Planting design types

Most garden planting design is on land which, if cleared of vegetation and then vacated by man, would pass through the following ecological succession which correspond to the four primary categories of garden planting:

1. annual herbs, including grasses
2. perennial herbs, including grasses
3. woody shrubs, including climbers
4. woodland trees, including timber, fruiting and flowering trees

But the four categories of planting can be combined in many different ways to create a design- see our brief summary of the history of planting design. Gardeners affect the ecological succession, by planting and maintenance operations, for a variety of reasons:

1. functional design : to produce food, timber, medicines, shelter, shade, cut flowers, visual barriers etc
2. aesthetic design: to grow beautiful plants and create colour effects, patterns, textures etc (as in garden design styles)
3. symbolic design: to create visual representations of ideas, theories and beliefs (as in sacred gardens)