Garden Design

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Article Series: Elements of Garden Design

In the spring 2018 issue of the Arboretum Bulletin, we began a new series of articles exploring the basic elements of garden design. The idea was to not only to discuss and summarize the design elements, but also to show them using lots of photos of actual gardens and planting beds.

Structure, by Phil Wood
Color, by Daniel Mount
Texture, by Janine Anderson
Scale and Proportion, by Richie Steffen
Unity, by Barbara Blossom Ashmun
Time, by Corinne Kennedy

Related Links

Designing Colorful Island Beds in the Garden, by Barbara Blossom Ashmun (Fall 2018)

Seattle Japanese Garden: Designed in the Stroll-Garden Style, by Corinne Kennedy (Summer 2020)

Designing the Centennial Summer Garden at the Arboretum, by Jason Morse (Summer 2017)

gravel pathway lined with Mediterranean plants

Shelagh Tucker’s summer-dry garden, Seattle (Photo: Phil Wood).

Restoring the Hydrology of Arboretum Creek

Restoring the Hydrology of Arboretum Creek

Local non-profit the Friends of Arboretum Creek is working with King County and the Arboretum partners to improve the ecology of the creek and watershed in and around the park. A key initiative is the Headwaters Project, which will help restore year-round waterflow to...