There are many basic principles to adhere to when it comes to landscape design.  Concepts like unity and balance, transition and contrast or line and proportion all play a role in making a landscape pleasing to the eye.  One principle that’s often not given its due is the balancing of texture throughout the panorama.  In this article we’ll discover how to add texture to your landscape design.

Break Up Straight Lines

Due to the way most properties are laid out, we often have to work with shapes and lines that can become monotonous.  If you’re bordered by straight lines and right angles, it’s good to try and break these up a bit.  This can be done by planting climbing plants along sections of straight fencing or placing bushes or shrubs in the corners to add some texture to the uniform boundaries.

Vary Between Elements

Outdoor spaces benefit from a mixture of different elements.  Although a backyard full of plants may appear lush, adding stone, metal or water accents can bring out the beauty of the greenery even more.  The variation of these elements creates texture and invariably becomes more interesting to the eye.  There’s no need to overdo it, but a few simple additions can make a huge difference.

Utilize Differences In Height To Create Depth

Adding depth can make small spaces appear larger while also giving the area more character.  By placing elements of different heights next to each other depth is increased.  Try to separate the various elements into a foreground, middle ground and background by creating tiers to add the most texture possible. 

Use Colour To Your Advantage

Colour can also be used to add texture to your landscape design.  By placing brighter colours in front of darker greens and browns, the sense of depth and structure becomes graded and recedes from the eye which lends to the texturization of the landscape.  Think in terms of warmer and cooler tones and the contrast between the two to maximize texture.

Adapt The Lawn 

Lawns usually take up large portions of any landscape, so ignoring these large canvases is to miss out on an opportunity for extra texture.  Consider working the perimeter with curving edges if your landscape already has several straight lines.  Accenting the corners and edging with trees, shrubs or other plants will also add texture to the area as a whole.