For most gardeners, deciding where to put the plants is the most exciting and, at the same time, most worrisome part of perennial gardening. It's exciting because you have the potential to create a masterpiece. It's worrisome because there's generally some doubt that goes along with the decision process. The truth is, perennials are a very forgiving group of plants. If you decide a certain perennial would look better in a different part of the garden, it's quite practical to dig that plant out in the spring and transplant it to another location. Experienced gardeners move plants all the time; it's simply a matter of tweaking previous work — similar to improving a recipe until it's perfect.
As you decide how to arrange plants in a new garden or add plants to an existing garden consider the design factors described in this section.
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