The same thing applies to meditational gardens. Careful attention is given to how the plants relate to one another, producing an overall effect or environment which is more than the sum of the parts. The gardener considers the different life cycles of the plants in order to sustain the color and vitality of the garden. Some gardens are carefully regimented in order to instill feelings of order and harmony, whereas the cottage variety offers a potpourri of spontaneous blooms in which the plants are given more freedom to establish interactive patterns.
— Shaun McNiff, Earth Angels