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Your
Visual Field -
Making
your garden pleasing to the eye
To make the
most of your garden, think about where you will be viewing it from.
Will you be literally sitting in the plants (the childhood tree
house is a good model for the above-ground urban garden), or will
you gaze at the from your desk, on the other side of the living
room? Or do you just want them to look great from the street?
If you are really
planning a container garden (instead of just an assortment of plants
in pots), you'll want to be sure to keep the big picture in mind
- just like a garden in the ground. Think about how different plants
will look next to each other Of course, the good thing is that you
can experiment - if that tomato overpowers your delicate flowering
chives, just pick up the pot and move it closer to those purple
basil.
The amount of
space you're working with is important as well. As you choose your
pots and plants, think about whether your 5-foot porch can really
handle 3-gallon tubs of sunflowers (unless, of course, you like
the jungle atmosphere). Scale is the key - the pots and the plants
should fit the surrounding. But don't go to the opposite extreme
and get 15 brown plastic pots in which you grow only 18" green
plants - boring is NOT the goal!
Remember that
just because your mom taught you that roots need soil, that doesn't
mean that the soil can't be in the air - think about adding hanging
baskets to create an extra dimension of variety. Be sure to include
plants of different textures and heights, regardless of whether
you are planting, flowers, herbs or vegetables. Different varieties
of plants often have different colors and textures that can add
spice to your garden.
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