7 Take-Home Tips for Lush Garden Design
There is no better way to get ideas for your garden than by nosing around other people’s
Kate Burt
1 May 2017
Houzz UK. I'm a journalist and editor, previously for the Independent, Guardian and various magazines. I'm now excited to part of the editorial team at Houzz UK & Ireland, bringing the best of British and Irish design, interiors and architecture to Houzz.com.
Houzz UK. I'm a journalist and editor, previously for the Independent, Guardian and... More
From boosting space in a tiny garden to adding curves in a long, narrow plot, check out these beautiful garden tours published on Houzz for been-there-done-that tips on making the most of your outdoor space.
1. Introduce ‘smart’ technology (while embracing nature)
This enviable outside space was one of the show gardens at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2016. The stylish Scandi-meets-English-country-garden outdoor room was designed by Hay Joung Hwang of Hay Designs, and built by Randle Siddeley for the technology company LG. Hwang’s idea, inspired by the smart technology used in many homes, was to add tech elements to the garden without losing any of its natural beauty.
This enviable outside space was one of the show gardens at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2016. The stylish Scandi-meets-English-country-garden outdoor room was designed by Hay Joung Hwang of Hay Designs, and built by Randle Siddeley for the technology company LG. Hwang’s idea, inspired by the smart technology used in many homes, was to add tech elements to the garden without losing any of its natural beauty.
The planting in Hwang’s garden is soft, taking the sharp edges from the hard landscaping; Digitalis purpurea ‘alba’ and Eremurus screen the outdoor room, while ferns and grasses, including Stipa and Briza, add texture. Iris and poppy add to the cottage-garden feel.
Yet none of this compromises the garden’s smart capabilities: circuits for lighting, irrigation and water features use WeMo Insight switches that connect to a phone app, allowing them to be controlled from anywhere.
If you’re installing or replacing the electrics in your garden, it’s easy to add an app-controlled element like this, which simply plugs into a wall outlet. You could even add this capability to existing garden circuits, however, be aware that these wi-fi-enabled plugs are not for external use and should only be plugged into outdoor circuits that have indoor plug sockets.
See more of this project
Yet none of this compromises the garden’s smart capabilities: circuits for lighting, irrigation and water features use WeMo Insight switches that connect to a phone app, allowing them to be controlled from anywhere.
If you’re installing or replacing the electrics in your garden, it’s easy to add an app-controlled element like this, which simply plugs into a wall outlet. You could even add this capability to existing garden circuits, however, be aware that these wi-fi-enabled plugs are not for external use and should only be plugged into outdoor circuits that have indoor plug sockets.
See more of this project
2. Create a shady dining zone
This inviting, jasmine-covered dining area is just one of the ‘zones’ garden designer and landscape architect Kate Eyre created in a reasonably large south London garden.
The original garden was long, narrow and somewhat featureless, so Eyre broke it down into manageable spaces for the owners to enjoy – a trick that even owners of dinkier gardens can employ on a smaller scale, and one that typically will give the illusion of a larger space, since there’s more going on in it.
This table area is part of a generous patio adjacent to the house, and in front of that a lawn stretches to zone two…
This inviting, jasmine-covered dining area is just one of the ‘zones’ garden designer and landscape architect Kate Eyre created in a reasonably large south London garden.
The original garden was long, narrow and somewhat featureless, so Eyre broke it down into manageable spaces for the owners to enjoy – a trick that even owners of dinkier gardens can employ on a smaller scale, and one that typically will give the illusion of a larger space, since there’s more going on in it.
This table area is part of a generous patio adjacent to the house, and in front of that a lawn stretches to zone two…
… which is a more exposed seating area with loungers tucked behind tall, whispering grasses (just visible on the right, here). Beyond that, Eyre created a play area for the children.
But even if you only have room to create a little dining nook, let this one inspire you. The pergola provides intimacy within the overall space, making it more likely to be used regularly. Since the garden faces south, this also creates a space to eat, gather or have a cup of tea out of the direct glare of the sun.
But even if you only have room to create a little dining nook, let this one inspire you. The pergola provides intimacy within the overall space, making it more likely to be used regularly. Since the garden faces south, this also creates a space to eat, gather or have a cup of tea out of the direct glare of the sun.
3. Plant vertically to max a small garden
Struggling for space for lots of planters or flowerbeds? This pocket-sized Sussex garden cleverly creates a sense of lushness despite its weeny footprint.
Its owner, artist Jessica Zoob, planted lots of climbers, including honeysuckle, jasmine and climbing rose. “It’s a very vertical garden,” she says. “I chose mainly white planting, which looks very simple. I wanted plants that would keep coming back and look beautiful all year round.”
Struggling for space for lots of planters or flowerbeds? This pocket-sized Sussex garden cleverly creates a sense of lushness despite its weeny footprint.
Its owner, artist Jessica Zoob, planted lots of climbers, including honeysuckle, jasmine and climbing rose. “It’s a very vertical garden,” she says. “I chose mainly white planting, which looks very simple. I wanted plants that would keep coming back and look beautiful all year round.”
It all leaves Zoob space for a little table and chairs – a spot to sit and enjoy the scents and sights of her vertical green space.
4. Add a feature fence
If you don’t have a sprawling outdoor patch, it’s likely your fence will be fairly visible, at least in parts of the garden. So make it a good one.
Stefano Marinaz, the designer of this chic London patch, clad the two side walls and rear wall in the beautiful hardwood, iroko, choosing an unusual horizontal design with slats of varied sizes.
“It’s strong and it lasts well,” says Marinaz. “It will eventually pale to more of a silver shade. We don’t like to treat the wood – we prefer to let the timber become its natural colour through weathering.”
Browse more courtyards
If you don’t have a sprawling outdoor patch, it’s likely your fence will be fairly visible, at least in parts of the garden. So make it a good one.
Stefano Marinaz, the designer of this chic London patch, clad the two side walls and rear wall in the beautiful hardwood, iroko, choosing an unusual horizontal design with slats of varied sizes.
“It’s strong and it lasts well,” says Marinaz. “It will eventually pale to more of a silver shade. We don’t like to treat the wood – we prefer to let the timber become its natural colour through weathering.”
Browse more courtyards
Cleverly, the fence serves more than one function too; discreet panels open to reveal watertight storage spaces behind the fence, inside one of which the owner keeps garden tools. There’s even a planter embedded into the top of the fence, out of which the yew hedge is growing, boosting height and adding privacy.
5. Build a pavilion
Be inventive about where to put a dedicated dining area – against the rear wall of your home or on the patio are not the only places to consider. If you have the space, you could build a separate pavilion like this, designed by Sam Haynes for Ed of The Woods, in which to lounge in the shade and share meals.
Make it comfy by adding lots of textiles and cushions to bring your interior style into the garden.
Be inventive about where to put a dedicated dining area – against the rear wall of your home or on the patio are not the only places to consider. If you have the space, you could build a separate pavilion like this, designed by Sam Haynes for Ed of The Woods, in which to lounge in the shade and share meals.
Make it comfy by adding lots of textiles and cushions to bring your interior style into the garden.
The garden, which is owned by Christina Strutt, creative director of Cabbages & Roses, has space for a good-sized table, a serving area for food and various seating options including a sofa. But even a mini pavilion with a table for two or four could be a sweet feature for a smaller space.
6. Add some curves
The before and after shots of this city garden say it all. Here, you see an interesting plot with soft edges, punctuated with planting that leads you through the space. Designers Fenton Roberts make it look so easy. Now just check out the before shot…
The before and after shots of this city garden say it all. Here, you see an interesting plot with soft edges, punctuated with planting that leads you through the space. Designers Fenton Roberts make it look so easy. Now just check out the before shot…
… Adding curves might not be the obvious route for boosting the sense of space in a garden, but this long, uninteresting plot illustrates exactly why it works.
7. Be ambitious with a small plot
If your small patch has thwarted your dreams of being more self-sufficient, it could be time to reassess the situation.
Esiah Levy of Urban Edible Garden Design has transformed this little garden in Croydon into a fertile wonderland. It’s just 4.5 x 2.7 metres, yet Levy has packed in 23 trees, and rotates other edible crops including kale, turnips, beetroot, carrots, soft fruit including raspberries and blackcurrants, and all kinds of apples, pears and more unusual orchard fruits.
How to create an orchard in a small garden
If your small patch has thwarted your dreams of being more self-sufficient, it could be time to reassess the situation.
Esiah Levy of Urban Edible Garden Design has transformed this little garden in Croydon into a fertile wonderland. It’s just 4.5 x 2.7 metres, yet Levy has packed in 23 trees, and rotates other edible crops including kale, turnips, beetroot, carrots, soft fruit including raspberries and blackcurrants, and all kinds of apples, pears and more unusual orchard fruits.
How to create an orchard in a small garden
A combination of his ‘no dig’ technique plus layered planting allows Levy to pack in the maximum number of plants. The layered approach cuts down on the need to water too. “Some plants retain moisture, and those plants that provide ground cover keep the soil moist too,” Levy says. “It saves you time and effort.”
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Do you have a garden design tip to share? Let us know or post photos in the Comments below.
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Tell us
Do you have a garden design tip to share? Let us know or post photos in the Comments below.
More
Read more garden stories
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Raised beds are great for a multitude of uses in a garden - to build up layers and add height, provide planters to create planting screens, border/mark out a dining or decking area or provide a holder to make planting possible on areas of concrete or driveways. Our standard raised beds have also been awarded a "Which" best buy
Some great tips there. Ours would be 'don't let the shape of your plot constrain or limit your ideas for the space'. Too often the lines of the boundary dictate the layout of the garden. Here's a 'before and after' of a small triangular plot we designed which ignores the boundaries successfully disguising the garden's awkward shape to create a stylish outdoor room.
Now I want to create a shady dining zone