How to Design Plants as Sculptures

You can make your garden beautiful by creating textures and shapes that catch the eye in your garden. Here are some suggestions on how to design plants as sculptures.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. 
   Sculptural variegated Agave

   Some of the most sculptural plants belong to the succulent family. Agaves, Cordylines, Yuccas and Aloes come in shapes, textures and colors that can rival the most carefully crafted human sculptures. Some of these plants grow in rosettes like large rose flowers, or as simply branched artistic-looking trees. The way to take advantage of their sculptural form s is to use them singly as a focal point or spaced widely in threes.

2. 
   A decorative Bromeliad in flower

   Flowers of some plants can look like fabrications. Many bromeliads, for example, offer flowing stalks with brightly colored forms that look as if they were designed out of plastic or vinyl. Another plant with a sculptural flowering form is the Kniphofia or Red Hot Poker. This plant sends up long tall spikes of hot colored flower clusters that look very much like red hot pokers, just as named. Use these plants in clustered groups for riveting color.

3. 
   Artistic colored leaves

   Some plants come in bold colored foliage that create their own pieces of art. Many tropical plants have broad foliage with designs and colors painted over the surfaces. Others offer boldly colored foliage like the Phoromium or New Zealand Flax. Taller versions of these plants often make excellent colorful textural backgrounds.

4. 
   Ornamental small succulents

   Smaller succulents and cacti can look sculptural too. Some succulents look like beads cascading over rocks, offer spindly towers or glow in reds, yellows and hot pinks. Grow these as ground covers or as decorative accents, like jewelry around the garden.

5. You can even model your own sculptures by growing topiaries. Topiaries can be large or small, realistic or abstract. These can enhance a themed garden or simply provide a focal point to any landscape.

6. There are wonderful plants that can add sculptural beauty to any garden. These are just some suggestions on how to design plants as sculptures.

Resources

• Landscape design and gardening information
• Landscaping with cactus

[sullysee]

on 7/12/2009 I have a lot of these textures and designs here at my Orlando Villa. Topiaries would be something very pleasing. Could you elaborate?

[starlet67]

on 7/9/2009 great tips and pics!5*

[vallain]

on 7/9/2009 I like the bold look of succulents and bromeliads.

[ScarlettOHairy]

on 7/9/2009 Oh, these plants are so beautiful! Great pictures and lovely descriptions on where to plant for full effect.

[goodselfme]

on 7/8/2009 I always admire plants that are sculpured.