Developing the design of a garden is an on going process. In fact garden design has been called the slowest of the performing arts. It requires patience and experience gained over time. The visual tricks of the title come from an article by Valerie Easton which I found on the Seattle Times website. You will also discover five great tips which will act as a shortcut to better garden design.

SCRIM PLANTS, like tall, slim grass spikes or willowy sunflowers, create mystery by partially obscuring parts of the garden. They can be as effective at drawing you along the garden path as a walkway that curves just enough to hide its final destination.
Such tricks, along with placing unplanted, oversized pots as focal points and planting in masses (even if that means in groups of three, five or seven plants in smaller gardens), are visual illusions used by good designers to create rich and satisfying garden experiences.
Garden design has been called the slowest of the performing arts. And it does require patience. Creating gardens is about so much more than how plants grow (or don?t) over time. How about functional concerns, like drainage and where to stash the compost bins?
I?ve been lucky enough to hang out in a wide variety of gardens over all these years of writing about them. I?ve had the pleasure of interviewing designers, and hearing from gardeners what they love best about the spaces they tend.
Here?s a smattering of what I?ve learned, from smart planning to design tips, while spending time in other people?s gardens:

See more at Seattle Times