What Is The Rule Of 3 For Landscaping And Gardening? Does It Really Work?

When we visit botanical gardens or even the homes of friends who have particularly green thumbs, we might wonder what it is that works so well in their gardens that isn't working in ours. There's a trick savvy gardeners and experienced landscape designers use that makes the difference between a wow-worthy yard and one that is rather hum-drum: the rule of three. Some landscape designers refer to this landscaping principle as the rule of odds, because the same principle works with other groupings made in odd numbers. Ignoring the rule of three is one of the mistakes to avoid when designing an outdoor garden — that's because odd numbered groupings really look more natural than even numbers of plants.

The rule of three really is one of the landscaping ideas that will even transform small backyards. Groupings of odd numbers of three or more plants can be more appealing to the eye and appear more natural, whereas even numbers of plants can create a man-made and overly symmetrical effect. Likewise, including only a single specimen of a flowering perennial won't do enough to show off the plant's beauty in your garden.

Planning your front yard landscape is an excellent place to put the rule of three into practice. Rather than growing on or two large shrubs on either side of your front steps, plant a grouping of three shrubs on either side of the door and the effect really will be more harmonious. The rule of three doesn't just apply to foundational shrubbery or ornamental gardens — you can also make this design principle work for you when arranging potted plants and hardscaping elements like stepping stones. You might even want to take this design principle inside and use it to arrange your houseplants. Also, with the rule of three, you don't have to plant three of the same species. Three similar plants can be grown together to suggest a unified grouping, as well.

For a larger area, such as the front of a house, a grouping of five or seven small shrubs might be more appropriate than just three. Since symmetrical garden design, a once-popular garden design trend, is really outdated now, use the rule of three to help you grow more nature-forward, naturalistic gardens. And to make the design even more effective, repeated groupings of the same trios of plants throughout the yard will make the outcome look even more intentional and harmonious.