Whether a specimen plant, a piece of statuary or sculpture, a rose-covered arbor or a water feature, carefully sited focal points are like candy to the eyes, drawing one's gaze irresistibly forward. Unfortunately, too much candy can leave one cranky and confused.
When choosing focal points, remember that simplicity is a virtue. Imagine focal points as guests of honor. Obviously, the larger your garden, the more "guests" you can accommodate. While typical half-acre suburban lots can support three or four focal points, gardeners in smaller spaces must limit their selection to one or, at the most, two items (both outstanding) to avoid a flea market effect.
Keep in mind that scale -- the size of things in relation to other things -- is also a crucial design element. A large sculpture in a small area will overwhelm its surroundings. Likewise, a small statue of kissing frogs, while charming in a pocket garden, becomes insignificant and ridiculously lost in a large one.
In deciding what to highlight, first look to your home's architecture. Is it formal or informal? Formal homes have symmetrical balance; if you slice the house in half, both parts would be identical. Asymmetry, the hallmark of informal homes, is the off-center placement of the home's windows, doors, porches and walkways. Once you figure out which style you have, it's easy to "marry" the garden and its focal points to the house.
Formal homes are best complemented by formal gardens. In such schemes, all plantings mirror each other; beds and borders are evenly spaced and are arranged in stylized, geometric designs; walls and walkways are always perpendicular or parallel to the main axis (which is oftentimes centered on the front door), and paths are straight and are often constructed of brick, stone or manicured turf.
Desirable candidates for focal points in formal gardens include tightly-clipped topiaries, statuary of classical origins (rendered in bronze, marble or concrete), ornate containers, impressive fountains, wrought-iron gates and fences.
Focal points in formal gardens are best located at the end of a vista or at the center of the garden where two paths intersect. A formal avenue of stately royal palms, Roystonea regia, or southern magnolias, Magnolia grandiflora, could lead the eye to a magnificent statue or ocean view. Siting an outstanding piece of sculpture at an intersection would increase its prominence. Slightly elevating the artwork adds to this impression. Likewise, the more space one leaves around the sculpture, the more visual impact it has on the viewer.
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