I recently attended an awards meeting where a group of designers across a variety of mediums discussed what makes for a great landscape design or designer. The conversation was brisk, and I felt myself thinking about some of the dozens of gardens that I see every year. I think every garden counts, regardless of size or budget, especially if there is a passionate display of plant material, ornament, or other personal expression. Keep in mind that includes the pink flamingo garden, the bowling ball garden, and the gnome garden. So perhaps I was not the best choice to sit on the awards committee! After much thought, I wanted to compile a checklist of design items that you garden readers might want to consider if you are planning a new garden, renovating an existing one, or simply wish to make simple refinements to a garden that you yourself see as quite lovely, thank-you-very-much.

Thematic Consistency

Does the garden relate to the architecture of the home? For example, Japanese gardens in front of a Northwest craftsman-style home can be incongruous. Ramblers tend to be neutral, allowing you to go modern, cottage, formal, or Asian. This doesn't mean that you can't have an eclectic mixture of design ideas: You just have to take the plunge and risk everything.

And does the garden enhance and relate to the indoor living space? If you look out the kitchen window, does the garden make the kitchen feel bigger? Are the lines between indoors and out blurred? Does the thematic consistency extend to the construction materials and the plant palette?

Construction

Are the hardscape (the paths, patios, retaining walls, fences, and water features) well constructed? Are the materials unusual, or if traditional, are they used in inspiring ways? Everyone in the Northwest loves a good cedar fence, but that doesn't mean that they all have to look the same. And unit paver patios don't have to be gray; new prefabricated materials are available all the time. Rockeries don't have to be made of basalt; stone yards carry a variety of rockery materials. And I must say: I personally am over those burbling basalt columns. One of the display gardens at this year's Northwest Flower & Garden Show featured a bevy of these columns burbling away. Eek! I believe that can use water in more creative ways than pre-drilled basalt columns. (That's just one woman's opinion, mind you.)

Plants

Are the plants healthy and well maintained? Is there any soil showing? (In other words, should there be more plants, or should the existing plants be planted closer together?) Does the plant palette relate to the architecture of the garden? For example, tropical plants in a Japanese garden are incongruous. Formal Mediterranean courtyards call out for Mediterranean plantings. Northwest woodland gardens scream for ferns. Plants are generally planted in odd-numbered groups (3, 5, 7 or more), as that is considered more pleasing to the eye. A garden with one of everything feels hectic, scattered, and unplanned. If you're a plant collector, try to group your plants by color or texture to create a sense of unity.

Focus on scale in your plantings. If you have a two-story open courtyard that leads into your home, you'll need something tall and architectural in that space. Groundcovers alone are going to feel lost and out of balance. Most homes have tall sides: Look to plant these foundations with plantings that will fill out approximately one-third of the wall.

Personalization

I once attended an NHS symposium where during the question and answer period an attendee asked the speakers how she could add whimsy and personality to her garden. At the time, I thought, "Honey, if you have to ask..." Put a stamp of individuality in your garden by listening to your ideas and following through with them. Don't let anyone tell you that your ideas are bad or wrong (including me). Trust yourself. If you think a dinosaur sculpture at the entryway to your gate would be fun, go for it. If you want to try a latticework fence instead of a traditional picket fence, have at it. If you want to make a path out of crushed teacups, crush away.

And remember: Every garden counts. You don't need someone to tell you that your garden is good. You only need to hear it from yourself.