endure.

Grouping contributes to the overall effect. Structural elements and plant groups can direct your footsteps, eyes or imagination into the distance. An arch, a gate or a pair of tall plants can frame a view. A hedgerow or a path forms a line that draws you along. It might be straight, ending at a bench, or curved, drawing you and your imagination along.

Plan before you plant a large tree or hedge, build a stone wall or a fence. All make strong statements, so they should be considered in some sort of overall design.

And don’t expect instant satisfaction. A billowing hedge or a large tree doesn’t grow overnight. And even if you can afford to buy mature plants, it takes time for them to snuggle into their surroundings. With time, tree trunks, stone walls and fences acquire a mossy patina on their shaded sides, and near the ground they are enveloped by surrounding plants. Age is needed to bring character to these weighty garden elements.