Garden design and planning
Add Secluded Spots for Relaxing Even if you have a larger area for outdoor entertaining, adding a more private seating area can help encourage you to slow down and enjoy a different area of the garden. Half-hidden areas, like those under a tree canopy or tucked out of sight from the house, can enhance the feeling of “getting away” in the garden.
Add a Water Element Perfect for bringing the peaceful sound of water to a garden of any size, recirculating fountains can be easier to install than they may seem. Almost any ceramic pot can be turned into a recirculating fountain with the help of some basic plumping equipment and a trough to hold the pump.
soothing design and colour paletteCool colors like blues, silvers and greens, as well as neutrals, can feel more serene in a landscape than hotter reds, yellows, pinks and oranges. That being said, the colors that make you feel calm and peaceful can be different from those of the next person. Select plants and hardscape materials in colors that you personally find calming, and arrange them together in large groupings. For example, a purple monochromatic planting of salvia and catmint give a relaxing feeling to this path
open up view zones with targeted branch removal, allowing you to enjoy both the tree and the view beyond. Here, the preserved tree is essential to the success of this design. Not only does it protect and shade the outdoor patio space, but it deemphasizes the strong architecture of the home and draws one's eye toward the meadow and hills in the distance.
Nothing here is contrived, but each aspect of the domestic landscape feels in harmony with the water, hills and naturalized plantings in the distance. This design works because of the placement and execution of the stone patio, which defines the outdoor gathering area. The plantings at its edge are intentionally kept low so they do not obscure the view of the water. The mature trees on either side are lightly pruned to keep low-hanging branches out of the sight of those magnificent hills.
frame a view
Circle the square Garden framing doesn’t have to be square or rectangular. In this outside space, a low circular wall softens the edges, disguises ugly corners and creates a focal point for the table and chairs. Even in a smaller garden, a curved border can help define different areas, and provide a home for built-in beds. For a rustic, vintage feel, use reclaimed bricks in your wall – head to your local salvage yard, talk to a friendly builders’ merchants or buy some on eBay.
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