How to design a gardenThink about what you want. Choose a location for your garden. Determine the size and shape of your border. Look for plants adapted to your growing conditions.
From the list of suitable plants, make selections in accordance with the basic principles of flower garden design. Hyland adds that “it's important to consider routes before planting flowers or trees to be able to move around the garden easily”. Paths can be made of brick, stone, or concrete and must be at least 18 inches wide so you can walk comfortably on them. Some garden designers will recommend spending 5 to 15 percent of the home's value on the garden, which, in turn, will add a similar, if not greater, amount to the value of your home, as mentioned above.
With that in mind, always have a contingency fund. Ideally, between 5 and 15 percent of the total budget should be, but the higher the better, especially if you're tackling the project yourself. While savings will be made in some areas, mistakes will inevitably be made in others. For most garden projects in the UK, you don't need to apply for a planning permit, but in certain cases, you'll need to do so.
The extension of the boundary heights, the spacious terraces, the terrace platforms of more than 30 cm and the new pavements in the front garden are common examples of what you will need to obtain permission. Similarly, if you live in a conservation area, the rules can vary greatly, so always check with your local authority. It is helpful if new plants and trees are not covered by planning permission, although existing trees may have a tree preservation order to protect them. Contact your local authority to find out.
We take a look at Canon's fun SELPHY CP1300 photo printer, which aims to reintroduce physical prints into our lives. Start by placing the largest plants first. Trees and shrubs form the backbone of its design. Everything else will be designed around them.
Here's something for spaces of all sizes. Whether you have a small patio or patio or just want to create a space to eat close to the house, one of the best ways to close an area without looking claustrophobic is to use a lattice. The Garden Lovers Club found a way to make this compact backyard garden airy and full of plants. Lattice openings allow air and light to pass through, while providing some privacy.
Plants on either side of the lattice walls will provide even more protection. Having the plants and containers in the patio raised above the living room further increases the feeling of an airy space. You can combine the tones of wood and the gray landscape by using gray and terracotta ornaments, flower pots and cushions. I have always thought that the best gardens are the ones that make people happy and comfortable.
Sure, big gardens look good, but they also have to feel good. The gardens I admire most are relaxing, easy to walk around and not too difficult to maintain. Roads and structures should be easy to navigate, while selected plants should provide interest and perform a function without being stalkers or cousins. As a landscape architect, I address these issues of comfort and utility every day.
Here are 15 practical tips that have helped me create pleasant and livable gardens for myself and my clients. Make sure your paths are wide enough for a comfortable ride. Nobody likes to crawl into tight spaces, indoors or outdoors. Main roads must be wide enough so that at least two people can walk side by side, no less than 5 feet.
For secondary routes where people travel a single row, the width must be at least 3 feet. Keep in mind that the higher the plantations or structures that flank your walkway, the wider the path should be. High limits make any space appear more restricted. Exterior steps and ladders must ascend smoothly; otherwise, they may seem overwhelming.
Steps with an elevation of 6 inches or less are the most comfortable. The travel (or depth) of each step plus twice the climb (or height) must be equal to 26 inches. Therefore, steps with an elevation of 6 inches would require a travel of 14 inches. If your garden stairs include more than 10 steps, consider landing after every fourth or fifth step to facilitate progress.
The landings must be at least as deep as the steps wide. A generous landing is an absolute necessity when a staircase changes direction. Patios and terraces are perfect spaces for outdoor entertaining. Plan enough space to eat and socialize.
Consider how many guests you're likely to host regularly and then plan at least 4 square feet of space per person. Outdoor dining means outdoor furniture, so try to leave a 3-foot wide perimeter of open space around any group of furniture to allow for comfortable circulation. Make sure any pavement provides a secure base. Avoid slippery surfaces or loose pavers that wobble.
Paving materials, such as polished granite or smooth outdoor tiles, may not offer sufficient traction in rainy and winter climates. Gravel roads are OK, just use unsifted gravel. Unsieved gravel contains aggregates of various sizes, which are firmly compacted and provide a solid base. Sifted gravel is made up of aggregates of similar size, which do not compact well and remain loose underfoot.
Leave enough free space under arches, pergolas and pergolas. I consider 7 feet to be the minimum and generally add at least another 18 inches if I know there will be plants growing on the structure. This may sound loud, but outdoor structures tend to appear smaller than if they were indoors. In addition, prevention is better than cure and avoid bumping into a climbing rose or wisteria.
Posts for arches and pergolas should be placed at least a few centimeters outside the paths that cross them to leave adequate space for the elbows. Give your plants room to grow. If you must have a dense and complete landscape right away, plant with the intention of relocating or removing some plants as they mature. You can also plant fast-growing, short-lived “filler” plants to temporarily increase the volume of your plantings.
Some of my favorite fillers are delphiniums (Delphinium spp. And resumes. Just keep track of which are the prolific self-seeders, such as the tall verbena, to prevent fillers from taking hold. Place plants more than 30 to 36 inches tall at least 2 to 3 feet away from the edges of the walkway and patio; otherwise, these spaces may seem too cramped and cluttered.
While doing so, try to keep thorny plants like roses (Rosa spp. If you want to plant a rose in an arch or a pergola on a walkway, consider fragrant, thornless old garden roses, such as the 'Reine des Violettes' (Zones 5—, 'Mme. Germain (zones 3—, or “Drouhin zéphirine”) (zones 5—. While flowers are a very attractive attribute, many plants offer more than just flowers.
Look beyond flowers and use foliage, fruit, and bark for color, shape, and texture year-round. Spring and summer may be the time for flowers, but autumn is the turn of the rotating leaves of oak leaf hydrangeas (Hydrangea quercifolia and cvs. In the same way, winter opens the curtain on the stems of red twig dogwoods (Cornus stolonifera and cvs). By choosing plants with multiple ornamental resources, you'll expand the seasonal appeal of your garden.
If you're setting up or digging up your garden (or you just need something to add to your to-do list), consider placing electrical ducts and irrigation pipes 18 inches below the ground along paths and near the edges of the bed, even if you don't have current lighting or watering plans. In a few years, you'll be glad you did. Wiring and plumbing are easy to install later if the pipes are already there, and you won't have to interrupt established plantations or break the pavement. Few things in gardening are as annoying or uncomfortable as sticking a pick or shovel to make trenches in a buried pipe or cable.
Locate all underground pipes and services if you plan to change slopes or dig trenches more than 18 inches deep in your garden. Most municipalities or local utility companies offer services to find and signal underground lines, usually for a price no higher than a nominal fee. Sign up today and save up to 44%. The best garden designs start with structural plants filled with pretty flowering plants.
Therefore, use evergreen shrubs at the end of each edge and as punctuation marks along the way. Include small shrubs, such as boxballs, or large evergreens, for example, mahonia, for larger areas. Lindsey Hyland, gardening expert and founder of Urban Organic Yield (opens in a new tab), says: “One of the keys to designing a great garden is making sure the plants in the garden have enough space to grow. There are many resources and even garden design applications available to help you bring your outdoor space to life, whether you need ideas for a small orchard, are looking for a larger plot, a patio, or a garden with a balcony.
According to Claire Belderbos, director of gardening specialists at Belderbos Landscapes, “a dining table works best in the garden area that has full or partial sun in the early afternoon. The Japanese influence in this garden designed by Ramon Smit and presented by Paramount Plants goes far beyond the whining Japanese maple that reflects on the water. In Small Garden Style, garden designer Isa Hendry Eaton and lifestyle writer Jennifer Blaise Kramer show how to use good design to create an outdoor living space that is cheerful, elegant and exciting yet compact. ABOUT THE AUTHORGardens are such personal and individual expressions that the very idea that there is a “way to create one” seems almost crazy.
His love for interior design grew out of a childhood spent dreaming of strange and wonderful ways to renovate his grandmother's house in France (it was a greenhouse roof) and it was spending time around attractive indoor plants and in a hard-working garden that gave him a green touch. Establishing a design summary of what you want and need from your garden space is essential and should therefore be done early in your garden planning process. If you're on a tight budget or are updating a rented garden, you'll want to opt for high-impact yet affordable garden ideas. But before you run out and buy a bunch of plants, follow my step-by-step instructions to design your garden.
When faced with Linda Lipsett's 30-by-90-foot plot, garden designer Chris Fischer shunned the organization. If you're working with a large garden space and have never done a large garden project before, or don't have experienced friends or family to call when you need to know how to place a terrace, for example, consider hiring a garden designer. If you're adding a new bed, mark the garden with gardening spray paint, marking flags, or a long garden hose. .
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