Get a balanced look in your garden by arranging your plants by height. The simplest approach is to follow a short-to-tall format, with ground-hugging plants tucked along the edges of the beds and taller plants anchored to the back of the border. This tried-and-true method works wonderfully in beds with a distinct front and back. For containers or island beds viewed from all sides, tweak the technique by placing the Tall Flowering Perennials to Add Height to Your Garden

When choosing plants to surround a birdbath or sculpture, pick plants no more than two-thirds the height of the object they’ll surround. When you purchase plants at a garden center, try to find large specimens to stage side-by-side comparisons. You can still purchase smaller plants to save money, but you’ll be able to see their scale in relationship to one another. If you goof on scale and pair a tall banana with a creeping verbena, the look may be more cartoonish than attractive. Luckily, it’s easily remedied. You can always pull and replant, or add midsize plants between the two. Less-forgiving scale mistakes occur when choosing an arbor or sculpture. If you err on the too-big side, you’ll have to live with an object that looks like it escaped from a giant’s garden, and it will overshadow your plantings. If you select an item that’s too small, the other plants will overwhelm it, and it will be hard to see.