By Robert Paul Hudson
The tri- angle design is rather simple in concept, and like any design is made more complex by it’s detail.
Here are some photos as examples:
Example 1
Example 2
Example 3
Example 4
Example 5
Example 6
Example 7
My attempt in the Adventures in Aquascaping series of Tropical Fish Hobbyist Magazine
Each is different in its own right, but uses either color or light and dark green for contrast, depth and greater composition. #5 has the least amount of contrast. The key is to have a significant amount of height on one end to create the triangle. Stem plants will give you a more manicured look that you can control the height and shape with by pruning. A tall rosette plant is fixed. You cannot shorten it or change it’s appearance much.
Creating different groups of plants within the triangle make it more three dimensional and more interesting to look at as long as they flow together well.
The next component is the fore ground in front of the triangle. Does it compliment the triangle well? Is it easy to maintain as it grows? Take a look at each of these in the photos and tell me what you think.
#6 is stem plants gone wild! Compare that to number 4.
Wood is often used as a frame work for creating plants in a line, or wood and rocks are also used to create the base of the triangle on either end.
Number 3 is interesting because it is a reverse tri-angle not only from right to left, but from front to back.
In my photo I was trying to create a tri-angle both in the hardscape and in the negative space, (background).
