Hello Lisa.

Welcome back to another edition of THE PENCIL CASE! As always, each issue focuses on a theme to encourage a fresh look at garden design and graphics. This week let's explore plant FORM...and how this design element can transform your planting designs.

WHAT IS FORM?

There are three design elements to consider when creating a planting design: FORM, texture and color. Each plant you choose encompasses these characteristics in different ways, but FORM is the most consistent.

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Form is the overall plant shape that includes its height, width and depth. All plants have a natural form and the most amazing planting designs embrace plant forms in a vibrant composition. Typical plant forms include oval, round, columnar, spreading, pyramidal, weeping, vase-shaped, plus many others.

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As you learn plants it's important to take note of their form, since this aspect is stable year-round (even when a plant loses its leaves), while color is typically more fleeting.

STRUCTURE + CONSISTENCY

Form is the most consistent design element, then texture, then finally color. All are important but play different roles. Form (and oftentimes texture) establishes the overall structure of your planting, while color is the dynamic, ever-changing energy.

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To place all our emphasis on color means losing the strong year-round dependability in our planting compositions. If something isn't blooming, your overall plant arrangement should still stand strong with form.

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Below is a selection of plant forms. By combining the design principles of repetition and variety, you can create a dynamic and visually appealing collection of plant forms. It's super fun!

PLANT FORM INSPIRATION

The design elements of form, texture and color are the backbone of good planting design and a topic we often discuss in THE GARDEN DESIGN COLLECTIVE. This is our monthly membership that is currently open now through October 1, 2023. We'd love to have you join in on the fun.

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This post provides PLANTING DESIGN TIPS to help arrange your plants...plus includes a few tips on plant forms.

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Here are two posts on DRAWING A TREE and DRAWING TREE FORMS so you can practice exploring different plant forms.

LET'S DO THIS! 

Take a photo of your house, place tracing paper over it and explore drawing a composition of plant forms to jumpstart your landscape design.

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I'll be presenting at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden's ANNUAL SYMPOSIUM on October 21, 2023. You can join me in-person or virtually! You can register here. ♥︎ I'd love to see you!

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If you know someone that needs design inspiration, please feel free to share this newsletter. Anyone can subscribe right here. I also keep a VAULT of past issues in this secret location.

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Happy fall + cheers!

Lisa 

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PAPER GARDEN WORKSHOP

Thank you to Mandy Orgler for designing the lovely graphics in all these newsletters.