Getting the most out of your garden space

Creating an inviting and beautiful garden is one of the most enjoyable aspects of having a home. Whether the space is large or small, designing the planting and landscaping to get the most out of the space available is important for a number of reasons.

Standard features of a well-designed garden

Garden styles and themes are as variable as the people who create them. Some of the most popular designs, found from suburban to high-rise balconies, include the clean lines of the modern style; more rustic traditional types, such as English country or Mediterranean and tropical, desert and other thematic styles.

The design of any garden does have some standard features that should be present. The strong foundational base begins with the bones of the garden, a base of greenery, usually evergreen shrubs or groundcover, which serves as a backdrop for the other plants in the garden. Colour and texture are essential when it comes to choosing plants, while adding interesting and visual focal points is also important and can be accomplished with the addition of large or unique container plants, as well as statues, arbours or other structures. A final element, sound, is more intangible, yet can be easily incorporated in a variety of ways, including water features and wind chimes.

Tips for getting more out of a garden space

Container gardens are an excellent way to utilize limited space in a garden, as well as allowing the home gardener to incorporate variety into the space that may not be possible if planted directly into the ground. Certain vegetables, such as tomatoes and peppers, provide attractive foliage and delicious fruit. Herbs are also great choices for containers, particularly rapid spreaders, such as sage, basil and mint. Container gardens are also mobile, so taking advantage of sunlight and other conditions, as well as having the benefit of being able to move them indoors during cold weather, are all possible.

Vertical gardening makes valuable use of limited space in a garden. Trellises, fixed into the ground, attached to fencing or even wired together to form fencing or dividers, can showcase plants while making the space seem larger by drawing the eye upward.

Choosing plants for the garden is an important step that can truly define the space and functionality, as well as it visual appeal. For smaller gardens or more limited designs, selecting plants that may be considered multi-tasking is a good idea. Fruit trees and bushes, certain vegetables and herbs can be incorporated into any garden design. Some flowering plants, such as marigolds, function as insect repellents, while adding colour and texture to garden beds and containers.

Bringing the indoors outside can be accomplished in a variety of ways through furniture choice and the addition of accessories. Whether the seating is stone benches or village garden furniture, arranging it in a functional and comfortable way creates an indoor living area outdoors, allowing the garden to become a useful social area for the home.

Finally, weeding, watering, fertilizing and pruning may be tedious, but keeping up with these daily, weekly and seasonal jobs will ensure that the garden space lives up to its potential and provides enjoyment for years to come.