Getting the Balance in your Garden Right - more garden design principles

Okay...so we now have perfect unity and harmony in our well proportioned and simple design!

The other principle that we need to pay attention to is

Balance

A Balanced design will create a garden that is comfortable and visually pleasing. It will unite all of the features and elements within the space and create harmony. You see how all the different principles relate to one another?

To get the balance right, you need to think of how you'd feel in that space - you wouldn't feel very comfortable in a room that had all it's furniture pushed to one side - would you?

The easiest method for achieving balance in your garden would be to design a formal, symmetrical and evenly spread garden. Symmetrical gardens are naturally balanced and so you would not need to concern yourself too much with this particular principle. If you want an informal garden however, this will require a bit more consideration on your part to ensure that you get the balance right.

When dividing up your site (refer back to your functional layout plan here) you should make sure that each area relates to each other area. They do not need to be the exact size and shape - that would be boring- but they need to form some kind of relationship, not just two dimensionally but also three dimensionally. Consider which areas will become your masses (the solid aspects of your design; such as planting, buildings, etc) and which areas will be your voids ( the open areas of your design; such as lawns, patios, pathways, etc).

Use the furniture in the room as an example- all of the masses (furniture) are squished to one side of the room. The masses and voids in this space are not very balanced at all!

Now look at what each area is responsible for. You will have some areas that are to be for sitting and relaxing whilst other areas are for playing or walking. Try to balance out the different uses. The aim is to prevent the garden from becoming too static or active in any one particular section of the garden. If you are including a veg patch don't forget to add a seat to this area. That way you can balance work with sitting and enjoying the fruits of your labour.

Most gardens benefit from having secluded areas which are not immediately visible when entering the garden for the first time. You will need to consider the balance between these secluded areas and the open spaces. The function of each of these areas will dictate that balance to a certain degree - helping you to reach a decision.

Look at the balance you require between light and dark spaces. Too many shady areas will create a gloomy garden, whilst a bright sunny garden will be harsh, and tiresome. A totally sunny garden will also be harder to plant as they will need to be able to tolerate dry, hot conditions all of the time.

Sometimes you won't be able to control the amount of light that your garden receives. If your neighbour has a huge tree that casts a massive shadow over your garden, you'll just have to work with it, I'm afraid. Using light coloured paving materials and flowers can help to reflect any light that does reach that area and make it appear brighter. If, on the other hand,, your garden has no natural shade you will need to address this and add something that will add shade. Whether that would be a tree or a purpose built structure depends on what would fit with your design.

You will need to balance your choice of colours too. Introducing too many colours will make your design feel chaotic, whereas, not enough colour could make the design feel dull and uninteresting.

Take a look at this picture. How does it

make you feel? Is it too much colour or a well balanced design? (This was a design (not mine!) exhibited at Gardener's World Live show and people's views were mixed on the day )

Consider carefully where structures might add to enhance your design, and bring balance to it. Features or structures can help balance a three dimensional element in your garden and ensure that there is something of interest at all levels. When choosing which structures or features you want to use, make sure that they are the correct size and weight for your design - not too flimsy or overpoweringly large.

Remember - everyone's

views and ideas are different.

Just because you are convinced that your design is balanced, someone else may disagree altogether. Don't worry about it! So long as you feel that you have kept to the principles of garden design then you'll be happy with the finished design - and, after all - it is YOUR garden!

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.