Gardening in a small space can present challenges, but opportunities, too. A garden, especially a small one can form a calming, tranquil, cocoon around us. If your piece of terra firma is petite here are some guidelines to help you create an intimate garden you’ll love to retreat to.
First Things First First decide how you will use your garden. Is it to be an outdoor “living and dining room”? Do you entertain a lot? Do you need a space for the kids to play? Once you analyze how you’ll use your garden, the next step is to sketch it out. Start by drawing a plan of the yard including the walls of the house and any existing permanent features such as walkways and trees. Then, decide what your sitting/dining needs are. Do you want a table for six close to the house, or a small café table for two tucked into a little nook? If you have young children, is a sand box planned? You get the idea. Think about all these things, and plot them on your sketch.
Principles and Elements of Design For best results pay attention to tried and true principles and elements of design. Here are some basics:
Scale Scale is the relative size of a space or element in relation to the surroundings it is placed in. In a small garden, it’s important to keep all the elements in balance. For example a huge tree is overwhelming in a small space.
Lines Gentle, curving lines are restful. Sharp, jagged diagonals or verticals create excitement, but in a small garden may be too busy and disorganized. Rectangular forms are a good choice for small gardens because they are clearly defined.
Form or Shape Form in the garden is defined by the shapes of things in the garden including the plants, trees and shrubs. In small gardens, rectangular forms, whether in the shape of a flower bed or a patio, create an uninterrupted line, making the space seem larger. A small garden is perfectly suited to vertical gardening. You can double your garden space with climbing plants.
Texture A variety of textures creates interest in a garden. In a small garden, plants are likely to be viewed close-up where different textures can be fully enjoyed.
Colour Use colour to manipulate space. In small spaces, cooler colours – like blue, purple, green and white – open it up and make the garden seem larger. In a small space limit the varieties and colours of plants you use. Masses of one colour are more effective.
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Behind every beautiful garden is a great garden design outline. Who better to give a quick lesson on how to begin planning your own garden masterpiece, than garden design expert and one of the popular hosts on Garden Architecture, Haig Seferian? Here are his quick and easy tips to ensure that you can plan a beautiful garden and keep it looking fabulous all year long.
· Don't have too many colours in your garden design. Choose two or three colours and spread them throughout your garden to make more of an impact.
· Look at the architecture of your home to help you select the theme of your garden. The two should compliment and reflect one another.
· Think about form composition and remember that two forms work better than three. For example, curvilinear + modular = great design!
· Consider all of the many different elements and principles of a garden when you begin designing. For example, line, space, texture, repetition, harmony, and unity are all important features in any great garden plan.
· Keep it simple. The best designs are always the ones that are very clean and simple in nature.
· Consider all four seasons in your design. A well-designed garden should look beautiful all year long.
· Choose plant combinations that compliment each other.
· Take advantage of existing trees, views and vistas. Incorporate them into your garden design.
· Take into careful consideration how much entertaining you do before you decide on the size of a patio or a deck.
· Don't forget the water feature. Be sure to locate a water feature in an area so that it can be seen from both inside and outside of your home throughout the year.
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In winter, alternately freezing and thawing causes the ground to heave, thus exposing plants’ roots to frigid temperatures which can cause serious root damage. A good snow cover protects plants from this intermittent freezing and thawing, but then you can’t always count on a reliable snow cover. Mulch such as compost, straw or shredded leaves help moderate the swings in soil temperature. The important thing to remember is to mulch after the ground is frozen. If you do it too soon, you'll create a nice cozy home for critters (like mice) to spend the winter.
Protect your Roses All but hardy species roses should have some winter protection. There are as many ways to do this as there are gardeners. One way is to prune the rose back to about knee high and draw soil around the base of the bush to a height of 20 to 30 cm (8 to 12 inches). After the ground freezes up, draw some more soil up around the rose bush.
Dig Up Tender Bulbs Summer flowering bulbs such as canna lilies, dahlias and gladioli should be dug up after the first frost blackens the leaves. Wash off any soil that still clings to them and air dry indoors for a couple of weeks. When completely dry, store them in dry peat moss in paper bags or cardboard boxes and keep them in a cool frost-free spot. Check throughout the winter and discard any that have mildew.
Resist Being Too Tidy Resist the temptation to be too tidy. Many gardeners like to cut all their plants down to ground level. But, the seed heads attract and feed winter birds. And, if you mulched your perennials, the stalks will help to hold the mulch in place. The hollow stalks of some plants (like dahlias) should be cut down however, because they may harbour insects. Anything that is diseased should be removed and discarded.
Plant Some Vegetables Yes that's right, fall is a good time to seed some veggies. In spring, we’ve all gone out into the garden and discovered a carrot or some parsley growing where no seed was previously sown. Seeding at the end of the season can mean a crop two to three weeks earlier next year. Lettuce, carrots, parsnips, spinach, parsley and onions are often successful when planted in the fall. Timing is important and late season seeding should be done just before the ground freezes up.
Keep Watering Keep watering shrubs and trees right up until the ground freezes. Evergreens especially need a good store of moisture heading into the winter months. They don't lose their leaves and continue to give off moisture throughout the cold months.
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Colour effects human behaviour and feelings in the home, as they do in art. Beyond pastel colour palettes encouraging calm and relaxation, certain colour combos produce even greater connotations. Take for example, primary colours (red, blue and yellow) when used together suggest a youth-oriented appearance, while jewel tones such as deep purple and royal blue indicate a regal and formal environment. There are limitless colour possibilities when it comes to your home’s décor. For those who are not shy about colour, here are a few power colour combinations to inspire the imagination:
Some people may argue that black and white are not actual colours, however for decorating purposes they certainly are, and bold ones at that when combined together. Black represents power, formality and sophistication. White exemplifies purity, innocence, and simplicity. Decorating in black and white creates a unique and striking look for any room. Think houndstooth or of the balance of the yin-yang when putting a room together, therefore try to mix and match. Patterns work well in black and white, whether it’s on wallpaper, area rugs or lamps. To take the look to the next level, throw in a precious few fire-engine red accessories.
This colour combination glimmers of opulence. Think old Hollywood Glamour with velvet drapes and gold tassels or two-tone burgundy striped furniture with gold grommets. Burgundy may be too dark a paint tint for an entire room, depending on room size, however burgundy as one accent wall would work well, with the other walls a warm golden colour. Combining burgundy and gold in a wallpaper pattern could also be quite lovely.
Green is a far underrated colour. There’s something about green that soothes the soul; it could be that it represents nature, wealth and good luck. From lime to emerald to army green, there will be a green that catches your eye. Compliment your green décor with a hint of pink. Look to spring tulips for inspiration. Depending on how daring you are will determine the shades of green and pink to use. One could use a bright leaf green on the walls and really add pizzazz with one fuchsia pink accessory such as a throw pillow. If that’s not quite your style, try a pale pistachio for bed linens and rose pink pillow shams. This colour combo would also work very well in a nursery.
Blue symbolizes harmony, confidence and peace, while Saffron embodies sunlight, earth and happiness, These colours enhance each other, despite not being exactly opposing colours on the colour wheel. This combination is often seen in European pottery and as such they work exceptionally well in the kitchen. That’s not to say one couldn’t do this in a family or bed room. Saffron has such a warm feel it would do well in any room and balancing it with blue will help complete the look. Look to blue and white striped linens and saffron coloured walls or blue floral wallpaper with saffron coloured furnishings—Oprah’s guest seating on her studio stage is this colour. Who said you couldn’t have saffron leather in the living room?
Although both gray and lilac are light in hue, combined together they create a delicately sensual ambience. Gray signifies elegance and balance, while lilac denotes spirituality and creativity. Taking inspiration from the pairing of a gray vest with a lilac button-down, imagine lilac walls with crisp gray linens or a gray tablecloth with lilac napkins. Try a monocromatic gray room (by varying grays in darkness, lightness, and textures) with a few bold lilac items such as lampshades, a throw blanket and a painting on the wall.
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Home improvement is a popular activity. Many homeowners are avid in making improvements because it not only makes a home more comfortable and nice to live in, but it also increases its value. Projects can be done inside or outside. There are a range of projects that a person can do. Many do not even require any special skills, but just some simple knowledge. Additionally, these projects can be a great way to get the family together, especially outdoors projects. Home improvement does not have to be expensive or time consuming. There are plenty of great outdoor projects you whole family can enjoy doing.
Simple Ideas The outside of your home is the first thing people see. It can have a great impact on how people perceive you and your home. That is why many home improvement projects are on the outside of a home. A simple way to instantly improve your home’s look is to paint. Even if your home has vinyl siding, there is likely some wooden trim that could benefit from a coat of paint. It is something anyone can do and is a cheap project, too. The results, though, are amazing. It can be surprising how a little paint can make such a large improvement. You should paint any wooden area and be sure to protect things around the area so you do not get paint where it shouldn’t be. Another fun project is redoing your backyard. Perhaps it is boring and unproductive. With the addition of a few things, like a picnic table, a hammock or a barbeque pit, you can completely change the look and make it more inviting. Even something as simple as cleaning up can do wonders. Choose projects that you can get done in a day or two. Your whole family can work together on them. You also will not get overwhelmed by these small projects. You will also be able to maintain a reasonable budget, too.
Your outdoor projects do not have to be anything major. You do not have to add a swimming pool, build a new deck or redo the roof, to make good changes and improvements. The basics of outdoor home improvement is to just change things to make it look better. You do not have to go to extremes. You can simple change something here and there. You can plant flowers, add a porch swing or even redo your driveway. Whatever you do, it is going to improve your home without having to undergo a major project.
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Gardening in a small space can present challenges, but opportunities, too. A garden, especially a small one can form a calming, tranquil, cocoon around us. If your piece of terra firma is petite here are some guidelines to help you create an intimate garden you’ll love to retreat to.
