|
| |
Garden Design - Common problems
How do I make my small garden
seem bigger?
The commonest reasons that small gardens seem
so small are that any large trees or shrubs are planted around the edge, there
is a central square or rectangular lawn, paths and borders are in straight lines
and you can see the whole garden in a single glance.
What you need to do therefore is the opposite.
Keep taller shrubs and trees close to the house. Keep the centre open though,
if there is a lawn, make it curved, possibly an asymmetric shape. If you don't
need or want a lawn, then use the area for different shapes and planting, a
gravel area maybe with island beds and pots or ornaments as features. Try to
have a feature that is tucked away, a seat or statue or other ornament that
you have to go and find, hidden or partly hidden from the house.
Large plants are important, but not dense shrubs,
use large bamboos or plants that are "open". Small trees so that you can walk
beneath the branches are good. It's better to have a small number of large
plants than loads of small ones.
If you are going for the "crowded" option, you
need to plan carefully in advance otherwise it gets very bitty.
Also with a small garden try to keep a single
unified theme and provide a focal point, sculpture / fountain / seat
/ container etc.
My garden faces
North
What this often means is that the face of the house adjoining the garden
faces North. The end of the garden will be South facing and
so excellent for growing all kinds of plants, and the longer the
garden, the greater the area that gets the sun. There will be quite
a shadow extending from the house however, so it is worth considering
placing any patio or deck away from the house on the Eastern side of
the garden to catch the evening sun.
|
My garden is very long
and thin rectangle
 Break
it up into sections. Avoid having a long continuous path running
the length of the garden, and try to incorporate different shapes into
the areas such as circles, and off set squares. Tall plants,
trellis, columns etc. between the sections will break the line of sight.
|
My garden is a boring big square
Break it up with bold circles and other
shapes, off-set squares, hexagons etc. Don't worry about what happens
at the edges, these can be planted beds where shape doesn't matter much.
Get the shapes right, particularly where they join each other. Don't
be afraid of planting into the middle of the garden, the biggest and
commonest mistake is to push everything to the edges which emphasizes
the squareness.
|
I have an awkwardly shaped shaded
area between the house and fence where grass won't grow properly
 This
is quite common with new houses on the other side of the house from
the garden gate. Turn this area into a utility or storage area
(particularly useful for outdoor children's toys, wheelbarrows, bags
of compost etc.).
Cover the ground with a permeable horticultural
membrane to suppress growth and lay down 20mm gravel at the rate of
about 1/2 tonne per 5 square metres. Where it meets the lawn fix a 3"
diameter fencing stake along the edge held in place by two wooden stakes
about 12" long hammered into the ground. If this area is very visible
from the rest of the garden, disguise it with a trellis (or solid) panel
6ft high and about half the width of the gap (make sure you still have
access for those see-saws and big plastic slides though). Fix this to
the house at one side and to a 3" square post on the other.
|
I have an awkwardly sized and
shaped bit of the garden which receives some light
Similar to the above but not tucked away
so much. Treat it like a separate garden room if it is large enough.
Hide it from the rest of the garden as above with trellis or a fence
panel, leaving a gap of 3ft or so for access, for instant effect and
/ or planting. A seat, possibly in a pergola is often a nice idea for
such places. It may be difficult to get in to mow, so consider paving,
part paving, a planted gravel area or alternatives such as a chamomile
or thyme lawn, such areas tend to be fairly small.
|
My garden slopes very steeply
 Make
useful level areas by terracing. A deck adjoining the house is easier
on a slope than a patio. Have a lawn area that is leveled. Retain
these leveled areas with small walls or have planted slopes between
the levels. Plants will grow on fairly steep slopes up to around 45
degrees and will stabilize the soil with their roots when established.
"Anchor" the composition
with some largish plants near the house (tall uprights are useful)
and along the length of the garden, this avoids the impression that
the garden is "slipping" down the slope.
|
|
