Why does one garden bed look unified and another look like individual plants sitting beside each other? One thing that might explain the difference is repetition. When you repeat a plant, a leaf form, a flower color, or a type of growth habit, the viewer’s eye is able to make connections between different parts of the design. But how much repetition is appropriate, and how do you avoid making your garden bed look like a series of identical garden beds in a row?
A great way to practice repetition is to begin your design process without determining where your plants will go. Start with a basic outline of your bed, and pick a plant or a feature to repeat throughout. It might be a rounded leaf shape, a delicate purple flower color, or a certain type of groundcover planted in several locations. Mark the repeated feature in 3 different spots in the garden bed, and add other plants to fill in the design. You don’t want them all to be equidistant, but does the repetition help your eye flow from one spot to the next?
Equal distance is usually what makes repetition feel too rigid. Planting 3 of the same plant at equal intervals along a garden bed can end up looking like a patterned border. Try moving one group of plants closer to another, varying the number of plants in the group, or placing the repeated feature in different layers of the design. A plant that serves as a small group in the front might be part of a larger mass in the back. The plant is still repeated, but there’s some variety in how it appears.
You can also repeat features instead of plants themselves. Two different plants with similar leaf shapes, vertical growth habits, or similar flower colors can provide repetition. For instance, a tall narrow plant in the back might echo the shape of a shorter narrow plant in the middle. They don’t have to be identical; their similar silhouettes might create repetition in the design.
Varying the scale of repetition is also important. If you’re going to repeat an accent plant throughout your bed, consider whether all of those accents should be equally prominent. If one is intended to be a focal point, let the others be secondary. Make some groups smaller, use lighter colors, or keep the plant masses lower. You want the repetition to organize the design without creating multiple competing focal points.
It’s helpful to take photos of your design or your test plantings to evaluate the repetition. From the primary viewing position, photograph the bed or the plants and look for the repetition. Look for repeated colors and forms, not specific plants. Does your eye travel from one spot to another smoothly, or does it jump from one spot to the next at regular intervals? Is there no discernible repetition? Adjustments can be made at this stage to improve the design’s rhythm.
The best kind of repetition is noticeable, but doesn’t call attention to itself. When you’re reviewing a planting plan, follow one color, form, or plant type from one end of the bed to the other. Does it create a loose path through the design or is it more of a set pattern? If it’s the former, the repetition is likely working well.
