A great video on Designing you Garden!!!

You see them ll the time, people use them to line their driveways or accent their patios – retaining walls.

They can be built out of almost anything. For centuries people have used stones and bricks. Now they use railroad ties and formed concrete. When done correctly, they can look absolutely beautiful and add space and value to the place you love most; your home and garden.

As you can see from the photos, some retaining walls can be as tall as you want, while others will be only inches off the ground. It all depends on the look and purpose you need your wall to provide. It can also be either straight, curved, circular, or boxed. Retaining walls are also easy to build. See the schematic below for more information on how they work and should be constructed.

The odds of someone actually building an interior garden like the one demonstrated above are rare. But the reality is, most homes and indoor spaces have enough room to accommodate some kind of garden. You just to closely evaluate where and how big you want that space to be.

Interior gardens offer a private, often secluded getaway for weary workers. The space could be something as small as a corner of a room or the room itself.

On top of that, a new type of interior garden is taking hold — it’s called the vertical garden. There is a photo of one below.

Every year, like most people, we retend our garden in the front and back yard. It’s the typical set up, edge with beautiful bricks and last years mulch.

This year, I think we are going to try something different. A movable garden. Do you have someone in your family that each year has you dig up last years plants to make room for this years or they simply want you to move it.

Try this instead. Take your plants, pull them up and replant them in decorative pots. There are tons of variations on the market, you’re sure to find one that meets your theme. Instead of removing and relaying mulch, most of which only comes in three colors, try replacing the mulch with stone.

Stones are low maintenance and will not deteriorate or blow away. Then take your pot plants and redecorate the landscape you have created for yourself. If you feel the need to move them from time to time, simply pick up the potted plant and relocate to the new area. Or you can replace the plant completely. It’s low maintenance, beautiful, and very versatile.

To add even more color, you may even want to try solar pots. They are LEDs with a solar panel and are sure to add color to whatever theme you’re going for.

Basic Elements of A Garden Design

Gardening should first and foremost be an exercise towards self fulfillment to make it enjoyable. Some gardeners start their gardens without any formal design in mind while some others prefer to have a detailed design and planting plan. For novice gardeners, it is entirely up to you to decide which of the approach you are more comfortable with. If you have the confidence to forge ahead and follow your intuition, then do it! If you feel however that you need to get some professional advice, then get one!

In garden design, there are no exact rules to follow, however it is equally important to note that there are basic elements to consider that when combined together constitute a generally accepted good garden design. One of the most valuable design tools is a site plan, or bird’s-eye view of your yard. Seeing your garden on paper makes it much easier to identify underlying design elements such as patterns, scale, and symmetry. A professional designer will give you a site plan that is precisely drawn to scale, but you can make your own rough sketch.

Here are the basic elements to start with:

Style: A garden like a person should have a distinct personality to it. Begin by thinking about whether you want your garden to have a formal or informal look. Consider your site, the style of your home, and your own personality. Though you don’t have to be too rigorous about striving for a consistent style, you’ll want to avoid a jumble of diverse and unrelated elements.

Flow: Think about how you would like someone to view and move through your garden. Paths are one way to connect some of the various parts to achieve a sense of order and cohesiveness. Focal points, such as a piece of sculpture, a distinctive tree, or a captivating view, can be used to draw the eye and pull us forward into a new space. A garden is more pleasing if there is a logical progression from one area to the next.

Scale: This is about proportions – how the sizes and shapes of things relate to each other. Most scale problems are due to skimpiness, such as beds and paths that are too narrow, or plantings that are too small and tentative. If in doubt, err on the side of boldness and generosity, or better yet consult an experienced gardener or a professional landscape designer (whichever is applicable).

When all of the above requirements are satisfied, then it is time to move on to other underlying and equally important elements needed to make a successful garden design.