It is sometimes a good practice to have a theme that you can follow throughout your garden and work on a design and a selection of plant material that will go along with that theme.
It is important to note that by creating a theme garden the theme will dictate, not only the types of plants that you will be buying, but also anything else that you put in the garden.
This will include everything from hard scape, sculptures, garden furniture, even the colors of the pots that you will choose.
There are some who would think that this is restricting their freedom and infringe on their ability to be creative.
A theme garden will in fact allow you to create a garden that has more freedom of flow.
By using a theme you will be working with elements that will allow your garden to flow better by tying in all the elements instead of trying to piece together unrelated items that can result in being disjointed with a variety of different themes that never quite gel together.
Many times the theme of your garden will be determined by the style of the house that you have.
a formal garden would more than likely look out of place in a yard that has a cottage built on it..
At other times the theme maybe be determined by the geographical location that you are located in instead..
For example if you are living near a beach, you will probably want the theme to tie in with the beach setting.
By doing this you are likely to put plants in your garden that are more adapted to the growing conditions and will thrive in the garden.
Likewise it wouldn't look quite as appropriate to have a tropical garden with palms and tropical hard scape like tiki huts where a cottage garden would compliment the style of the house.
This would be common sense and while you can meld different themes into a garden it is a much easier task to let the home and the geography dictate the theme.
Getting It Right A theme garden done right will complement your home and it will actually encompass it and make it part of the garden.
A good theme will take time to develop but will make your landscape seem as if it was always there.
As you move from the front of the property up to the house and around the sides to the back garden it will all lend in and complement the whole.
One of the keys will be to research as thoroughly as possible the type of garden you are going to construct.
Be sure that what ever elements you choose will be consistent with elements common to that theme.
Choose plants with care to be sure they will be suitable with the climate you are in.
In other words do not design a tropical garden in downtown Boston and expect it to survive.
In the end your garden will not only complement your property it will please you as well as your guest.