Garden Design – The Role Of Emphasis Plants In Creating A Composition

• An emphasis plant can differ in some of its characteristics such as size and shape from the rest of the plants in the group, but not in all of them. So if the contrasting plant has exceptional foliage color for instance, it should be similar to the main body of the plants in such attributes as size, form or leaf texture. In fact the less attributes in which the emphasis plant is different, the stronger the contrast is likely to be.
  
  
• Emphasis plants should be used as sparingly as possible. Actually, any of the elements of design only work when applied in conjunction with the other elements. A contrast is achieved on condition that there is a unified mass against which to make a contrast in the first place!
  
  

• Plumeria rubra: A beautiful sculptural plant from tropical America . In tropical climates it grows into a medium sized tree, but the summer dryness and relative chill of a Mediterranean winter stunts its growth to 3 or 4 meters. While it should be primarily grown for its form and shape, the Plumeria also has attractive and fragrant flowers. It is unsuited to areas where the winter temperatures drop below -2 or-3 c.
  
  
• Yucca sp.: The classic sculptural plant for a dry climate garden. The problem is its spiky leaves that can be very dangerous, and therefore it should be planted well away from paths and entrances.
  
  
• Nandina domestica, is an evergreen shrub from Japan and China . Sometimes known as Heavenly bamboo for its delicate texture and upright form, it makes for a gentle contrast with small foliage bushes like Pittosporum “Wheelers Dwarf" and Coprosma repens. In cold winter areas, the foliage turns reddish brown. While its white flowers are not particularly showy, the red berries that follow in the autumn are highly ornamental.
  
  
• Ornamental Grasses: This term includes real grasses, that is plants belonging to the family Poaceae, (Graminae) and plants from other botanical families that have a grass like habit. Examples of the latter include Phormium tenax (sensitive to over-watering) Dietes bi-color and various varieties of Liriope and Ophiopogon. It is the feathery growth habit, and sword-like leaves that make grass like plants excellent material for contrast and emphasis.