Hello Lisa.

Let’s chat about garden curves…and what often happens when we design with them.

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You've placed your plants. You know roughly where things want to go. And now you need a bedline, so you take your pencil and trace around the edge of each plant grouping, following the shape of what's already there.

The result is a line that wiggles. It slithers through the lawn without quite committing to anything. It feels a little restless, a little uncertain. And you're not sure why…because you followed what was there (read more about this dilemma).

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Here's why: you drew the plants first, then outlined them. That's a common design mistake...but no worries. Let's shift our perspective a bit.

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The photo above left was taken at Plaids + Poppies in Michigan, while the one below was at Chanticleer Gardens in Pennsylvania.

The curve is not meant to follow your plants. Before a single plant goes down, before anything is placed or decided, it's doing a much bigger job...capturing and defining space (just as a square, rectangle, or circle might).

This is the shift that changes everything: rather than thinking about curves as decorative lines, start thinking about them as the edges of spaces you are creating. Rooms to live in. Paths to follow. Places to linger.

The curve is not decoration. It is the decision.

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And when you understand that, something else starts to make sense too…why some curves feel confident and satisfying, and others feel tentative and wiggly. The ones that feel right are drawn boldly, in large sweeping arcs. They have hierarchy…one arc broad and generous, the other tighter and responsive.

Imagine sitting down to sketch a garden plan and deciding how you'd like to use that space and how big those rooms should be to accommodate your dining area, your croquet lawn, your vegetable garden…then confidently drawing curves to capture those spaces (because your client loooves dynamic lines). Your arm moves in broad, confident arcs…not cautious, not wiggly, not second-guessing itself. The curves flow and enclose proposed garden rooms. The whole garden feels like it has a clear, recognizable point of view.

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That's what drawing curves with intention can open up. You are now using those lovely lines to create purposeful designs, rather than arbitrary wiggles.

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The design concept above is from our activity and demo video this month in the Garden Design Collective, the photo below left was taken at Chanticleer Gardens, while the one below right was from Plaids + Poppies.

This is exactly what we're exploring inside the Garden Design Collective this month…a full step-by-step guide to designing with curves, from identifying functional spaces to lines of force to curvy rooms to a plan that speaks with one voice. Summer enrollment opens June 15.

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While you wait, feel free to check out our 10x10 Garden Design Tips email series.

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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 if you'd like to explore.

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May your curves be bold and purposeful this week.

From the studio + garden,

Lisa

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P.S. This month inside the Garden Design Collective, we're already deep into curves…the guide went live June 1. Summer enrollment formally opens June 15, but if you're on the waiting list you might see an email soon inviting you in a little early. ♥︎

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