6 Helpful Ideas to Creating That Perfect Outdoor Garden Landscape
Whether you’re doing a small-scale garden makeover or something more grand, a well -considered landscape garden design, can really make a huge difference to the overall outcome. By the wonders of nature alone, we have so much garden inspiration and ideas to draw on, not to mention all the incredible gardens you can find in your travels, in magazines and online. Whilst all of this inspiration can go along way to creating your landscape garden design, it really pays to not only do a lot of research, but to also get some expert help from a landscape designer. Here a six helpful ideas you can use, to create your outdoor garden landscape;
Small Space Solution: Go Up, Not Out, With Your Planting
These days property sizes are becoming smaller, making outdoor garden spaces a real premium. Being able to hide unsightly fences or block out the neighbours, is important and usually this is accomplished by planting larger screening plants to do so. The only problem with this option, is whilst it might be giving you that much needed vertical height, the larger screening plants also take up their fair share of floor space as well, which in a tight space, can be a real problem. One way to overcome this problem, is to use a trellis system. There are many ways you can build a trellis and there are also a lot of options to buy ready made versions as well. Once the trellis is in place, this will give the support needed, to grow climbing plants nice and quickly, giving you a beautiful, lush backdrop to your outdoor garden landscape. You can also use other methods, to introduce greenery into a tight space with vertical wall gardens, arbours and some overhead wires, which plants can trail along.
Maintenance Solution: For Time Poor, Brown Thumbs
Put your hand up if you hate gardening, don’t have any time to spare, or if the thought of doing maintenance in your outdoor garden landscape, makes you feel sick. If that sounds like you, then here are some things to think about. Firstly, there is no such thing as a NO maintenance garden, but there are ways you can reduce maintenance in your garden to a minimum. The best way to ensure the lowest upkeep on any outdoor space, is by choosing the right options from the start. Synthetic lawn, composite timber options and easy -care paving surfaces, are all designed to save you time. Irrigation systems and mulching will also help with watering and keeping weeds at bay. One of the most important ways to keep the maintenance down, is by choosing the right plants for your outdoor garden spaces. Looking for options that are drought and frost hardy, that require little, to no pruning is a good start. Plants that are pest and disease free, will also make a huge difference to keeping your maintenance workload as low as possible. Getting an expert to help you with a landscape garden design, will cover these areas and make choosing the right plants and products, a breeze!
Atmosphere Solution: Let There Be Light !
One of the best inclusions you can have in any outdoor garden landscape, is lighting! Good outdoor garden lighting, can help accent features in the garden, provide a safe glow to navigate you through the space and create a beautiful atmosphere, that allows you to use your outdoor areas, long after the sun goes down. Uplights, downlights, bollards, strip lighting and festoon lights are just some of the options you can introduce into your landscape. LED lighting is relatively easy to install and costs a fraction to run. Most landscape garden designs, will incorporate a lighting plan to take all the guess work out of knowing what fittings to use and where to position them. As landscape designers in Melbourne, Anthony Scott Landscape Design, can help you with your outdoor lighting and create the perfect atmosphere in your outdoor garden landscape.
Planting Soloution: Get Close Up and Personal With Your Plants
Plants for me, are the stars of the show in any outdoor garden landscape. Choosing the right plants for your new landscape, is one of the main keys to getting a professional outcome. Time after time, I see so many people choosing the wrong plants that are either, too big or small for a space or, they just don’t grow to their peak or even worse, they die shortly after planting. This usually means that replacements will be needed, meaning lost time in growth and establishment and money down the drain! The best things you can do when choosing plants, is to firstly, assess your outdoor garden landscape spaces and take note of where the sun is at any time of the day. This will help you establish what spots are really sunny and what areas are more shady. Next thing to do is to check the profile of your soil. If you have heavy clay that really doesn’t drain well, then your going to be better off, choosing plant options that suit that environment. The same goes for sandy soils as well. You can always improve the quality of your soil to make it a good environment for growing good healthy plants, but knowing this at the start will help you with plant choices. When it comes to choosing your plants, don’t just look at the tags when your at the nursery, really research each option and get to know what environments they thrive in. Knowing how big they will grow, what pests might affect them and what maintenance will be required to keeping them healthy, are all good things to know. A professional landscape garden design will address all of these points and more, making the whole experience stress free. All you need to do, is enjoy the lush surroundings.
Focal Point Solution: Wow factor 101
A focal point in an outdoor garden landscape, is something that’s generally used to draw the eye, and create a feature to give your garden some wow factor. This can be anything from garden art to a potted urn, a water feature, a feature tree and much, much more. The positioning of a focal point, is one the most important factors to getting it right. Sometimes they are located right in the middle of a space, just like a feature tree or fountain, which is quite often positioned in the centre of a front lawn. Other times, they can be placed right down the very back of your garden, to create a nice long vista and draw the eye to create a feeling of more length in the space. Focal points can also, be tucked away to create a nice surprise discovery, as you approach them. All in all, the right focal points in your outdoor garden landscape, will create great talking points and give your garden, some real wow factor. A well-considered landscape garden design, will take care of the all important focal points and give your outdoor garden landscape, the wow factor it needs!
Furniture Solution: Style is Everything!
Outdoor garden furniture can really make or break the look of any outdoor space. It can be a challenge finding the right pieces, but with a bit of patience and a decent amount of research, you can generally find the right fit for your outdoor garden landscape. Firstly, think about the area you have and how you see yourself spending time there. For example, you might be looking at your alfresco, seeing yourself relaxing on a nice sofa lounge or, you might have a space near the pool, where you are imagining yourself, lounging on a daybed. Next step, is to start looking at the actual area you have and measure out on the floor, how much space your new piece of furniture, is going to take up. Remember, squeezing furniture into a tight space, can make the space look cluttered and too busy. You can use masking tape to mark it out on the floor, to give you a good idea of size. Always, choose a comfortable fit. Colours and textures are also extremely important, so too is matching your furniture choices to suit the style of your home and garden. For example, if you have a coastal style garden, then choosing furniture that looks like it belongs in that setting, is going to give you a much better outcome and feel right in the space. It is easier than ever, to type in an online search for the style of furniture to match your garden. This is a great place to start. As part of every landscape garden design, furniture plays a big role, in the overall finishing touches and style. As landscape designers in Melbourne, Anthony Scott Landscape Design can recommend great local furniture suppliers, for your garden space.
Elevate Your Outdoor Garden Landscape Ideas with the Help of Reputable Landscape Designers in Melbourne!
I hope these garden ideas and tips, get you thinking about some of things you will need to consider, when designing your outdoor spaces. Spending time outside, relaxing with your family and friends, is one of the best things in life! At Anthony Scott Landscape Design, we would love to work with you and create something really special, for your home. With our 2D and 3D design options, we can carefully plan out all the important things and help you visualize, your new dream landscape! For more info, don’t hesitate to contact us on 0419 000 617. You can also send your enquiries at [email protected].