Now that the summer is over, it is time to start thinking of what you might want to alter in your garden and what type of landscape you wish to see next spring through your window. The weather is still warm and sunny, so let’s forget about the interiors of your home for a moment and spend some time outside before it gets cold and rainy.
It is a big challenge to create a well-coordinated lasting beautiful garden without involving a landscape designer. Approach can be as scientific as you might wish to have, but the five simple rules that follow below will hopefully give you a structured and enjoyable experience.
Landscape design is an incredibly complex and multi-layered subject, which requires a very particular set of skills and knowledge to be able to deliver projects. In addition, it too requires passion and effort to maintain and nurture the design regularly. In this article, we want to reveal the no-stress approach without overwhelming ourselves with technicalities.
1. Less is more
Even a thought of going into the garden centre is already exciting. The variety available to choose from is really satisfying to look at, but also makes it very hard to focus. Three things to think about: size, colour, maintenance. Looking at plants, think about how different sizes would work together when arranged in your garden. Then consider what effect you will achieve with all the different colours that you are getting. Not only when the plant blooms, but also the tints of different greens that prevail during most of the time. And, finally, how much care are you willing to give your garden. Truthfully, with 3 to 5 types of plants, it is easier to arrange a composition which you can control by knowing what colour and size goes where. It is also much more manageable if you are going for a neat structured look.
2. Be realistic to how much space you have
Reading up on how big each plant gets in 6, 12, 24 months is very important to ensure you are giving it enough space to grow. Having too little space will not only reduce the pace of its growth but also very likely to affect other plants which are around it.
3. Decide on the style: formal or wild
In both instances, you still have to consider all the points discussed above and make planting plans accordingly. The wild garden sometimes requires more planning and more knowledge to achieve the look that looks natural. In both cases, it is a good idea to first distribute little pots over the area that you will be planting, having in mind the size that it will grow to and what it will look like with all other plants around. It is very useful to test a couple of arrangement options to understand what feels right. To make this exercise worthwhile, you should however know basic characteristics of each plant (size, colour, maintenance required) discussed above.
4. Be realistic on how much you are keen to look after
Water and sun is something that with outdoor plants is aided by the weather. But, some plants might need more trimming and shaping care than others. Some grow relatively fast and can require more effort if you wish to keep the designed look. It’s not such an issue if you have plenty of space or if you are going for a wild look.
5. Consider seasons
Having an ever-green base is always a good idea, because it means your garden looks lush all year round. On top of that you can then layer a selection of plants that bloom at different times throughout blooming seasons.
There are no conclusions to this chapter, because even though there are rules that would make your garden flourish, it is a blank canvas that cannot be ruined by habitation. All plants are lovely to look at because they give us calm and tranquil feelings. It is also a live-and-learn kind of activity that always pays joy and pleasure in return.