Exuberance is key for a romantic garden style; it calls for a happy mingling of flowers and foliage rather than regimented spacing. Yet for this design to be considered easy care, the plant selection must also be well behaved — no flopping allowed, and minimal watering and deadheading.

No romantic garden is complete without fragrance, so the plant combination here includes lavender to flank the pathway that leads to the front door. Even when the lavender is not in bloom, casual brushing against its foliage will release the aromatic oils to perfume the air.

A restrained color palette of white, silver and blue brings a sense of calm to the space. Flowers, foliage and even the bark of a multitrunked Himalayan white birch (Betula utilis var. jacquemontii) play into this color scheme.

The end result is an enchanting entry garden that leads you to the front door while tempting you to linger. Le jardinet Relatively few plants are included in this design, but they are repeated frequently throughout the garden. The aim is to create a series of billowing mounds using both foliage and flowers in cool shades of white and silver with blue accents that tie visually into the glass sculpture.

This scene welcomes visitors from June through November and requires little more than an occasional watering during the peak summer months. Here's how to get the look. Le jardinet 1. Start with a froth of white flowers.

Whirling butterflies (Gaura lindheimeri) is one of the most enchanting summer perennials. The delicate, white, butterfly-like flowers are suffused with pink and dance in the slightest breeze, bringing movement and color to the summer garden. Each plant produces dozens of flowering stems, so when they're massed together, as in this design, the effect is of a soft floral haze.

This is a woody perennial, so do not cut it to the ground in winter. Allow the twiggy structure to remain, which will protect the crown from frost damage. When new growth is visible in spring and you are sure the danger of frost has passed, trim the stems to the new growth to shape the plant.

USDA zones: 5 to 9 (find your zone)
Water requirement: Low
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: 2-foot basal foliage with 4-foot flowering spikes
When to plant: In spring or fall Le jardinet 2. Add fragrance.

Grosso lavender (Lavandula intermedia var. Grosso) is one of the taller, billowing cultivars that is perfect for making a statement in the garden or even creating a short hedge. The green-gray foliage forms a tidy mound 3 feet tall and wide, blooming from July through September with fragrant wands of deep blue.

USDA zones: 5 to 10
Water requirement: Low
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: 3 feet tall and wide
When to plant: In spring or fall

More about growing lavender | Other plants with gray-green foliage Le jardinet 3. Include great foliage.

Magical Fantasy weigela (Weigela florida 'Magical Fantasy') differs from earlier cultivars in that it has a pristine white variegation rather than a creamy yellow one. The tubular flowers are a soft pink and begin to appear in May; they continue on and off throughout the summer, much to the delight of the hummingbirds. As temperatures dip in the fall, the foliage on this shrub takes on a beautiful rosy cast.

USDA zones: 4 to 8
Water requirement: Average, lower once established
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: 3 to 4 feet tall and wide
When to plant: In spring or fall Le jardinet Silver Mound wormwood (Artemisia schmidtiana 'Nana') brings a feminine touch with its soft, feathery, silver foliage.

This perennial can be sheared back in midsummer if it starts to get straggly and it will quickly rebound. I have not found this to be necessary, however.

USDA zones: 4 to 8
Water requirement: Low
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: 12 inches tall and 18 inches wide
When to plant: In spring or fall Le jardinet 4. Accent with touches of color.

Rozanne cranesbill (Geranium x 'Rozanne') is noted for its striking periwinkle blue flowers with deep purple stamens. The foliage is a bright green with lighter markings and dark red highlights.

This remarkable perennial blooms from May through November and can easily cover an area 3 feet by 3 feet or be trimmed back partway through the season to keep it somewhat restrained. However, if you want a soft, romantic effect, freedom rather than restraint is preferable.

USDA zones: 4 to 9
Water requirement: Average but lower once established
Light requirement: Full sun or partial shade
Mature size: 12 to 15 inches tall and spreading to 3 feet
When to plant: In spring or fall

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