All gardens require new plantings over time to replace existing vegetation and maintain a fresh, lush appearance. Removing old or dead plants and planting new ones in their place is sufficient in most cases, but sometimes it is better to clear a larger area and create a new patch. In both scenarios the challenge is to make sure that the new plantings fit in with the established part of the garden. Repeating some of the components present in the existing vegetation is an easy way to establish a link between new and old. Colour, texture, and/or shape repetitions can be used. If the rest of the garden contains specific feature plants, then the inclusion of one or more of these can also be an effective means of integrating a new planting bed with its surroundings.

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Many garden designs are developed from two basic shapes; circles and rectangles. Rectangular designs are particularly suitable for smaller sections and can be used to link the house with the garden. Some houses have circular features such as bay windows or pillars, which could be repeated in the form of circular garden shapes to establish such linkage. On large sections a progression from rectangles close to the house to circles in the middle to free-form shapes near the boundary, allows the garden to gradually change from obviously man-made to more natural.

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