Designing with flower shape in mind
There are so many things to think about when designing a garden that it can be overwhelming , sometimes even intimidating . So if you ’re wondering how to start choosing your plants , start with flower conformation .
Flowers derive in all variety of shapes , from simpledaisiesto sophisticated lilies . And while color is often the first matter that comes to creative thinker , flush shape also helps set a humor and is an of import component in garden conception . To get just the effect you want , you involve to know the eight categories of shapes . Then we ’ll talk about some more design tips and help you find the correct heyday for the shape you involve with our chart below .
A variety of flower shapes for your garden
Flatheadflowers have a horizontal pattern that gives the middle a place to rest and has a down - to - earth feel .
Daisesare the peak conformation to choose for a dewy-eyed , natural feel .
Trumpetsare firm , care getting flower flesh and can be used as a focal breaker point in the garden .
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Cupflowers are simpler than horn flowers and bestow a more fooling feel .
Plumesbring a playful mood with foggy flower . plume make a respectable transition anatomy between spikes and flatheads .
Globes’unusual configuration stands out . Use them as accents or focal breaker point .
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Fillersprovide a good - look backdrop and fill in bare bit .
Clustersof flowers supply some weight to a design . Loose clusters make good transitions between unlike shapes because of their indistinct figure .
Spikeflowers are great attention getters that impart height to your garden design .

Tips for combining flower shapes
Planting a lot of different shapes will keep your optic moving throughout the entire garden . This have it more interesting to look at — your optic keeps seek the next frame . On the other hand , too much contrast can create a confusing patchwork . Remedy the situation by repeating a contour to provide a sentience of unity . Even a wild color jazz band like pink and orangish , for instance , can be unified if you keep your blossom shapes unsubdivided . couplet hot - pink zinnias with fire - orange Mexican sunflowers and you have a combination that sizzles yet still looks tied together because they ’re both daisy shaped .
To keep a monochromatic garden from becoming bland , apply a salmagundi of shapes . You could never call a garden of wanderer flower , Asian lily and delphiniums boring — even if they were all bloodless !
Choosing the right shape combination can really show off a speciman plant life . For exemplar , if you want to play up a pet lily , imbed it with a makeweight like child ’s breath , which is n’t such an eye - get build , to make the lily the star .

Do n’t forget — flowers convert with the seasons . Take advantage of the shape of seedheads and blooms , like coneflowers , that dry out on the stem to add year - round interest to your garden .
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Flowers of every shape
Here ’s an alphabetic list of flowers and their shapes to help you mix and play off and create your own combinations . Enjoy !

