Hello, and welcome back to my blog series on garden design secrets. This is part 4️⃣, and in this post we are all about the embellishment! My 5️⃣ part Easy Garden Design Secrets, is where I help you create your own dream garden in simple steps. I have conducted so many garden experiments in my time, aka mistakes, that I want to take that experiential knowledge and stop you from making them!
In part 3️⃣, ‘it’s about the logical layout’ we covered the importance of having a practical garden design that makes the most out of your space, as well as being pretty!
This post is about how we turn your garden from being nice, into something special through embellishment. There are so many ways to do this, it can be overwhelming. So, I have tried to simplify the process for those who are not professional garden designers, or who don’t have the money to hire one. This is also for those of you whom may not have the time to dedicate hours and hours to planning! This post will give you my top three embellishments, which I think will really make a difference to your garden.
Don’t forget to check out my Pinterest account for more ideas, and hopefully more inspiration to help you with your own garden design!
“There are no gardening mistakes, only experiments”
Janet Kilburn Phillips
🥇Height, the ultimate embellishment
This may seem an odd embellishment but actually having things in your garden which alter your eyeline can have a profound effect. It can make a small garden look bigger, it can shield you from prying eyes and it can make you feel enveloped and safe.
You can add height a number of ways.
Man-made Structure
You can add a pergola or archway. Include artwork, such as statues. Manufactured screens are a great way of concealing or dividing your space, which then creates a completely different feel. These screens come in such variety that you can tailor them to your garden design. There are organic screens like bamboo or willow, as well as metal or plastic screens.
Natural structure
Without getting all demanding, you must add some trees. I am a big fan of trees. There are trees for any size garden, in all sorts of shapes, colours and height so you are spoilt for choice. You will be amazed at the difference it will made to your design. You can also use the height you already have in your garden but camouflage it. Grow climbing plants up your fence or around an archway. Add a tall obelisk and grow a plant up that.
🥈Embellishment through Vistas
When I first started reading garden design books, I kept seeing the word vista. To me, vista was a bit of a flouncy word and something that was only seen in stately gardens or homes with huge green spaces. But actually that is not true. A vista is just scenery. It can be a glimpse of a thing that draws you towards it. Or a full on view of a beautiful flower scene that you must just go and smell. The reason I encourage adding vistas, is that they give you something to look at in your garden. They make you curious and encourage you to explore.
You can add vistas in a number of ways:
Use different objects
Some of the best gardens I have seen have included non organic items such as art work or random things. You can display them like you would in your home. One of my absolute favourite things to include in my garden is mirrors. They make you feel like your garden is bigger and if you get one which looks like a window, it gives the optical illusion that you are peering into another place entirely.
Add a focal point
A focal point is something that will grab your attention. Perhaps use a plant. Everyone will have one plant they adore, even those of you who may not know very much about plants. So, consider making a plinth and raising up your favourite plant in your favourite pot and put it at the end of a pathway. It will draw your eye and you will just have to go see it, smell it, or touch it. This has the added benefit of giving you height. Of course you could do the same thing with your favourite statue or favourite random item.
Steal the view
In general, most gardens will be surrounded by something else that you can see from your garden. If you’re lucky, this may be a view you can incorporate into your own garden. Does your neighbour have any trees? If you can see them from your garden, you could design your space to make it look like the tree is in your garden by covering your fence or wall in greenery for example. By designing your garden to incorporate the views outside your space, you can create the illusion that your garden is bigger.
🥉Embellishment through Texture, sound and light
The last embellishment I want to talk about is texture. Texture is a really good way of both connecting and separating your garden. You can use the same textures throughout your design to bring everything together and create a nice flow. You can add texture in a number of ways:
Materials
Firstly, you can use the same material to join things up. E.g. you could use the same paving stones to create your patio as you do your main path. You could use the same garden bench in a few different areas of your garden. For edging, use the same material such as a garden sleeper, or some bricks. This way, even if the areas in your garden are used for different things, they are still cohesive and allow a visual flow between each space.
However, you may want to completely separate your space, in which case you can use different materials in different areas. Perhaps a patio in one part of the garden and a deck in the other.
Whilst, this post is not about planting, it would be remiss of me to point out that plants are material also. You can carry on the trend by using the same plants dotted around your garden. Or create little garden rooms where the planting and material are completely different so you feel like you are going from one room to another as you walk around your garden.
Water
Secondly, I want to take about water. Water brings sound, light and wildlife. In your garden, water is a must and personally, I don’t think any garden is complete without it. A little pond, or a container with water and plants will do wonders for your garden and your inner peace! Water will bring you sound. There is nothing better than listening to the gentle trickling of a small pond to create a serene, zen feel in your garden.
Of course, you can adapt the sound however you choose, and even use it to camouflage other noises. If you can’t get electricity into your garden, you can use solar pumps or even have no sound at all. A wildlife pond will sit silently in your garden and will quietly serve insects, birds and nature.
Lighting
Lastly, you much add lighting to your garden, because not only is it practical and will allow you to see in the dark, it is great at altering the feel of your space. Again, there are so many things you can do with it, and like water, if you have no electricity you can use solar lights. I have some wired in lights out the house, but the majority of my garden lighting is solar. Not only is it cheaper, but you can move it around and change it whenever you feel like it.
You can be really creative with garden lighting. For example, spotlights can showcase your favourite plant, up-lighters can enhance the branches of a tree, or down-lighters can create funky looking shadows. Fairy lights around a tree trunk, or draped over a fence will create an ethereal look. Seriously, do some research, get some inspiration and have a go.
The above two pictures show examples of light and water. The picture on the left I took at the winter walk at RHS Hyde Hall. It’s such a beautiful use of light and colour. The second picture is my own Japanese zen garden. The fountain creates such a lovely sound, although the pond doubles up as my dog’s drinking bowl, so quite often gets wrecked!
Conclusion – now you know all about embellishment!
So, by now you should have a pretty detailed outline pan of what your garden is going to look like. The final part of this design series is all about the planting. My absolute favourite part of designing a garden, and I cannot wait to talk to you about it.
See you soon!
JT. X
