Framing Views and Creating Focal Points in Your Landscape

by Mouton Noir
Focal points and framing aren’t about formality

We’ve all done it—walked into a garden, turned a corner, and suddenly stopped. Something pulled us in. A tree framed just right. A pot glowing in the afternoon sun. A single plant in full, unapologetic bloom.

That moment? That’s design.

It’s not about having a huge space or formal training. It’s about creating focus—the gentle art of showing people where to look, and giving them something worth seeing. Whether it’s a borrowed view, a dramatic specimen, or a quiet vignette, framing and focal points bring rhythm and purpose to your space.

Let’s explore how to craft those moments of garden magic—intentionally.

🪟 Framing the View: Set the Scene

Framing is how you guide the eye—like putting a mat around a painting. It helps create a sense of place and invites a pause.

🧭 Try framing with:

  • Arching branches or trained shrubs (like Cornus or small Amelanchier)

  • Tall perennials to create soft “walls”

  • Arbours or trellises to create peek-throughs

  • Pathways and edging to subtly direct movement

🌿 Plant picks that frame beautifully:

  • Thalictrum ‘Lavender Mist’ – Tall, airy, and ethereal—like a curtain of soft motion

  • Persicaria polymorpha – Big and bold with fluffy white flowers that create visual structure

  • Veronicastrum virginicum – Upright spires perfect for edge-of-path planting

  • Iris ‘Caesar’s Brother’ – Dramatic foliage and rich bloom that adds vertical punctuation

  • Aruncus dioicus – A feathery screen that softens hard lines with elegance

💡 Design tip: Frame a distant tree, bench, sculpture, or even a borrowed view through your own plantings.

🎯 Creating Focal Points: Give the Eye a Place to Land

A focal point doesn’t have to be flashy—it just has to matter. It’s the star of the show, the “look at this!” moment that balances everything else around it.

🔹 Ideas for focal points:

  • A bold plant in full bloom

  • A beautiful bench or water feature

  • A container with texture and colour

  • An unexpected sculpture, boulder, or trellis

🌿 Plants that shine as living focal points:

  • Lupinus ‘Gallery Red’ – Tall, eye-catching spikes in deep ruby-red

  • Hibiscus ‘Valentine’s Crush’ – Dinner-plate blooms that stop you in your tracks

  • Eryngium ‘Blue Hobbit’ – Compact, spiky, and electric blue—totally unique

  • Rodgersia ‘Bronze Peacock’ – Big, bold, dramatic foliage with a sculptural feel

  • Papaver ‘Royal Wedding’ – White petals with dark centres—pure drama in bloom form

🌿 Design tip: Use space around your focal point—low groundcovers, soft fillers, or simple mulch—to help it stand out.

🌀 Bonus: Layering for Depth and Drama

Don’t stop at one angle. Think about how your garden looks:

  • From the street

  • From your kitchen window

  • From your favourite chair

Change height, bloom time, and texture to create views that shift with the season and invite second looks.

Final Thoughts: Make Them Look Twice

Focal points and framing aren’t about formality—they’re about intention. About noticing what already draws you in and turning up the volume just a little.

So stand in your garden and look out. What do you see? What could you highlight? What makes you pause?

Start there. Let your plants do the rest.

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