I have always thought that unity is one of the hardest of the concepts to define. There is definitely not a single formula to achieve unity (repeat same ground cover = unity). There are plenty of examples of "plant collections" that use means other than repeating plants to achieve unity.

Any chance you could post a picture?

- Brent

I'm a plant collector by nature, so I have to work hard on unity in my plantings. One of the methods I use for creating unity is with repetition of color. Here are some color thinking points.

The Serbian spruces are lovely graceful trees with gray-blue-green color. I really like the idea of an upright and a weeper in different parts of the yard. Juniperus procumbens is a flattish shrub with a similar sort of color.

You have one dark purple tree. The Crimson Queen is a lovely, but dense and heavy looking tree in full leaf. Looks lovely with the gray-blues you already have in the landscape. Is it underplanted with any of the the blueish junipers or close enough to the Serbians for them to play off each other?

You currently have no other dark purple used in your plantings. You might want to carry this color to other portions of the yard, with perhaps a lower or mounded shape, possibly barberries or dark Weigelas, or perhaps just some purplish ajuga. Beware though, it is not a color that you can use a lot of (at least in small spaces) since it often creates sort of dark holes in the landscape.

The Emerald & Gold Euonymous are valuable plants in cold Michigan, but aren't as heavy looking as conifers and look better when backed by something dark to make them both pop, while also providing a nice texture contrast. Although it is not a combo I am overly fond of, you also see them used with blue spruces, as yellows and blues work well together. The green on the E&Gs can pick up a dark blue-green cast that way. Caution: E&Gs can get sort of dull and faded looking in Michigan winters & mine have a tendancy to green out in too much shade.

From a distance E&Gs make a sort of bright goldish color splash. You have nothing else in this color range or brightness level. There is a tendancy around here of trimming E&Gs into meatballs when they are standing alone, but they actually look much better when sprawling around evergreens.

I'm not familiar with Little King Dwarf River Birches. Around here you mostly see multi-trunk Heritage River Birches which quickly outgrow their spots. Yours sound like a much better choice near a house. However, I don't think wrapping E&G Euonymous around three tree trunks does much for either of them.

Note: you have used no dark greens or even mid range greens. In gardening we usually think of green as a neutral color, using it everywhere.

I'd play a little game of mix and match of your existing shrubs, maybe a little of the blue juniper under the maple, or adding some dark greens around the birch tree trunks, highlighted by the bright E&Gs, or carry some purple over to your upright blue spruce, maybe depending on your house colors and other plantings you could use some more yellows or golds to brighten things, etc. See what works.

Leslie, your response to my design question was very helpful. Every suggestion and observation you made was excellent. I see the need for utilizing an appropriate combination of textures, colors, shapes and sizes of landscaping live goods in designing an appealing landscape.
Also, I plan to cut back or eliminate the euonymous tomorrow. It is encroaching on the fabulous bark of the trees. It was already established in the bed before the dwarf river birches were added there. As you said, it does, absolutely nothing to accentuate those trees.
Thank you, Brent and Leslie, for so kindly responding to my post.

I think you are right in your OP that the three beds have nothing in common. Repetition is one way to create Unity, and you have none at all.

The short version: To achieve Unity, all elements must feel as if they "go together". Use the principles of Dominance, Repetition, Interconnection, and Unity of Three to when planning placement of elements.

Dominance: One element or group of elements should be more prominent in comparison to the others, creating an accent or focal point. Without a dominant element, the eye wanders restlessly. Dominance can be established by contrast of size, shape, color or texture, but the dominant element must have some of the qualities fo the other elements. Avoid too many accents.

Repetition: Use elements with similar shape, size, value, or texture throughout a design. This creates a strong sense of visual unity. Total repetition can be boring. Try to repeat some throught, while varying others for interest.

Interconnection: Various elements are physically linked or tied together, making the eye move smoothly. Applies to overall plan, planting design, and the 3rd dimension ie. shrubs, fences, walls. Use groundcover, low shrubs, etc.

Unity of Three: Almost automatic when 3 similar elements are grouped, because the eye tends to split an even grouping in half. Not neccessary in large numbers.

You already have one of these principles in place, with the unique character of the birches, maple, and spruce. How large are the beds? Do you have space for some intermediate height shrubs in each, along with some low shrubs or groundcover? And maybe a good sized clump of a perennial to give you a boost in spring or summer?

Choosing some plants that can be used in each bed, or similar-looking plants, will help. Picking up some of the colors of the maple and spruce with additional plants will tie them into the composition, so you're on the right track there.
Can you post a photo?

Thank-you, Saypoint, for providing a wealth of valuable information on how to create the pleasing landscape design we are hoping for.

We have taken a few digital pictures of our project, as has been suggested, but we don't know how to post them on the Garden Web.

If someone would please direct us in posting these digital pictures, I would certainly appreciate it.

Sign up for an online photo hosting service. I like Photobucket.com It's free and easy to use. Copy the HTML tag (you'll know what I mean after you've uploaded to photobucket). Then come back here and start a reply to your message (like this one)and paste the stuff you copied here in your message. When you preview your message, your photo should appear in the text area. One or two photos is plenty.