Gardens can make for a great place to unwind and entertain guests, but they can also be difficult to maintain. Fortunately, neglected gardens can make for fun and satisfying DIY projects, too! Taking some time to perfect your outdoor space also means you can design it exactly to your needs. Here are some tips for improving the look of your garden.
Consider the Use of Your Garden
The first thing you should think about when designing your outdoor space is what you want to use it for. Broadly, there are three purposes you should consider. Gardens can be used as additional living space, to provide a pleasing aesthetic, and traditionally, also to grow food. Naturally, then, what you intend to mainly use your garden for should dictate how you design it. For example, it doesn’t make sense to overcrowd the space of your seating area with too much greenery if you mainly want to transform your garden into an outdoor living space.
However, just because you want to focus on one use of your garden over others, this does not mean you should neglect all its other potential purposes. For example, regardless of what you use it for, how your garden looks will play a large role in how much time you want to spend there. Equally, edible fruits and vegetables on the borders can also accentuate the design features of your garden.
Add a Fire Pit
Fire pits have exploded in popularity over the last 2 years, and with their versatility and utility, it’s not hard to see why. Fire pits not only provide a much-needed source of warmth and light in the evening, but can also act as a centerpiece to unify the style of your garden. If you’re looking to add a fire pit, you will also need a paved area to place it. Fortunately, it is a lot easier to install landscape pavers than you might think, and can be achieved over the course of a weekend.
Think about Lighting
A problem many gardens deal with is a lack of natural light. This is particularly an issue for terraced houses, since other houses can block your garden’s access to the sun. When designing an outdoor space, it is therefore important to consider the role of light in it. This is important for both the health of your plants and the aesthetics of your garden.
If light is an issue with your garden, there are several things you can do to improve this. For example, installing lower fences can be an effective way of inviting more sunlight into your space, providing this does not compromise security. Alternatively, you can add artificial outdoor lighting to facilitate outdoor entertaining.
Play with Color
Interestingly, many of the classic tips interior designers suggest for home decoration also apply to your garden. One of these is the importance of color in your design choices. The manipulation of color can have a powerful impact on the look of your garden, and the best outdoor spaces take advantage of this.
In view of the effect of color on your garden, consider planting flowers of contrasting tones to create a striking, eye-catching aesthetic. Elsewhere, you can utilize paler shades in your borders, pathways, and walls to make your garden appear more spacious than it is.
Create the Illusion of Space
On a similar note, there are a number of other ways you can manipulate the design of your garden to create the illusion of space. One effective way of achieving this is by using borders to divide your garden into specific sections. Not only can this make your garden appear more spacious, but it can also provide your space with a sense of order, which can be pleasing from a design perspective.
On a smaller scale, you can also make your garden appear more spacious by taking advantage of reflective surfaces, such as ponds and mirrors. In addition, broadening your pathways and avoiding too much clutter can have a similar effect.
Consider the Future when Planting
Designing your garden is a long-term process, so it is important that you keep an eye on the future when doing so. This is particularly important when choosing what to plant, since plants can differ drastically on their looks depending on the season. If you consider this in advance, you can keep your garden looking healthy all year round by combining plants that bloom at different times in the year. It’s also worth thinking about the future in regards to which trees you choose to plant, if any. This is because some trees can outgrow the original area where they’re planted if this is not accounted for.
