Spatial vs. Planting Design

Spatial Design vs. Planting Design: Why the Difference Matters

When you approach garden design, it’s easy to jump straight to the plants—after all, they’re the colorful, living stars of the show. But starting there can leave you with awkward, leftover spaces that don’t really work.

Here’s a mind-shift to consider: design your spaces first (spatial design), and then reinforce those spaces with plants (planting design). It's like writing a sentence without understanding the overall structure of the paper. The same is true in garden design.

The garden room above left was designed by Tara Dudley of Plant Life Designs in Van Meter, Iowa, while the planting on the right is in Buffalo, New York.

Spatial Design

Spatial design is about the overall arrangement (or structure) of your garden. You’re defining the spaces—or “garden rooms”—first, and then arranging them so they relate to each other in the right way.

To figure this out, designers often use functional diagrams, concept drawings, and tools like “lines of force.” These help clarify the shape, size, and relationship of spaces so they serve their intended use.

For example, think about a lawn. Instead of letting planting beds creep in and leave you with leftover, blob-like grass areas, you define the shape of the lawn first. Then, planting beds can be used to reinforce that purposeful space.

The garden room above is located in Buffalo, New York.

Planting Design

Once the spatial design is in place, planting design brings the magic. Plants (along with fences, walls, and other vertical hardscape elements) are then used to define, frame, and reinforce the spaces you’ve created.

Planting beds shouldn’t be scattered without intention—they serve the overall spatial design. Within those purposeful beds, you can dive into the artistry of planting design: choosing plants that fit your site, ecological goals, and aesthetic vision.

 The plantings above are located in (1) Cincinnatti, Ohio, (2) Lurie Garden in Chicago, Illinois, and (3) Washington state.

Bringing It Together

When you design spaces first, you ensure your garden works for the way people will use and experience it. Then, planting design builds on that foundation, adding beauty, ecology, and atmosphere.

Think: structure first, soul second. That’s the balance that makes a garden not just pretty, but powerful.

This garden is located near San Diego, California.

ADDITIONAL DESIGN INSPIRATION

Join me for my upcoming free masterclass in September 2025, Structure + Soul: Understanding Spatial Design vs. Planting Design. We’ll explore how structure (spatial design) and soul (planting design) work together to create gardens that are both functional and deeply beautiful. It’s going to be a lovely time to learn and dream together. Save your spot here...plus learn a bit about The Garden Design Collective while you're there.

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Check out my article at Monrovia on HOW TO LAYOUT A GARDEN. It not only covers the idea of starting with the garden space, then plants, but also shows the lines of force method I mentioned earlier. 

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Make a POP-UP GARDEN or check out my Monrovia article on HOW TO DESIGN AN OUTDOOR ROOM.

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A special place we often discuss both spatial and planting design is in our monthly membership, THE GARDEN DESIGN COLLECTIVE. Each month we have a new garden design guide, guest speakers, monthly meetups, and an awesome community. Honestly, it’s super fun and we learn so much together.