Looking at all the Instagram worthy gardens produces two kinds of reactions. Either one covets a garden like theirs or one gets frustrated and gives up on the whole gardening project. But look closely and you will find that all of these gardens follow a similar approach to garden design. Hence I watched a few videos, read a few articles to get a practical and quick way to design my garden.
I use the following guidelines to design my garden.
- Purpose
- Balance
- Rule of three
- Repetition
- All season interest
- Surprise
- Garden rooms
1. Purpose
Over the years I have realized that garden isn’t just an accumulation of my plants but is also a place for lounging, eating and enjoying the nature. Having a rough idea of what purpose a garden will serve helps in selection and placement of plants. As an example, a bench under a tree can be used for looking at the garden or a set of table and chairs is used for outdoor dining, basketball hoop can be used by teens and a swing is used to hangout. Plants and trees are selected keeping the purpose of garden in mind.
2. Balance
What is balance ? Balance is defined as a condition in which different elements are in the correct proportions. In gardens these elements are plants of different height , texture & colors. Balance in garden is visually pleasing to the eye. There are two ways to have balance in garden. One is symmetrical / formal balance, where one side is the mirror image of the other. Sometimes I plant two similar looking flowering containers on both sides of a door. The other is asymmetrical /informal balance where the mass & color of plants on both sides is same.
3. Rule of three
Every plant , flower comes in varying height. Rule of three for me is to plant the tallest plant in the back, then the mid height plant and the shortest in the front. This way of planting ensures that all the plants are visible and gives a balanced layered effect in the garden.
4. Repetition
When the same plant is repeated in the garden it stops the eye to pause and look. Instead of the person looking in all directions, it makes the garden appear bigger. Even in container gardening, same plants in many containers gives a cohesive look and makes a statement.
5.All season interest
Before I used to be very focused on seasonal flowers and would go absolutely crazy every spring planting tons of annuals (plants that flower one season only) like zinnia, marigolds and sunflowers. But come fall my garden would look bare with no flowers. I have changed my tactics now. I am trying to incorporate more non flowering plants that keep their leaves in the fall and winter. I have started to purchase more perennials (plants that flower every year) that flower in different seasons so that I have color in every season. Also just to be on the safe side I purchase atleast two of the same kind of shrub and five of the same kind of annuals. Doing this ensures that my garden will look cohesive.
6. Surprise
This is the most fun part of garden design for me. A surprise element in the garden makes us pause and notice the garden. A statue hidden among flowers, a small fountain in a corner of a garden, garden bath for birds are some examples.
7. Garden rooms
Dividing the garden space into different rooms makes the garden more interesting. In my garden I have arbors covered in vines which trains a person to enter the lawn area. I also have a section with pebbles as ground cover and two rocking chairs for my quiet time.
Conclusion
A garden evolves over time and is a reflection of our personality. Its perfectly fine to be eccentric and use ones own ideas to design the garden. Above are the basic guidelines that keeps my garden from looking chaotic.
