The circle and its three-dimensional form, the sphere, are the most perfect mathematical forms. They are a symbol of infinite boundaries, having no beginning and no end - rather like the concept of gardening itself.

When you're designing a garden, circular features are wonderful landscape tools, adding a visual surprise and helping to relax and break up the square angularity of the average house block. Because they're a shape without angles, circles lead the eye around, rather than bringing it to a sudden stop.

We've put together a few landscape ideas using circles and spheres in clever ways, to help you get the ball rolling.

1. To create a garden of perfect symmetry, start at the centre with a classic circular feature like a raised pond. Surround it with a broad brick path, then fill in the corners of the design with box-edged garden beds. And to complete the effect, add a standard topiary to each of the four garden beds.

2. Emphasise the roundness of a pot by planting it in circles. Choose plants that have very tidy growth patterns, so all your creative work doesn't disappear under a mass of leaves. Mini mondo grass and mosses are also ideal. Position your pot somewhere near steps or entertaining areas so you can appreciate the detail.

3. Put spheres to good use, breaking up long lines of hedge.

4. Seek out circular paving segments from a supplier, then create this gorgeous take on a medieval herb garden. Try groundcovers like clipped ivy or dwarf star jasmine.

5. Within a large backyard, create a circular zone as your outdoor living space.

6. Soften the edges of a rectangular garden with a selection of ball-shaped topiaries in pots. Add a pair of concrete spheres, then trim a circular view through the hedge for good measure.

7. Concentric rings of plants look terrific planted around features like birdbaths, especially when they offer contrasting colours and textures. Here, a strappy variegated grass is embraced by a tight-clipped hedge of Japanese buxus.

8. To give a focal point maximum impact, sit it in a circular garden bed, right in the middle of a pathway.

TIPS:

Certain plants lend themselves perfectly to creating topiary balls. Choose from Ficus benjamina, lillypilly, rosemary, duranta, gardenia, English and Japanese box, Lonicera nitida and bay trees. Ficus species (commonly know as figs) are quick-growing small trees, when they're contained in pots. To train one into a lollipop or standard shape, start with a small plant and make sure it has a strong main stem.