What makes garden design so challenging?

I think it's the fact that you're working with living things (plants) and other factors (the weather!) that you can't control - green thumb, or not.

A flower garden may be a living work of art, but unlike a painting that's actually finished when the artist packs the brushes away, a garden is always changing.

Plants don't always do what you expect: Many perennial clumps get bigger each year, but there's the odd one that will just disappear. Then there are plants that outgrow their spaces, turn out to be the wrong color or don't thrive no matter where you plant them - you get the picture.

Remember: nobody creates a prize-winning flower garden the first year — but you weren't going to invite the garden club over for coffee — not just yet anyway? ;-)

Planting your garden will be easier if you plan its design, layout and color scheme before you buy plants.