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Turn your property’s edge into an art gallery by exploring the wonders of vertical gardening. There are dozens of companies offering do-it-yourself wall planters consisting of plastic honeycombs filled with potting mix, hydroponic systems with built-in watering devices or fabric pouches. Or custom design your own. Plant choices include succulents, exotic orchids and bromeliads, grasses, mosses and edible greens and herbs. Tip: Garden Up! Smart Vertical Gardening for Small and Large Spaces, by Susan Morrison and Rebecca Sweet, is packed with great ideas for enhancing garden walls.
Amp up the wow factor. There are times when the wall itself is the star player, embellished with bold colors, crafted of innovative materials or serving as a gallery for works of art. The heat is on when a sensuous red bougainvillea spills over a fiery orange wall, creating the focal point in this contemporary tropical landscape. (Good thing there’s water nearby to cool things off.)
Looking for a bit of theatricality in your garden? By day this garden room has a crisp, architectural personality. But in the hands of Jeffrey Gordon Smith, who has a flair for innovative color use, nightfall transforms this patio into a magical environment. Sandblasted glass diffuses backlighting, recalling the magic of a dusky sunset.
Imagine this sitting area in the middle of an open lawn. “Cozy” is not an adjective that comes to mind. But enclose it within a simple vine trellis and a rich bed of greenery, and it takes on an intimate personality conducive to hours of conversation and relaxation. Tip: If your goal is to create privacy for your dining patio or reading room — or any space where you’ll be seated — a 5-foot-tall hedge or wall is all it will take to make you disappear. Any taller and the space could feel claustrophobic. And keeping the top within easy reach makes trimming less of an ordeal.
Break up your space. Whether your garden is large or small, breaking it into smaller spaces — each with its own boundaries and personality — creates the illusion of more space. The solution can be as simple as erecting a partition that insinuates a separate space and serves as a gateway. In the garden here, an open grid of wood slats does double duty as a backdrop for a commanding focal point.
Halt a hillside. Sloping properties come with the challenge of reclaiming enough usable flat space to make outdoor living practical. Since retaining walls tend to be highly visible, and often massive, take care to select materials that harmonize with the other built elements. Natural fieldstone or river rock walls are a logical complement to a patio fashioned from irregular flagstone slabs. Taller retaining walls that require building permits and an engineer’s stamp are frequently built of concrete block, not the sexiest material to border your dining terrace, but their utilitarian appearance can be glammed up with a veneer of stone, brick or tile, or by coating it with colored or textured stucco or plaster.
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