Flower shapes can inspire

According to experts, we recognize up to 10,000 things by their shape alone. Form is powerful, often stirring deep emotional reactions. In a garden, we first see color and then form. Spend a little time studying the shapes and forms in a garden and one quickly notices that straight lines are very rare in nature - it is the human hand that adds straight, rigid lines to the composition. In both art and nature, form can be classified into three basic shapes-the circle, square and triangle. Each is unique in character and stirs a variety of images in our minds. In the spirit of modern designers such as Piet Oudolf, the following compilation of simple flower shapes and descriptions illustrates their remarkable ability to inspire. Circles The circle is a perfect shape - just one curved line that continues ad infinitum. Circles remind us of the sun and moon, they represent continuity, security and balance A circle is a beautiful, simple and pure symbol of life itself. In nature, round forms are seldom flat, rather, they are seen in perspective as elliptical. This variation between width and height adds complexity and interest to the form. Globe or button-shaped flowers are often made up of hundreds of tiny star-like flower heads, each supported by a wiry stem. They appear as concentrated globes of color atop rigid, nearly imperceptible stems. Notable examples of globes include members of the Allium family and Globe Thistle (Echinops ritro). Certain flowers, such as Blue Sea Holly (Eryngium planum 'Sapphire Blue') and various Pincushion Flowers (Scabiosa) assume a spherical form when their petals drop or become less prominent. Daisy-shaped flowers also represent circular form. The dictionary describes a daisy as a small composite plant with a central yellow disc with white rays. But a daisy is so much more. It is simple, pure, fresh, cheerful, youthful and undeniably optimistic. Envision a field of wildflowers illuminated by summer sunshine and, along with a smile, daisy shapes will surely come to mind. In the case of the daisy-like coneflower that has become a mainstay of modern, low maintenance gardens, the rays of petals that surround the central disc fall off as the plant becomes dormant in the fall. Then turning from shades of gold or dark brown to near black, the discs stand persistently until cut down during spring cleanup. (See photo of Eryngium.) These seed heads offer a source of food to native birds as well as convenient perches in the winter landscape. Examples of daisy forms include; Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), and members of the Coreopsis, Rudbeckia, Eryngium and Aster families. Umbels Reminiscent of the structure of an umbrella with narrow supports of equal length that spring from a common centre and having a curved (or sometimes flat) surface, flowers characterized as umbel shaped are fascinating. In his book, Designing with Plants, Oudolf delights in the umbel form, describing it in great detail as...composed of hundreds, or even thousands of minute individual flowers. Many have flower clusters that form highly complex patterns, often umbels within umbels." As magnets for butterflies, moths and bees, umbels are well suited to the naturalistic plantings that we have come to appreciate in modern gardens. Examples include Sedum, Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium) and members of the yarrow family (Achillea). Spires Spires also offer complex and interesting inner structures, loosely representing triangular shapes. In botanical terms, a spire is a flower cluster formed of many flower heads attached closely on a long stem. Those with a tightly packed habit offer a cleaner shape. The spire shape is found in lofty places such as mountains and church steeples, trees are often spire-shaped as are many garden obelisks. Spires represent lofty aspirations or triumph and direct our vision skyward toward the heavens. The upright form of spire-shaped flowers, offers a welcome contrast to the rounded forms of most plants. Best grouped in garden borders - as one plant here and there is often too weak to be effective - a drift of Blazing Star (Liatris spicata 'Kobold'), Foxglove (Digitalis) or Speedwell (Veronica) will create a strong, dramatic statement. Other examples of strong spire-shapes include: Bear's-Breeches (Acanthus), Delphinium and Foxtail Lily (Eremus robustus). Of course one can always have too much of a good thing. A garden that includes too many strong vertical lines will be just as monotonous as one that includes only rounded forms. The key to success lies in a balance of several forms, each planted in large, significant drifts, complemented by the form and color of their neighboring plants.