More Styles and themes to consider for your Garden Design

So, we've looked at quite a few themes that you might like to take inspiration from.

But Wait...There's More...

Well, in fact, the list is probably infinite as there will always be new themes, styles and fashions that can be used to inspire design. However, let's just look at some of the more common themes related to garden design?

If you're craving for a retreat in the country that you can escape to at weekends, then why not consider creating a country garden where you currently live? Country or "cottage style" gardens have a more relaxed and informal feel to them and convey a more romantic image (possibly not a good look for rugged bachelor types but it's up to you!). To achieve a cottage style look, you will need to focus primarily on the planting, opting for softer, muted colours that are fragranced. Note: They don't all need to smell or you'll start to feel very nauseous very quickly!

The beauty with a cottage style design is that you don't have to worry too much about plant placement - nature will help you out here. Plants are usually placed randomly in a dotted arrangement and are encouraged to self-seed freely. Good plants to use are campanulas (picture above) digitalis (foxgloves -pictured below), Hollyhocks (Alcea) and rambling roses.

Sprinkling packets of wildflower or specific "cottage flower" seeds will help you achieve the look quite easily but you will restrict your control on the overall planting design. You can allow plants to "pop" up anywhere, and often it is preferable to have plants growing in between cracks in walls and paths. Take care that the garden has interest during the winter months though as most plants that suit this theme tend to be Spring/Summer flowering. Country or "Cottage Style" gardens are also harder to maintain, despite the helping hand that nature lends. If left unchecked, plants could self-seed in far too many places and take over. Don't be afraid to remove plants that are unwelcome - you could always take them to a local plant sale and make money from them!

If it's the sea you dream of (or if you already live by the sea) then maybe a coastal garden is the way forward for you. Coastal gardens have very specific needs due to their harsh environment - strong sea breezes carrying sand can have a very damaging effect on plants. Opt for plants that have adapted themselves to tolerate the salty sea air, winds and sand blasting. On the plus side of living in a coastal region, there is rarely a frost and so, given the right wind protection, you can grow tender plants. Take a walk around coastal regions and, without snooping, take note of the plants that seem to be thriving in peoples gardens. These will help you to decide which plants you could use. Some suggested plants are Sea Buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides), Escallonia (Escallonia 'Apple Blossom'), Red Hot Poker (Kniphofia 'Atlanta'), Oriental Poppy (Papaver orientale). Visit garden centres and nurseries that are near coasts to see what they advise.

Don't just consider the plants for coastal gardens. Think to about the hard landscaping materials you could use. Crushed shells and pebbles spring to mind (please don't take anything from the beaches though as that is illegal!). Visit old boat yards and see if they have any old bits of wood, rope or chain that you could have and incorporate into your design.

The next theme that links nicely to coastal themes is water. Most people want to include water in one way or another to their garden, and as I said yesterday, it is an excellent way to encourage wildlife to your garden. Why not take it one stage further though, and create the whole garden design based on water? You could use water by having separate water features throughout the garden, or by having it link different elements of your garden together. I'll look at different water types of water features at a later time but take time to think "outside the box" when considering how to use water. Try coming up with some novel and innovative ways to incorporate it into your design.

As the climate changes, Britain is experiencing milder winters and wetter Summers. As a result of this, we are now able to grow a wider selection of plants and can quite successfully grow more sub-tropical plants in our gardens. It is possible to create and exotic, jungle feel to sheltered areas in gardens by using large-scale plants with dramatic foliage. There are now many specialist nurseries that sell sub-tropical plants. however. just by visiting your local "normal" garden centre, you'll find a huge range there too. The success of a sub-tropical garden is largely contributed to by the combination that you create with different textures and structural plant forms. Being predominantly green, you cannot rely too much on showy flower displays. I have a stunning Zantedeschia in my garden that provides flowers to my otherwise evrgreen display (see picture). Combining the large leaves (often 2metres plus in length) of Musa basjoo (Banana) with the fine delicate leaves of Dicksonia atlantica (Australian Tree Fern) and the sleek black stems of Phyllostachys nigra (Black Stemmed Bamboo) creates an instant 'jungle' atmosphere. I love the look that I get with my Gunnera (see picture), although planting it under my washing line wasn't one of my better ideas, as each leaf is over 1 metre wide! Materials such as bamboo, rocks, gravel and water contribute to the style well.

Tropical planting works well in a city environment where it can benefit from the warmth and suits a contemporary design. It also works well in a colonial styled garden that incorporates "outdoor living" as its main function.

Colonial gardens are becoming increasingly popular as we strive to create lifestyles that are more focused on enjoyment and entertainment rather than work, work,work! The colonial style adapts the Australian outback or new England way of life and adds accessories such as hammocks, hot-tubs, decking and more unusual garden furniture to the mix. Predominantly built with timber the colonial style can feel quite formal. That is where tropical planting can come in useful, by softening the look and making the garden feel more relaxed. For a more realistic colonial feel, opt for subdued colour tones of whites,greys and bleached out neutral tones if you want a New England feel. Or, to get the Australian look (I feel I'm on a make up advert now!) opt for richer hues of orange-browns with cream and dark green.

A style that was quite popular during recent years is oriental; Chinese and Japanese gardens. The key to a successful oriental garden is to remember the phrase "Less is More". All too often these gardens can fail miserably in their design as they are overdone and contain too many elements.

Scale and Balance are paramount in these gardens. Designed around the theme of nature, you are trying to recreate a landscape in miniature. They rely heavily on symbolism where rocks represent mountains, raked gravel represents the sea and small trees represent their larger counterparts. Often, stone lanterns or water spouts are positioned throughout the landscape to provide sanctuary, tranquility, and a place for meditation.

Bamboo is widely used in oriental garden both as the plant and as canes to make fences, bridges and furniture. Gravel also features heavily. Typical Japanese planting would feature mosses, ferns, bamboos, Acers, Grasses and ornamental Cherries. Again, garden centres can offer you a wide variety of plants suitable for oriental themed gardens. I'll look at oriental gardens again another time and focus on how to create a garden using Feng shui.

If space is a problem for you then you may prefer to consider a container garden. This is not as dull as you might imagine as almost anything can grow in a container so long as it is well nourished and cared for and has enough space to grow. Choose pots that will compliment your chosen garden theme. For example; terracotta pots work well for a Mediterranean garden.

Growing plants in pots is a good way of introducing plants to your garden that normally would not tolerate the soil conditions. You are totally in control of plants growing in containers as they have to rely on you for all of their needs. It's like having a (or another) child!

Speaking of children! You may want to create a garden specifically with children in mind. If this is the case then everything you design will have to be influenced by two things - safety and fun! Consider whether you actually need water. Despite it being fun, even shallow water is potentially dangerous for small children. If you are going to provide play equipment, make sure that the surrounding surfaces are suitable (concrete is not recommended!). It is advisable to position a play area so that it will be in view of adults. Hiding it at the back of the garden may seem tempting but if you cannot watch the children playing from a window of the house or a patio then it could potentially be dangerous. Get the children to join in with the design process. They might have some fun and wacky ideas that you hadn't thought of.

Although most children won't be bothered about the plants that you use, make sure you choose non-toxic plants and try to include "touchy-feely" plants.

Remember, whichever theme, or themes, you decide to use, they must fit in with the overall feel of the house and it's surroundings.

Principles of Garden Design - How to Create Unity and Harmony in your Garden

Let's have a quick re-cap on what you should have by now!

You've measured and analysed your garden and drawn it all up to scale on a site and survey analysis survey.

You've asked yourself lots of soul-searching, probing questions and come up with your design brief.

You've decided what you would like most in your garden and laid it all out logically in your functional layout plan.

You've found inspirational pictures and colours that you like and put them together to create a mood board for your garden.

You're doing well and hopefully not finding the process difficult. It's meant to be fun and satisfying so hopefully you're not struggling with it.

Before we continue with the design lets take some time to look at different design principles that you should try to remember when you create your garden design. They will help you to make your design the best it can be. These principles should be used for all aspects of the design, from the site arrangement down to the planting plan and materials you choose to use.

The first principal we'll look at is

Unity & Harmony

No, I'm not going all airy-fairy here! Unity and Harmony determines how well the garden will "hang together". To ensure that each element of the design runs smoothly and effortlessly in to the next element.

You should try to "link" the garden to your house, both with structural appearance and materials used. Obvious examples of this would be a modern building of glass and steel sitting in a garden consisting of brick paths and cottage style planting. Similarly, a thatched roofed cottage would not look good if it's garden was made of concrete and stainless steel. These are easy "links" to establish, however the majority of peoples homes will be more subtle and you may have to investigate further to find something on your house that you can use to help you "tie-in" the garden. The "link" also applies to the interior of your house.

Look for recurring colours, textures and materials that you can take out to the garden with you. (Note how the cushions in this picture pick up the blue flowers planted in the garden) If you have wooden floorboards in the room next to the garden, you may want to continue the theme and have wooden decking as the patio area. Or, if you have a particular colour that you use everywhere in the house, you may want to choose plants that will only flower that colour.

Look for "links" that are most important to you and that will all help to make the garden appear to be an extension of the house rather than two completely different places. It's all well and good to add contrast to a design, but it should be kept to a minimum to avoid the design from looking confused and chaotic. If you do want to have an area in your garden that is contrast from the rest of the design, then you will need to find a way to "unite" them, so that it doesn't look too contrived. Use the same material to join the two areas - same gravel on paths, or same plants in a hedge joining the areas, etc.

Take a look at this picture. What do you like or dislike about it? Does it represent an image of good harmony and unity, or not?

Remember to look beyond the boundaries. You will need to tie in your surroundings with the design as well as your house. A rural garden in a town setting may not induce Unity and Harmony and could end up being a poor design - sorry!

There may be shapes of trees that are in the gardens vista that you can re-create in your garden and achieve a sense of harmony with the surroundings. Do you live in a region where there is a particular local stone, or other material that gets used all over the place? By using this same material you can help link your garden with its environment. Take a walk down your road and see if there's any material or features that get used repeatedly and accommodate them in to your design.

Try to restrict the number of materials that you use in a design. By sticking to two or three materials you will create unity in the design. Any more than four materials will make the design look chaotic and unrestful, especially if you're working in a small space.

Shapes in your design also need careful consideration as to how they interact with one another. Too many similar sized shapes will be dull and too many different sized shapes will create a very busy design. Finding a happy medium will create harmony in the garden. Try to include one dominant space or shape that can act as a focal point for the garden.

Repetition of shapes, plants and materials within a design can successfully hold a design together. Always have a dominant feature though, to prevent boredom from setting in to the design. Use nature to your advantage , and opt for plants that best suit your surroundings and situation. If you live near the sea, use plants that will thrive in coastal positions. Not only will they create unity and harmony with their surroundings, but you'll find them easier to look after!

Take a look at magazines and see if you can identify pictures that typify Unity and Harmony. Do any of the pictures that you chose for your mood board represent these principles?

If you are able to achieve a good unity and harmony in your design then the garden will be a relaxing and pleasant place to spend time in. So it's worth spending time making sure you understand how to achieve them.

How to create a really good functional plan!

Let's look at how your

functional layout plan is

shaping up then, shall we?

You should have a well thought out layout with each area (or bubble) representing the solution to a particular function. If you have areas in the layout at the moment that aren't serving a function that you wrote down on your list of requirements, then scrub it out now! It doesn't need to be there and is just decoration for the garden rather than actual design. Don't worry, you can probably still include it, just not at this stage. What we're trying to do here is give you a template for your final design and make sure you include all of the absolute necessary features you want. Make sure that the areas are large enough to allow for whatever function you are expecting it to carry out - don't just make the patio area large enough for table and chairs, people will need to be able to walk around too.


Okay, so you're happy with the number of areas you have created and the sizes of each area. We also need to look at how they relate to each other. How do people move through the site? And how many of them will be moving through it at the same time? On the diagram below (apologies for using the same one as yesterday!) it shows arrows that mark the circulation routes that people should use.
Look at your site analysis and decide which are your primary routes in the garden. These are essential routes such as entry and exit of the garden, access to sheds, storage, etc. You can then identify the secondary routes. These are routes that aren't necessary but are used for recreation or relaxing, such as, meandering through the garden.

It is common knowledge that people will usually take the shortest route to get somewhere essential. These are known as "desire lines". It is important to consider where these would likely be in your design and try to accommodate, or prevent them where possible. Do you want the edge of your lawn worn out where people have "cut the corner"? If you're determined that you want to send people in a certain direction to reach their goal, then you will need to include something in your design that stops then from being able to follow their "desire line". In a large garden it is probably advisable to have a direct route to services such as sheds, washing lines, etc, however these don't have to be dull. You can use your creative flare and add a bit of design to these too, balancing the design with practicality as you go.

You may also want to add some focal points to your design, or have to take in to account existing ones. Focal points don't have to be a giant naked sculpture of a man/woman! They can be anything from artwork, to a specimen of a tree or shrub. Anything that will draw the eye and add interest. There may be a view outside of the garden boundary that you want to draw people to. When you are selecting the positions for these focal points consider the site lines from the house. You don't want to look out of the kitchen window and look straight at a shed - or do you? Imagine sitting on your new patio. What are you looking at? You don't need to know what the focal point is at this stage, but knowing where they are going to go is necessary to complete the functional layout plan stage.

Avoid specifics at this stage. You won't need to list the plants that you want to use but you may like to highlight specimen trees. Use simple generic headings for your planted areas - hedging, climbing, ground cover, shade-loving, etc.

Once you have completed your functional layout plan, create a few more and compare them. You may prefer the look of one more than the other, or decide to add some design features from one plan to another. Keep turning the plan to see it from different angles and prevent it from getting stale.

Congratulations!

Now that you have a functional layout plan of your garden that fills all of your objectives and potentially looks good, you are ready to start elaborating your design ideas for each area you have created. Consider materials and level changes and other important details.

Depending on how confident you are, you may want to sketch 3D drawings of your design ideas. These will help you get a better idea of what the finished design could look like. Don't worry if you're not good at drawing - we'll look at techniques later on.

You could, if you prefer, make detailed notes about each area on your functional layout plan and maybe attempt some freehand sketches to act as a basis for the next stage.

Something that does get used a lot by designers is the creation of a 'concept' or 'mood' board. This is essentially a collage of pictures and materials collected from magazines, photos and anywhere else appropriate that represent the "feel" of your design. Look through inspirational sources and collect images that reflect the way you want your garden to look and feel. It will help you to remain focused on your design and could even stimulate new ideas.

Give it a go and see what you think!

So....How do you really design a garden?

By now you should have all the information that you could possibly wish for (maybe even more than you could wish for!) about your garden and what you'd like to see in it.

We can now begin the process of designing your new garden! Bet you thought it would never happen, hey?

Using all of the information that you have collected you can start to develop some design ideas - you probably have already got a few seeds of ideas floating about inside your head waiting for exploration. We need to understand a few principles that can "make or break" a design. Being armed with this knowledge will allow you to come up with the perfect design for your garden. You will need to understand the concepts of unity and balance, scale and proportions, simplicity and harmony. I'll go through the importance of all of these soon but for now though...

...in the words of this blogs title...

How do you really design a garden?

Rather than going head first into wonderful sketches and colour-rendered plans, it is advisable to break the design process into stages. At whatever stage you are at, you will find it helpful and inspirational to display as much of your research around you as you can, especially your site photographs. Don't try to work on just one piece of paper throughout the design stages. You're a creative designer now and as such, can be flamboyant and "arty- darling". Therefore, use lots of "throw away" paper and draw, write or sketch whatever ideas pop into your head. You can discard the ones that won't work and develop the ones that might.

Don't rush things. Take your time and develop the ideas you have in a non-pressured, relaxed environment. If you get excited about developing certain design ideas at this stage, chances are you'll get excited using those ideas in your actual garden when you've built it!

The first stage of the process is to create and study a "functional layout plan". This is a freehand drawing that will act as your first rough working plan. It will consist of "bubbles" that divide your site up into different areas to detect how the space in your garden flows. No intricate details are permitted at this stage. All we are trying to deduce is where abouts you would like to position certain features so that the garden will best serve your requirements. Look back at all of your research and your design brief (your interview) to decide what it is you most desire in your garden.

Here are some site conditions or requirements that might affect your functional layout plan:

The site has an ugly view that needs screening.

You want a seating area in the sunniest position in the garden.

You have small children that require a play area that needs to be within view of adults.

You have a shady area that you want to incorporate a water feature into.

This list is, of course, only a few examples of factors that will contribute to the plan. Consider your data and make your own list of the important things that you need/would like in your garden. Rank them in order of importance to you so that you can focus on those points. Any extras can be a bonus to the design if you can incorporate them into it. Your ideas and rankings may change as your design develops. This is normal and to be expected as you find the design that best works for you. Don't worry about it, just go with the flow. You can make as many functional layout plans as you need to until you are happy with the layout.

Got your list? Right then, lets put it into a functional layout plan then.

Set up your site survey and analysis plan onto your drawing board or table top. Lay a piece of tracing paper over it and trace over the boundaries and baseline of your site in pencil. If you have any fixed features on the site survey plan that are intended to remain in place, trace these onto the tracing paper as well.

You now have the outline of the garden in which to work. Looking at your list, choose the most dominant features that will need to be close to the house and then work outwards from there. Roughly divide up your garden into areas - using free-hand with a pencil. You can use a scale rule to help give you an idea of size of each item, but you should not have any straight lines in your plan.

Start by deciding where the major divisions need to be and how, if at all, they will be linked. Don't worry about actual details at this point- you don't need to know that a hedge will be dividing the play area from the lawn, etc - just draw each area so that they are almost touching (see diagram).

With your list of requirements, decide what the function of each one is and decide where it would best be positioned in your garden. Make sure that the conditions in the garden match the function of your requirement - putting a cool seating area in the sunniest part of the garden wouldn't work! Knowing how different shapes influence people's feelings and behaviour is important when creating the layout of the garden. The shape should be tailored to the function. For example, if you want an area where lots of people can relax together, then you would create a square or rectangle with almost equal sides to make them feel at ease. A narrow strip would not be conducive for people to socialise with one another.

Try putting your main features into your plan and experiment with different shapes and sizes. Later we'll look at the other important concepts to consider whilst creating your functional layout plan including, desire lines and focal points.