Simple shapes and urban textures

[myk]

What do 'simple shapes' and 'urban textures' mean in an article about gardening?

[Kingaroo]

In landscape design, you would want to choose the shapes of your shrubbery and plantings according to some plan. Simple shapes nmight include block-like hedges or conical evergreen trees, as opposed to blowsy free-form shrubs, which might be too informal or complext or eye-catching for a particular application.

Urban textures may refer to the "hardscape" -- that is, the walls and pathways that are part of the landscape you are designing. Urban textures might include concrete paths, brick walls, large glass windows, and metal fences and benches. These give a very different feel to the area than what you might find in a non-urban garden--- say, a tumbledown mossy stone wall, a rickety wooden fence, rustic tables and chairs, a little gazebo, a crumbling birdbath, garden gnomes, etc.