|  |  | Create the Garden Retreat You Deserve Transform your chaotic garden into an inviting space by combining foliage and focal points in powerful ways. Join me, professional garden designer Karen Chapman, for my online Craftsy class, Gorgeous Garden Design: Foliage & Focal Points, and design an inviting oasis that will have your friends begging for your designer's number! Throughout this class, you'll learn how to bring focus and cohesion to your garden — regardless of budget or season. We'll get started by identifying problem areas within your garden's design. Then, learn how to edit and simplify your garden as you avoid what I call "the onesies, twosies," and strategically select elements that work together in a gorgeous composition. Next, we'll dig into the design process. I'll show you where to place focal points, as you consider different vantage points, like how your garden will look from your favorite chair or window. Then, highlight specific pockets of your garden and find out how to make them attractive year–round. |  | Designing with foliage is up next. I'll guide you through working with foliage to create interesting container arrangements — no flowers allowed! Then, find out how to use "the three keys," spotlight, highlight and limelight, to create well–designed container arrangements filled with complementary foliage. By the end of the lesson, you'll see exactly why foliage is a designer's dream to work with.
Moving on, I'll show you how to use large or small containers as a focal point in your space. Learn about the variety of container options available to you, like how colorful containers can add seasonal interest, even when plants are gone. Then, find out how to place them in your garden for optimal impact. I'll share planting tips so that your garden is always vibrant, and show you how small containers can live LARGE within a vignette filled with foliage!  | | Incorporating artwork, sculpture and water features into your garden can feel overwhelming, but I'll share tips for tackling these focal points with confidence. Gather ideas for placing these elements so that they become key areas of interest. You'll also learn how strategically placed artwork can add personality and style to your garden!
You can create focal points with small containers or large sculptural elements — but what if you need something even more dramatic? In this lesson, I'll show you how to turn structures, like buildings, pergolas and archways, into focal points that enhance your garden without overwhelming it. Plus, we'll look at the cute cabin in my backyard and discuss how I've incorporated it into my garden's design. |  | Finally, learn how to consider your garden's big picture by seamlessly spacing and linking your vignettes and focal points for a cohesive result that never feels busy. Enroll in Gorgeous Garden Design: Foliage & Focal Points today, and I'll even share insider tips on using color and texture as thematic elements in your garden! I'm a self–diagnosed plant–aholic who can usually be found happily covered in a layer or two of soil. Today, I own my own garden design business, Le Jardinet, and serve as the container gardening instructor at Edmonds Community College in Washington. I am co–author of the Garden Writer's Association Gold Award–winning book, Fine Foliage and a regular contributor to publications and online communities like Fine Gardening magazine and Houzz. I can't wait to connect with you in my Craftsy class as you learn how to transform ordinary gardens into extraordinary retreats using simple, accessible techniques! Karen Chapman | Craftsy Instructor
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