Garden Makeover: From Blank Slate to Cozy Space

Bring a boring backyard to life by following these design principles

Cherry and Raymond Ong knew that it would be impossible to re - create the lavish tropics of their native Philippines at their nursing home in British Columbia . But they also knew that the cooky - cutter landscape painting typical of their 12 - lot growing would not suffice . Their 30 - foot - farseeing and 17 - base - wide backyard consisted of a fenced - in while of lawn and a concrete itinerary lead from the service department to the house . It miss even a single plant and was wide open on both sides to neighbor only a few feet away . In addition to an abundance of plants , the yoke wanted seclusion and to get wind how to garden . They sought the services of a fashion designer at a local baby’s room , who taught them that they did n’t take a fortune of space — or a mass of money — to use fundamental design principles to achieve their goals . A simple five days later , their garden is the envy of the locality .

Design lessons

1. Create movement by using contrasting shapes.

Employing a mixture of mounding , conic , and ground - squeeze plants foster a sense of movement . The oculus is drawn to and settles on different places , making an area feel spacious , full , and dynamical .

2. Soften an area with curves.

A curved layer work well to soften a space and to make depth , especially when the area is defined by straight lines . curve encourage visitant to meander and slow down , which also makes a lowly space seem big .

3. Use a single plant as a focal point.

Although it is a well - accepted design principle to plant in multiple , odd - numbered clusters , there ’s no replacement for a lone specimen plant in the good localisation . Here , the majestic burgundy ‘ Beni - otake ’ Nipponese maple ( Acer palmatum * ‘ Beni - otake ’ , USDA Hardiness zona 5–8 ) serve two purposes : It blocks an unattractive thought of the service department from the business firm and make a striking ocular impact .

4. Repeat colors to establish harmony.

The repetition of color pulls a garden together and make a calming effect — especially in a modest place , where too much color can be jarring . Here , ‘ Aureola ’ Japanese timber grass ( Hakonechloa macra‘Aureola ’ , Zones 5–9 ) weaves together with Bowles ’ favourable sedge ( Carex elata‘Aurea ’ , Zones 5–9 ) to achieve a unified feel .

5. Contrast textures to add drama.

Although it is acceptable to combine plants with similar textures , you may increase interest and upheaval by using works of differing grain : grassy blade , large and lowly leaves , and needles , for example . Also , strategically placed planters with varied surfaces add pizzazz .

Lynn Felici - Gallant is the associate editor .

pic : Danielle Sherry ; courtesy of Raymond and Cherry Ong

Fine Gardening Recommended Products

Buffalo - Style Gardens : Create a Quirky , One - of - a - Kind Private Garden with Eye - contagious Designs

Fine horticulture receives a delegation for item buy through links on this site , include Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs .

ARS Telescoping Long Reach Pruner

Corona E - Grip Trowel

Get our late tip , how - to article , and instructional TV send to your inbox .

Signing you up …

Flowering Grasses: Uncommon Varieties

Regional Picks: Plant Wish List - Northwest

Regional Picks: Plants for Dry Shade - Midwest

From Boring to Beautiful

connect Fine Gardening for a free engaging live webinar featuring Dr. Janna Beckerman , a illustrious flora diagnostician as well as prof emerita at Purdue University and the ornamental technological manager …

When I pick out a exceptional sand dollar bill cactus ( Astrophytum asterias ) at the Philadelphia Flower Show a few months ago , I knew I was in difficulty . With a delightful people of color pattern …

When we only prioritize plants we require over plants our landscape painting needs , each season is fill with a never - end tilt of job : pruning , pinching , watering , treating , amending , and fertilizing , with …

Video

Touring an Eco-friendly, Shady Backyard Retreat

You must be careful when you enrol the backyard of garden architect Jeff Epping — not because you ’re likely to trip on something , but because you might be dive - fail by a pair …