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A lot of emphasis is being placed on landscaping for small spaces because more and more busy people are opting for smaller yards. If that’s the trend, where does that leave the owners of big landscapes? It can leave the creative person with the best of several worlds. You could divide your large garden into several small, themed gardens, or outdoor rooms.
Some of the theme gardens to consider include…
• Cottage Garden. Quite common in the United Kingdom, where properties tend to be small, cottage gardens are full of colorful plants, spaced close together to discourage weeds. The gardens often look as though seeds were scattered in the garden and they grew randomly. Actually, they’re carefully planned and planted, and they’re meticulously cared for.
• Wildflower Garden. At first blush, a wildflower garden may seem like the American equivalent of a cottage garden. However, the seeds for these gardens are purchased as mixtures and scattered, much like planting a lawn. Also called meadow gardens, wildflowers are often planted on hillsides and other large, hard to manage pieces of property. They usually have to be mowed only in the fall so that the seeds that fell on the ground can grow next spring. Buy only branded seed mixes. Bargain mixes may contain weed seeds and others that you don’t want.
• Cutting Garden. This is a utilitarian garden of flowers you’ll cut and display in vases in your home. You can plant either in rows or any creative shape you want.
• Pollinator Garden. A pollinator garden can be free standing or simply bright colored, deep flowers and plants caterpillars like mixed into another garden. You should have a butterfly house and water puddler nearby, too. Don’t worry about bees; they can find your garden from their hives miles away.
• Edible Garden. This is just another word for a vegetable garden. It, too, can be free standing planted either in traditional rows or as you’d plant an ornamental garden. Or you can be trendy and mix edibles and ornamentals in a single garden.
• Secret/Meditation Garden. This should be a completely enclosed space planted mostly with foliage plants and, possibly, a few flowering plants. The mood should be tranquil and relaxing – a place where you can retreat to and shut the world out.
• Japanese Garden. More often than not, your garden would be a Japanese style garden rather than an authentic Japanese garden. If you’re going to design your own, I recommend researching Japanese gardens online or at the library. There are very definite rules for plants and their placement, as well as hardscape features like statuary and rocks. Japanese gardens usually require more space than the other styles discussed above.
Ideas are endless. The mix of styles is limited only by your imagination. The number and size of each garden depends on the size of your property, as well as the ambiance you want to create. If you need help with the design and installation, we have a staff of creative landscape designers who can take the stress out of evolving an idea into a cohesive plan that you or our installation professionals can bring to reality.
