For many of us, any type of garden design is a scary subject because we fear making a mistake. How can a layman design a garden that is practical, affordable and beautiful? Follow these 7 simple rules of garden design that will help you make the right changes in your garden. You can do the work yourself without spending a fortune!
1. Design your garden around the best place to sit
This may seem obvious at first glance, but we see so many examples of designs that are intended to impress rather than benefit. Everyone has favorite spots in the garden, be it for morning coffee or gin, and the sun always shines in a specific spot to enjoy at the end of the day. These are the areas where you need to focus on when designing. It's about working with the weather, not aboutto force a designthat looks good.
At your favorite seating spot, the garden needs to do something - it needs to give you a feeling of relaxation so you can enjoy that moment. There must be something worth looking at, something other than fences, walls or sheds. Your favorite plants will definitely find their place there!
2. Create shapes in the garden space
Two shapes dominate in every garden: the overall shape of the garden and the shape of the lawn. One of the most important rules in garden design is: If a border is first created, the lawn must adapt to the shape of the border.
Plants are really good at hiding odd shapes. So get startedwith the lawnand make this shape into a regular circle, arc, square, rectangle or diamond. It doesn't matter if part of this shape is cut off, it still looks like a circle or a square. The edges become the remaining parts. When you plant these, the odd shape of the border disappears and you are left with the beautiful sweep of the lawn!
3. Design a defined entrance
A garden entrance is the first impression of a garden. Entrances serve as a prelude to what lies beyond and are symbolic signs of welcome. Garden entrances that reflect the architectural style of the house form a unity. They also serve as signposts and transitions from one area to the next.
4. Design your garden with a color palette
A green frame ties the garden together and serves as a background for other colors. And colors create moods and illusions. The intensity of the light affects the color. Usefor every garden spacenothing more than a color theme. Green and gray tones have a harmonizing effect between contrasting colors. A garden's color scheme should match the house and other predominant features. The growing conditions of the garden can also influence the color design. Large areas of color are more effective than dots and spots.
5. Avoid following the fence line
Humans perceive two things above all: movement and lines. When there is a visual line, our eyes naturally follow it to the end. And in gardens there are many lines, especially those of the garden border. These can be fences, walls or hedges. If the line of the garden boundary reflects the line of the fences, the design just says, “Look at the fences”! This makes the border the most important feature and the fence becomes more visually dominant. The result is that the garden feels smaller because you are fully aware of where the boundaries are.
6. Don't forget potted plants
Planters are the icing on the cake in a garden. They come in all shapes and sizes, made of terracotta, stone, wood, ceramic, wicker, zinc and metal. Planters are usually placed close to the house, so choose materials that match the style of your home.
Plant a container with an evergreen plant next to the door. This can be permanently planted either with spring onions on the outer edge or with hellebores and euphorbias. Another simple permanent plantingis e.g. E.g. rosemary'Miss Jessop's Upright' or 'Tuscan Blue', underplanted with Erigeron karvinskianus.
Tulips are better suited to pots than beds because they can be easily removed and replanted next year. Tulips and wallflowers look good together. A good combination would be the strong and long-lasting pink tulip 'Menton', the tulip 'Jan Reuss' or 'White Triumphator' and the wallflower 'Ruby Gem'.
7. Design your garden with topiary
Topiary is a striking structural element that is an effective way to create a sense of symmetry. Three topiary cones or other shapes running along each side of a small garden give it maximum impact with minimal maintenance. You can plant them in the lawn,if your gardenis wide enough, or in the bed if your garden is narrow. The symmetry and geometry make your garden immediately seem like a cozy, grounded space. Boxwood and yew are usually the best choices for topiaries, but Osmanthus burkwoodii and Phillyrea angustifolia as well as Euonymus japonicus are also good alternatives.
