Most front gardens just grow, expanding from the house to the street as the gardener digs up more and more of the grass. While a plan of some kind is always a good idea, it's especially important if you're developing a garden filled with flowers. You don't want your garden to look over-grown and out of control by mid-summer nor do you want it looking barren in winter, showing nothing but earth and dead perennial tops. Opulent flowery gardens require good planning, in structure and plantings.
Paths
A pathway is essential in opulent gardens. You need at least one to wind through the plantings and provide acess for weeding and deadheading.
Hedges and Fences
A low hedge of boxwood or other compact foliage plant can also create structure in the garden.
Focal Points
Water features, staturary and arbors can be used to separate plants and create order in opulent gardens.
Color Guidelines
Pale colors stand out in the shade and in the evening.
Colors are their purest and brightest in the clear light of spring. This is when pale colors shine in the garden.
Bright, hot colors tend to fade in the bright sun of summer, and yellow becomes almost blinding. Rich, deep colors are best for this season.
The more golden, weaker light of fall complements strong colors that might look gaudy in summer. Oranges, yellows and bronze look good in the season's mellow light.
Colors affect each other - for example, a blue that's cool and restful on its own can take on a mauve tone and become moody next to a clear red, which becomes more crimson beside the blue. A touch of white nearby returns them to normal.
Blues cool all colors and suggest distance. Plant blue flowers at the end of the garden to give the impression of depth.
Reds add drama and excitement to a planting. Use it in moderation unless you're striving for an effect. Play it down by combining with blues or deep purple.
Yellow should be used carefully or they can take on a brassy appearance. The pale tones are the sweetest and work well in a pastel garden. All yellows look good with tones of blue.
![/i//neptunesetting[1].jpg](/i//neptunesetting[1].jpg)