Garden Inspiration: How to Create Depth and Layers

Storybook gardens that evoke wonder and inspiration all have one thing in common: layers that mimic Mother Nature.

Wouldn’t it be nice to copy paste a garden that inspires you and plop it into your backyard? It seems so hard to achieve a put-together garden that invites you outside to explore the little nooks and crannies, with sudden bursts of colour or texture that make you exclaim, “Oh isn’t that clever?”

A garden that feels abundant, natural and established borrows its cues from Mother Nature, grouping plants that work together through height, foliage, flowers and texture. Layering plants in this way gives each one the room and light it needs to thrive, while creating a bigger picture that feels cohesive rather than contrived. It’s these layers that give a garden depth, movement and those little moments of discovery.

We’ve put together a few groups of plants that work well together this way, allowing for height and light, while also working in contrast and cohesion.

How to create layers in the garden

A garden with depth typically has five layers: the canopy, the structure, the middle layer, the lower layer and the ground layer. These layers work together to create a frame that captures the view from your home — a changing picture of life in motion.

Layering isn’t simply about putting a tall plant behind a short one, however. It’s about giving your eye something to discover at every level. Different colours, textures, leaf shapes and flower forms all work as punctuation, inviting the onlooker to pause and study the garden. Repeating textures or colours creates an organic cohesion that ties everything together.

The groupings below are also designed to be mixed and matched, depending on the conditions in your garden. A beautiful specimen tree planted to the north, for example, might create a middle layer of dappled light, while the lower and ground layers receive progressively more sun. Pick and choose plants from each group to create layers that suit your own garden.

Layers for full sun

A garden in full sun receives upwards of six hours of direct sunlight a day. We’ve chosen plants that are tough and somewhat drought-hardy, and that mostly fit within a classic white and green palette. This creates a soft repetition of colour, while allowing contrast through foliage, height and flowers.

An ornamental pear crowns the canopy, while the romantic Viburnum plicatum tomentosum provides a sweeping structure. The Earth Angel rose draws the visitor’s eye, while Carex ‘Feather Falls’ and Sagina ‘Pearlwort’ soften the lower and ground layers.

Importantly, ‘Snow Pear’ provides height without creating a far-reaching shady canopy, allowing plenty of light to reach the planting beneath it.

Smaller gardens can achieve a similar sense of depth by using fewer layers. Choose a smaller tree, such as Cercis canadensis ‘Forest Pansy’ or Malus ioensis ‘Plena’, pair it with Spiraea ‘Snowmound’, and finish with Lavandula ‘English Summer White’.

Layers for part shade

Plants that enjoy a partly shaded position often also require a sheltered spot in the garden. We’ve chosen plants here that enjoy slightly acidic soil and a cooler root run. The main focus of this group is its collection of lush, glossy foliage, accented by splashes of fragrant pink blossoms throughout the cooler months of the year. These plants are best suited to a woodland-style garden.

The Magnolia stellata provides height and structure. In late winter and early spring, star-shaped flowers with blush-pink centres emerge, followed by fresh green leaves. The camellia provides an evergreen backdrop that complements the magnolia without stealing the show. Its ornate pink flowers appear as the Daphne odora begins to finish flowering, extending the display through the cooler months. Ligularia and Hellebore make up the lower layers, softening the edges and creating shady nooks where skinks and bandicoots can take shelter.

If you don’t have enough space for a magnolia, consider a smaller tree such as Acer japonicum ‘Green Cascade’. Pair it with Luculia pinceana ‘Pink Spice’ or Rhododendron ‘Snow Lady’.

Layers for deep shade

Gardens in deep shade will have fewer flowers, but that doesn’t mean you lose interest. Contrasting textures and pockets of colour become even more important, creating a stunning display in lieu of abundant blooms.

The real star of the show in a shade garden is seasonal interest. Cornus × ‘Constellation’ provides structure, with its ghostly branches standing out in winter. Pieris japonica and Skimmia japonica begin to flower in late winter and early spring, followed by a flush of white flowers on the Cornus. In summer, red fruit on the Cornus ripen, accentuating the red new growth of ‘Forest Flame’. Then Arthropodium and Heuchera begin to send up their romantic spikes of flowers. In autumn, as Cornus × ‘Constellation’ changes from bright green to vibrant shades of red and purple, the silvery-purple foliage of Heuchera ‘Sugar Plum’ stands out.

For smaller gardens, Cornus × ‘Constellation’ can still take pride of place, as can smaller varieties of Japanese maple, such as Acer palmatum ‘Pixie’. Pair it with English box and soften the planting with Ophiopogon ‘Black Mondo’.

Layers for native gardens

Native gardens are a haven for wildlife. Consider creating layers that provide shade in summer, seasonal interest and nectar for birds, spiky plants for hidey-holes, and plenty of flowers for pollinators.

We often think of eucalypts as large trees that belong in the bush, but Eucalyptus ‘Baby Blue’ works wonderfully as a small specimen tree, particularly when pruned to encourage the younger, rounded foliage. Ricinocarpus pinifolius and Philotheca ‘Flower Girl’ do the heavy lifting here, with masses of long-lasting white flowers adored by pollinators. The strappy Lomandra ‘Lil Bluey’ softens the abundance of blooms while tying back to the blue hues of Eucalyptus ‘Baby Blue’. Thryptomene saxicola provides additional food and shelter for wildlife.

Eucalyptus ‘Baby Blue’ can also work well in smaller gardens, but if pruning sounds like a chore, Eucalyptus ‘Silver Princess’ makes another eye-catching feature tree. Pair it with Banksia ‘Bird Song’ and soften the planting with Conostylis bealiana.

It might seem like a daunting task to start planning a layered garden, but you don’t have to do everything at once. Start by choosing one layer, whether it’s a feature tree or a group of shrubs, and allow yourself to study the area through the seasons. Your garden will change, and so will your mind, but that’s part of creating a well-thought-out space that will give you lifelong joy.

Come in to the Nursery and talk to one of our friendly garden experts today!