WEST CHICAGO, IL, May 25, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) —
With the unofficial start of summer just around the corner,
gardeners across the country will spend Memorial Day weekend digging
in and planting summer staples ranging from vegetable gardens to
flower containers. As gardeners dust off their trowels and shake out
their gloves, Burpee Home Gardens(R) is helping gardeners succeed by
bringing technology into the garden.

Choosing your plants
One big challenge for gardeners is knowing
what plants to grow together. Burpee Home Gardens is easing this
worry by helping gardeners pick varieties that not only look great
together but are guaranteed to grow well together throughout the
season.

New this spring, the My Garden Designer mobile design tool helps
novice gardeners plan and plant creative flower gardens. It is
designed to take the guesswork out of flower color, height and
compatibility, creating “recipes” for easily planted containers or
flowerbeds.

Gardeners can start from scratch by selecting a garden location, size
and theme, and then select colors for spiller, filler and thriller
varieties to receive several garden designs. Users also can create a
design around a favorite plant and choose the retail locator to find
the variety at a local garden center.

To date, gardeners have created more than 3,000 different container
ideas, with 75 percent of designs made for sun locations and 25
percent made for shade locations. Also, 56 percent of gardeners used
My Garden Designer to create a plan for a garden larger than six
feet, while 52 percent of gardeners used it to plant a midsized
container of 16 to 24 inches.

When the real work (and fun) begins
Whether gardeners need to find
a quick answer to a question or are simply looking for inspiration,
Burpee Garden Coach, a free mobile Web tool, can help gardeners
succeed and reap the benefits of a well-tended garden. This handy,
text-enabled program provides plant information, weather updates,
common gardening solutions and recipes throughout the season.

Users can customize their profile to receive tips on flower
gardening, vegetable gardening, or both, either via text message or
email alerts. Garden Coach also features a garden library full of
frequently asked questions and educational podcasts by garden expert
Joe Lamp’l. Gardeners can sign up by texting their ZIP code to 80998
or visiting gdncoach.mobi.

Gardeners get a lot of help from their friends, family and neighbors.
Following this trend, Burpee has created a “backyard” to help bring
people together in a new digital neighborhood. Burpee’s Backyard
online community provides a forum for gardeners to talk about shared
gardening experiences –be it a stubborn weed or favorite variety of
tomato. Gardeners with varying levels of expertise can engage in
discussions with like-minded gardeners and information experts, and
even browse online resources to help find answers to common gardening
questions.

Gardeners can find more information on the Burpee Home Gardens
website,
www.burpeehomegardens.com , and can stay connected by
following Burpee Home Gardens’ Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest pages.

ABOUT BURPEE HOME GARDENS(R): Burpee Home Gardens is a program of
garden-ready vegetables, herbs and flowers available nationally at
retail garden centers. Backed by the 136-year history of Burpee, the
first name in home gardening, Burpee Home Gardens provides gardeners
with time-tested varieties and information, ideas and inspiration for
success. For more information, visit burpeehomegardens.com.

ABOUT BURPEE: Burpee was founded in 1876 by seed pioneer W. Atlee
Burpee. The company remains privately owned by George Ball, a
third-generation seedsman, who serves as chairman of W. Atlee Burpee
Co. and is past president of The American Horticultural Society.
Today, Burpee is the largest, most progressive garden company in
North America offering seeds, garden plants and gardening supplies
through the company website (
www.burpee.com ), direct-mail catalogs,
and via retail garden centers nationwide. Burpee offers both heirloom
and hybrid varieties, and is credited for introducing the world to
numerous ornamental and edible breakthrough varieties during its
136-year history. Burpee’s headquarters, display gardens and research
farm are located in historic Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

Image Available:
http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=1994272

SOURCE: Burpee Home Gardens

Copyright 2012 Marketwire, Inc., All rights reserved.

AMONG those competing for top honours at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show is Marden-based garden designer Jo Thompson.

It is her third time at the show and this year she has designed a Celebration of Caravanning garden on behalf of The Caravan Club.

Ms Thompson is hoping to emulate her 2010 success when she was awarded a gold medal for Best Urban Garden in Show.

She has recruited the talents of four other specialists from Kent to help deliver her showpiece, which revolves around Doris, a 1950s caravan.

Sue Marshall, who runs Iris nursery in Sissinghurst, has provided irises and Roger Platt’s nursery in Edenbridge has supplied the other plants she will be using in her design.

Textile artist Carmel Meade from Sandhurst has produced patriotic fabric patchwork squares to make a hammock and cushions, and Nicholas Hall of Herbert Hall Wines has provided locally produced sparkling wine.

The show opened on Tuesday and runs until Friday. It is expected to attract 150,000 visitors.

Organised by the Royal Horticultural Society, the event showcases the talents of Britain’s top garden designers and horticulturists.

A garden can be defined many ways: a plot of land used for the growing of flowers, vegetables, herbs and trees; an area of fertile, cultivated property; even as a verb “to lay out, develop or tend.”

The key point in all these definitions is a plan. A garden is an intentional thing, deliberately selected, composed and arranged. In other words, a garden has a design.

Of course, garden design isn’t a rigid, by-the-book formula. It’s a constantly changing interaction between what the gardener wants and what the plants and the environment will support. But there are several design principles that you can use to get your garden to look its best. Once you have them down, a garden practically designs itself.

Balance. Plants and other “hardscape” elements in a garden, like decks, paths or even rocks, have visual weight that needs to be balanced so everything appears in proportion. Symmetrical balance mirrors elements on each side of a dividing line, like identical groups of plants on either side of a birdbath or fountain. It creates a formal look. Asymmetrical balance also has organization and stability, but looks more natural and random. A tall evergreen and low, mounded shrubs standing opposite a group of open, airy perennials around that same fountain would create a more casual look.

Repetition. Duplicating forms, textures, colors or sizes makes a garden easier to look at. It can be an obvious repetition of the same alternating flowers marching down the front of a border, or more subtle, like repeating the shapes of shrubs or trees or even structures. Repetition sets the rhythm with which the eye moves around the garden. Evenly spaced plants produce a predictable, well-controlled, peaceful feeling; staggered, uneven repetition will have a bouncy, energetic effect.

Focal Point. A garden needs at least one object or area that is noticed first and most often. A focal point is the visual “hook” that demands attention and stimulates interest.

A bright red, highly textured Japanese maple standing among smaller, more or less green plants, or a sparkling, splashing waterfall would instantly attract your gaze. A focal point leads visitors to a specific place in the landscape, and encourages them to explore the spaces around it and then return again and again.

Contrast. In order to hold attention and create excitement, things have to stand out from each other. Contrasting the sizes, shapes, colors and textures in a perennial bed, for instance, keeps the bed from becoming boring. Use contrast sparingly, though. Choose one or two contrasting elements, like small green leaves against broad, variegated ones, or tall, vertical forms against low, mounding shapes. Too much individuality creates a confusing, unplanned jumble.

Movement. Some gardens seem to invite you to come and explore every corner and curve; others invite stillness and reflection. The effect is created with different kinds of lines. Straight lines are typically found in very formal, geometric, symmetrical gardens. They often meet at sharp angles and move the eye very quickly and crisply through the landscape. Curved lines are found in more natural, organic and informal gardens.

You can direct a visitor’s movement in your garden by arranging straight and curved lines to speed them up or slow them down to admire a particular view. Imagine a path, bordered with gently rhythmic, repeating groups of plants curving toward a tall garden arbor focal point, enticing you to come and see what’s waiting just around the corner out of sight. All those elements working together brings us to …

Unity. It’s hard to describe, but you know it when you see it. All the garden’s individual parts make sense together. They feel right. More importantly, they express what you really had in mind when you imagined your perfect garden.

Now that you know the principles of design, you’ll find yourself looking for them in every landscape, and recognize why some gardens not only look better, but feel better than others, too.

A garden can be defined many ways: a plot of land used for the growing of flowers, vegetables, herbs and trees; an area of fertile, cultivated property; even as a verb “to lay out, develop or tend.”

The key point in all these definitions is a plan. A garden is an intentional thing, deliberately selected, composed and arranged. In other words, a garden has a design.

Of course, garden design isn’t a rigid, by-the-book formula. It’s a constantly changing interaction between what the gardener wants and what the plants and the environment will support. But there are several design principles that you can use to get your garden to look its best. Once you have them down, a garden practically designs itself.

Balance. Plants and other “hardscape” elements in a garden, like decks, paths or even rocks, have visual weight that needs to be balanced so everything appears in proportion. Symmetrical balance mirrors elements on each side of a dividing line, like identical groups of plants on either side of a birdbath or fountain. It creates a formal look. Asymmetrical balance also has organization and stability, but looks more natural and random. A tall evergreen and low, mounded shrubs standing opposite a group of open, airy perennials around that same fountain would create a more casual look.

Repetition. Duplicating forms, textures, colors or sizes makes a garden easier to look at. It can be an obvious repetition of the same alternating flowers marching down the front of a border, or more subtle, like repeating the shapes of shrubs or trees or even structures. Repetition sets the rhythm with which the eye moves around the garden. Evenly spaced plants produce a predictable, well-controlled, peaceful feeling; staggered, uneven repetition will have a bouncy, energetic effect.

Focal Point. A garden needs at least one object or area that is noticed first and most often. A focal point is the visual “hook” that demands attention and stimulates interest.

A bright red, highly textured Japanese maple standing among smaller, more or less green plants, or a sparkling, splashing waterfall would instantly attract your gaze. A focal point leads visitors to a specific place in the landscape, and encourages them to explore the spaces around it and then return again and again.

Contrast. In order to hold attention and create excitement, things have to stand out from each other. Contrasting the sizes, shapes, colors and textures in a perennial bed, for instance, keeps the bed from becoming boring. Use contrast sparingly, though. Choose one or two contrasting elements, like small green leaves against broad, variegated ones, or tall, vertical forms against low, mounding shapes. Too much individuality creates a confusing, unplanned jumble.

Movement. Some gardens seem to invite you to come and explore every corner and curve; others invite stillness and reflection. The effect is created with different kinds of lines. Straight lines are typically found in very formal, geometric, symmetrical gardens. They often meet at sharp angles and move the eye very quickly and crisply through the landscape. Curved lines are found in more natural, organic and informal gardens.

You can direct a visitor’s movement in your garden by arranging straight and curved lines to speed them up or slow them down to admire a particular view. Imagine a path, bordered with gently rhythmic, repeating groups of plants curving toward a tall garden arbor focal point, enticing you to come and see what’s waiting just around the corner out of sight. All those elements working together brings us to …

Unity. It’s hard to describe, but you know it when you see it. All the garden’s individual parts make sense together. They feel right. More importantly, they express what you really had in mind when you imagined your perfect garden.

Now that you know the principles of design, you’ll find yourself looking for them in every landscape, and recognize why some gardens not only look better, but feel better than others, too.

Joe Lamp’l, host of “Growing a Greener World” on PBS, is a master gardener and author. For more information visit www.joegardener.com.

Of course there have always been plenty of hutlike structures to be seen around the site. Many of the exhibitors set up their wares within simple, though attractive, sheds and there are numerous garden building suppliers showing off their latest models of greenhouses, summerhouses and indeed rotating spherical loungers.

But while the carefully designed gardens often include some background element of building or wall, this year the show was positively awash with full scale garden offices, caravans and shepherds’ huts, underlining the trend that while people have been talking about garden ‘rooms’ for quite a time, that same phrase now means something rather more concrete.

It’s hardly surprising: anecdotal evidence suggests a well-heeled garden office building can add 5% to the value of a property as well as providing a deal-making element for the increasing numbers of people who are starting their own business and working from home. And indeed Chelsea has seen some intriguing garden office designs in the past including: 

* 2005 – Andy Sturgeon’s design for the Merrill Lynch garden featured a white-walled garden office with glass folding doors

* 2005 – In the same year the Microsoft SoGo Garden designed by Lizzie Taylor and Dawn Isaac showcased a futuristic swivelling brushed steel work pod

* 2007 – Diarmuid Gavin’s Westland Garden show garden featured two garden studios, a ‘his and hers’ design for an active artistic couple

* 2008 – The Simmons Simmons Garden A Journey to Work designed by Growing Ambition was a garden for a solicitor whose firm was looking for innovative ways to encourage flexible working and so featured an office in a barn at the bottom of the garden

The clichéd idea of the ramshackle back garden shed was nowhere better displaced this year than in the Artisan Retreats area where five sturdy Malvern Collection summerhouses were turned into working spaces. With not a rake or a spade in sight, these were places in which people could work creatively, among them a book-binding studio and a textile workshop.

This move towards treating outdoor structures as genuine extensions of the home rather than as humble storage areas was most explicit than at Patricia Fox’s Rooftop Workplace of Tomorrow garden. This was very much a working home office blending beautifully into a garden atmosphere, somewhere homeworkers could make a video conference call while also harvesting fresh tea from the living wall for their elevenses. It was a pity that the futuristic Tetra Shed stand failed to appear for this also promised a genuinely high-tech approach to working in the garden.

Some of these working shedlike atmospheres were even moveable. Designed by Woolcott and Smith, one of the most popular gardens featured a Plankbridge shepherd’s hut in which novelist Tracy Chevalier wrote part of her new novel during Monday’s press day. Nearby was Jo Thompson’s lovely silver gilt-winning show garden where a vintage caravan was centre stage, to be used as a garden office, guest accommodation or as a children’s playhouse.

There were still plenty of traditional garden structures to be enjoyed, but even these paid tribute to a time when where we lived and where we worked were not so strictly defined. There was the shaded cabanon in the L’Occitane Immortelle Garden, Vicky Harris’s stone crofter’s hut in her Naturally Dry garden and the shepherd’s stone hut in Borut Benedejcic’s Pepa’s Story Artisan Garden. Nigel Dunnett’s RBD Blue Water Garden featured a lovely conical-roofed trullo, a traditional hut from Puglia.

Of course it is still Chelsea Flower Show, not Chelsea Shed Show. But this year’s gardens reflected the genuine seachange in how we are using our outdoor space and making our properties more valuable in the process.

SAN FRANCISCO, May 23, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) —
SAY
Media today announced the launch of its newest property Gardenista.com,
an online sourcebook for cultivated outdoor living. Former New York
Times columnist Michelle Slatalla will serve as editor of the
publication. An extension of its parent site, Remodelista,
the new site will cover everything from edible and sustainable rooftop
gardening to backyard entertaining and outdoor design. Odwalla
is the official launch partner of Gardenista and will be promoting its
“goodness” campaign through original content and specially designed
online ads.

“Gardens matter. We want to make gardening accessible, the way
Remodelista demystified–while celebrating– interior design,” said
Michelle Slatalla, editor of Gardenista. “We’re uniquely positioned on
the Internet to give readers in-depth coverage in a beautiful,
easy-to-navigate, interactive design. Using SAY’s
social publishing tools, we can also build and easily connect with
our community and really inspire them with quality content.”

Editorial Direction

As editor of the site, Slatalla will oversee the editorial strategy and
development of content, working closely with Remodelista’s
editor-in-chief Julie Carlson to maintain the same balance of high-level
design and attention to detail that informs Remodelista’s coverage of
interior design. Slatalla, a weekly columnist for the New York Times
for 10 years, wrote the popular “Wife, Mother, Worker Spy” column for
the newspaper’s Style section. She is also a former lifestyle columnist
for TIME Magazine, and writes a monthly etiquette column for Real
Simple.

“The launch of Gardenista not only adds a great new property to our
portfolio of Living sites, but we have brought on an incredibly talented
and well-respected editor to develop the new site,” said Troy Young,
President, SAY Media. “With Michelle at the helm, Gardenista will surely
become the premier outdoor lifestyle source for discerning consumers
eager for a better experience online. Its beautiful design leverages the
amazing capabilities of digital and is created to adapt to any screen
size, without losing the integrity of the site across platforms unlike
so many websites today.”

Regular stories featured on Remodelista, such as “Steal This Look,” “10
Easy Pieces” and “Design Sleuth,” will also be features on Gardenista.
The site will also cover the best new gardening tools and outdoor
products, from garden furniture to house numbers and paint colors for
the exterior. The site will also feature gardens to visit all over the
world.

Brand Opportunities

Gardenista offers a new channel for brand advertisers to reach a highly
engaged and passionate community. As the launch sponsor, Odwalla will
partner with Gardenista to promote its “goodness” campaign. The campaign
will feature custom editorial content that includes a series of videos
and tutorials by Slatalla to promote urban gardening. With this
exclusive sponsorship, Odwalla will command 100 percent share of voice
across the Gardenista property. It will also have brand ads running
across other sites in SAY’s Living and Food channels such as Cupcakes
and Cashmere, Design Milk, Food52 and Smitten Kitchen.

“The philosophy and fresh, yet classic look of Gardenista complements
the new Odwalla campaign, which is centered around the idea of
‘goodness,’ both within and without,” said Irma Shrivastava, vice
president marketing, Odwalla. “With Odwalla and Gardenista sharing a
similar perspective, we hope fans of the site will enjoy the ‘goodness’
found within a bottle of Odwalla while feeling inspired to create their
own personal ‘goodness’ every day.”

Through its uncluttered layout and thoughtful juxtaposition of relevant
content, Gardenista leverages SAY’s social publishing tools to
seamlessly integrate social elements and deliver a great experience
across any platform, including mobile and tablets. The site’s sleek
design highlights engaging content and showcases relevant brand
advertising. SAY’s Living channel reaches 34 million monthly uniques.

About SAY Media

SAY Media is a digital publishing company that creates amazing media
brands. Through its technology platform and media services, SAY enables
its portfolio of independent content creators to build passionate
communities around key consumer interest areas such as Style, Living,
Food and Tech. The company provides simple and accountable ways for the
world’s top brands to engage with these passionate audiences, at scale,
with a reach of more than 500 million people around the world. SAY Media
is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices across North America, in
the UK and Australia. For more information visit
www.saymedia.com .

SOURCE: SAY Media

        
        SAY Media 
        Kristin Mitchell, 415-813-7380 
        kmitchell@saymedia.com
        

Copyright Business Wire 2012

By Matthew Appleby
21 May 2012

The traditional Hackney Carriage has been given a makeover for Chelsea Flower Show this year. Three specially designed garden cabs have been created with London in mind, focusing on three distinctive themes, Jubilee, Nightlife and Pick Your Own Garden.

Posted: Tuesday, May 22, 2012 11:45 pm
|


Updated: 9:09 pm, Tue May 22, 2012.

Grand Island rain garden workshop planned

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A rain garden design and installation workshop will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 20 at the Hall County Extension meeting rooms at College Park, 3180 W. Highway 34, Grand Island.

The workshop will cover the basics of stormwater management, as well as installing and utilizing rain gardens in the landscape to absorb runoff water before it leaves the property. Workshop presenters from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln will share expertise in landscape architecture and design and stormwater management.

Registration is required to ensure educational materials and lunch. The workshop fee is $20 per participant. Please call the UNL-Extension at Hall County Office at (308) 385-5088 by Monday, June 18, to reserve a spot in the workshop.

For more information, contact Katie Pekarek at kpekarek2@unl.edu, call (402) 643-2981, or contact your local county Extension Office.

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Tuesday, May 22, 2012 11:45 pm.

Updated: 9:09 pm.

LONDON, May 22, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ —
Although no longer the UK’s biggest flower show, the Chelsea Flower Show remains the most prestigious and has been held in the grounds of Chelsea Hospital since 1913.

This year the show is being held from 22nd-26th May from 8am-8pm, giving you the chance to explore and experience the show gardens, with exhibits ranging from contemporary and urban chic, to romantic and tropical. There’s also a chance to view the gardens and buy flowers and plants at 4pm on Monday 28th May.

Last year saw landscape gardeners and designers go to exciting new lengths to come up with breathtaking show gardens. One such exhibit was the gold award winning Irish Sky Garden designed and built by Diarmuid Gavin.

Inspired by the visual effects of the film Avatar, Gavin’s creation includes a room suspended by a crane that overlooks a garden with no fewer than 25 pools positioned to reflect the craft in the sky.

The show stopping gardens for the 2012 Chelsea Flower Show look set to be another triumph, with designers stretching the boundaries and creating new and wondrous displays.

Highlights of the forthcoming show include The Daily Telegraph Garden designed by Sarah Price, A Celebration of Caravanning by Jo Thompson and The M G Garden designed by Andy Sturgeon.

Each garden designer brings their personality and vision to their particular plot, with Sarah Price opting for an ethereal garden full of natural stone that evokes the British landscape.

This is Sarah’s first major garden design that she is creating by herself and no doubt she is feeling the pressure as The Daily Telegraph Garden has won Best in Show gold for the past 3 years.

New for this year is Fresh Gardens – designers are being challenged to create something fresh – an unusual garden that exudes imagination, innovation and colour.

As the show approaches, only a handful of tickets to this spectacular horticultural event remain.

John Lewis Insurance:

If you’re a keen gardener and you’re heading to one of the Royal Horticultural Society’s flower shows to find some inspiration for your garden, make sure that your Home Insurance includes your garden.

John Lewis Garden Cover includes up to £5,000 for loss or damage to plants, trees and contents in the open. This cover includes items such as paddling pools, barbecues, bird tables and ornaments.

Under your Home Insurance policy, bicycles, tools and other possessions locked in your garden shed or garage will also be covered, and your garden walls and fences will be protected against damage that was not as a result of a flood, landslide, storm or general wear and tear.

John Lewis Insurance is a trading name of John Lewis plc. Registered in England No. 00233462. Registered office 171 Victoria Street London SW1E 5NN. John Lewis plc is an appointed representative of AXA Insurance UK plc who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. AXA Insurance UK plc. Registered in England No. 78950. Registered office: 5 Old Broad Street, London, EC2N 1AD

Contact Details:
Lauren Baldwin
Email: Lauren_Baldwin@JohnLewis.co.uk
Phone: +44(0)20-7592-5236

SOURCE Johnlewis-insurance.com

Copyright (C) 2012 PR Newswire. All rights reserved

A garden can be defined many ways: a plot of land used for the growing of flowers, vegetables, herbs and trees; an area of fertile, cultivated property; even as a verb “to lay out, develop or tend.”

The key point in all these definitions is a plan. A garden is an intentional thing, deliberately selected, composed and arranged. In other words, a garden has a design.

Of course, garden design isn’t a rigid, by-the-book formula. It’s a constantly changing interaction between what the gardener wants and what the plants and the environment will support. But there are several design principles that you can use to get your garden to look its best. Once you have them down, a garden practically designs itself.

Balance. Plants and other “hardscape” elements in a garden, like decks, paths or even rocks, have visual weight that needs to be balanced so everything appears in proportion. Symmetrical balance mirrors elements on each side of a dividing line, like identical groups of plants on either side of a birdbath or fountain. It creates a formal look. Asymmetrical balance also has organization and stability, but looks more natural and random. A tall evergreen and low, mounded shrubs standing opposite a group of open, airy perennials around that same fountain would create a more casual look.

Repetition. Duplicating forms, textures, colors or sizes makes a garden easier to look at. It can be an obvious repetition of the same alternating flowers marching down the front of a border, or more subtle, like repeating the shapes of shrubs or trees or even structures. Repetition sets the rhythm with which the eye moves around the garden. Evenly spaced plants produce a predictable, well-controlled, peaceful feeling; staggered, uneven repetition will have a bouncy, energetic effect.

Focal point. A garden needs at least one object or area that is noticed first and most often. A focal point is the visual “hook” that demands attention and stimulates interest.

A bright red, highly textured Japanese maple standing among smaller, more or less green plants, or a sparkling, splashing waterfall would instantly attract your gaze. A focal point leads visitors to a specific place in the landscape, and encourages them to explore the spaces around it and then return again and again.

Contrast. In order to hold attention and create excitement, things have to stand out from each other. Contrasting the sizes, shapes, colors and textures in a perennial bed, for instance, keeps the bed from becoming boring. Use contrast sparingly, though. Choose one or two contrasting elements, like small green leaves against broad, variegated ones, or tall, vertical forms against low, mounding shapes. Too much individuality creates a confusing, unplanned jumble.

Movement. Some gardens seem to invite you to come and explore every corner and curve; others invite stillness and reflection. The effect is created with different kinds of lines. Straight lines are typically found in very formal, geometric, symmetrical gardens. They often meet at sharp angles and move the eye very quickly and crisply through the landscape. Curved lines are found in more natural, organic and informal gardens.

You can direct a visitor’s movement in your garden by arranging straight and curved lines to speed them up or slow them down to admire a particular view. Imagine a path, bordered with gently rhythmic, repeating groups of plants curving toward a tall garden arbor focal point, enticing you to come and see what’s waiting just around the corner out of sight. All those elements working together brings us to …

Unity. It’s hard to describe, but you know it when you see it. All the garden’s individual parts make sense together. They feel right. More importantly, they express what you really had in mind when you imagined your perfect garden.

Now that you know the principles of design, you’ll find yourself looking for them in every landscape, and recognize why some gardens not only look better, but feel better than others, too.

Joe Lamp’l, host of “Growing a Greener World” on PBS, is a master gardener and author. For more information, visit www.joegardener.com. For more stories, visit scrippsnews.com.