ABSTRACT
Designers of all kinds share at least some common principles, and those working in three-dimensional media such as landscape, sculpture and architecture share an interest in form and space. The knowledge and discretion is required to achieve successful and enduring planting design and there is a need to know the medium and, know how to use it with purpose and skill. In addition to the genetically programmed aspects of growth and development, plants are continually interacting with their environment. The patterns of temperature, light, wind, moisture, nutrient availability and diseases can cause significant variations in the growth of plants in different locations. The length of different growth rhythms varies greatly, from diurnal cycles such as the opening and closing of flowers to the annual rhythm of the seasons. The entire life cycle of a plant can, in the case of ephemerals like groundsel or shepherds purse, occupy a period as short as six weeks.
