Why Less is More: The Beauty of Mass Plantings
July 10, 2018Mass planting embodies simplicity because it reads as one large element instead of a wide variety of individual plants.
As a lover of plants I often become bogged down when trying to decide how many types of plants to use in a design. When I go to a nursery or garden center, I start thinking how many of each different plants I can get into my personal garden. Then I stop myself and wonder, “Do I really want to take care of all those different types of plants? Do I really need that many different types?”
Most of us have limited amount of time to spend on tending our gardens. That is why scaling beds back to a limited palette of long lasting, animated perennials that are low maintenance or grasses that offer a different look for each season makes for the easier way to go.
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Mass planting embodies simplicity because it reads as one large element instead of a wide variety of individual plants.
The first step is to decide on an overall look of your landscaping. Do you want a variety of small shrubs, simple groupings of different grasses, or maybe you’d like an assortment of large herbs, small flaxes and shrubs?
Don’t forget to take into account colors. Are you looking for a bold and dramatic contrast of colors or do a variation of complimentary colors?
Finally, choose mass plantings suitable for your climate. This will mean a better look with less maintenance and budget-friendly.
NATIVE PLANT FINDER
Over the years my designer’s eye has come to appreciate simple, effective and minimal different types of plants in a garden. Planting in masses leads to a larger splashes of color & interest. No matter the size of the space I have found less varieties of plants actually compliments their surroundings more. Less is more!