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Contrast - Part 1

© Kirk Johnson

I have finally returned to the series that I have been writing about the principles of design. In these articles I am relating garden design to floral design.

The Handbook for Flower Shows points out that "contrast is achieved by placing opposite or unlike elements together in such a way as to utilize differences, to create interest" but that "contrast exists only between elements that are related in some manner: dimension (long vs short), size (large vs small), shape/form (round vs angular) line (straight vs curved).

In floral design contrast is often achieved by contrasting sword-shaped leaves with rounded forms. In the arrangement below the contrast is between the round carnations and the leaves of New Zealand flax (Phormium tenax). The oval vase harmonizes with the round flowers and contrasts with the leaves.

Gardening books will often give their readers the impression that you should always contrast perennials that form rounded mounds of foliage with bearded iris or other flowers that have sword-shaped or spiky leaves. While you can create interesting patterns within a border by doing this, it is best to focus on the entire "picture" that your garden creates, rather than focusing on the details of a flower bed.

I have a large bed of bearded iris, daylilies and Watsonia. There very little variety among the shapes of the leaves, but this isn't really a design problem. Massing plants with similar leaves creates visual harmony and gardens need more harmony than contrast. While this bed is a formal rectangle, the massed effect of the leaves is not unlike tall meadow grass. If this bed was in a small suburban garden that was backed by a plain fence there might not be enough contrast, but I have a large garden that is surrounded by a forest of native conifers that can grow to be hundreds of feet tall.

I have planted a collection of exotic trees and shrubs along the edge of the forest. My driveway runs along the south side of my garden like a 20 foot wide walk. This makes the central part of my garden like a huge mixed border 125 feet deep and 200 feet long. In such a large border the daylilies and iris play a fairly minor role, even though I have hundreds of them and they bloom for months. When not in bloom they provide a restful green foreground for the trees and shrubs behind them.

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