Repetition in the Landscape

One of the most powerful landscaping principles a homeowner can use is repetition. My friends Christi and Mike make good use of repetition with plants, colors and hardscape materials. One of the first things you see in their landscape are the splotches of red. Colorful Ti plant, Encore azaleas and Knockout roses spaced across the front landscape add red color punches. I really like the peacock sculptures paired with the red Dipladenia. Both really like to show off their colorful features. I also like the large ceramic urns and pots placed in various places across the landscape. Many gardeners will add plants, but leaving them empty allows the viewers to use their imagination on what to plant in them. The urns on the front porch provide symmetry. The gray foliage of the spiral Glauca Eastern Red Cedar provides sharp contrast to the dark urns. Further down the planting bed another Glauca Eastern Red Cedar has been allowed to grow naturally. Using the same plant, but with different growth habits in two different landscape locations reinforces the repetition. The Big Blue liriope is being grown in single clumps instead of being mass planted. This allows the arching form of the leaf blades and purple flower spikes to be repeated across the front of the landscape bed. The tin flowers and animals add a little whimsical repetition to complete the landscape. Don't be afraid to repeat plants and materials in your landscape. Repetition will add substance and solidify your landscape beds. I'm horticulturist Gary Bachman for Southern Gardening.