Inspiration, hints and tips
‘You’ve acted like a horticultural defibrillator on me so I’m VERY grateful' Margaret, Hengoed
The recognition that we need to be closer to nature and that our gardens are the closest and very best places to so that can be the spur we need.
The opportunities available to us are endless, so we need to refine them to suit our own needs and budgets and of course, our site’s own unique character, its existing location, topography, soil type, planting and the potential habitats we come to realise can be developed.
The tricky part is putting these ideas together, relating the elements we would like to include to our own garden spaces and in turn integrating our garden and home into our surroundings.
Hints and tips.
* Firstly look at the surroundings of the garden, think about how it relates to its landscape, whether it's urban, rural or a part of a housing development. Opening up boundaries to good views allows us to extend the garden outward into 'borrowed' landscape, looking inward and screening less pleasant views can allow us to concentrate the interest within the garden and appreciate the finer detail.
* Think about the garden as a whole rather than as a series of separate areas and consider the way people move around it, this can be manipulated by the shapes we use in the layout and how pathways are integrated into the overall design. The style of the garden should continue throughout, be bold with curves or dynamic with straight lines. Wiggles at the edge of lawns are not a design feature!
* Put time and effort into planning, consider the possibilities and don't rush ahead with one aspect or area of the garden without knowing what will come next.
* We are inside for much of the time so views from windows are important. Inside and out can be linked together by our choices in materials, shapes and colour schemes. It's dark for long hours in winter so to make sure pathways and steps are safe it might be good to consider outdoor lighting, but do be sparing with the use of artificial light, especially if there are bats around and stick with low level fittings with a warm white light. Light pollutions affects insects and birds too so when it comes to lighting less is definitely more.
* Patios don't have to be right outside the patio doors and they don't have to be rectangular or laid straight up to the back of the house either. If the house is modern, as long as the soil level is 150mm below the dpc then in general planting by the house wall is fine.
* Our choice in planting style and species needs to be practical as well as beautiful and correspond to our tastes as well as ability to maintain the appearance we want. When it comes to the natural world and the constraints or attributes of the site, nature will always win so make friends with her from the outset, live and let live, we and our gardens will be all the happier for it. Check the soil first, is it light and free draining or heavy, holding on to water after rain? Most gardens have sunny and shady areas which is great, there are plenty of plants suitable for both and diversity in planting allows for more biodiversity, an all round good thing for us, our wildlife and our planet.
