The fences or walls will usually provide an excellent background for climbers. The brighter the better with the colours so they'll stand out against the background.Ĥ. Winter bulbs like crocus and tulips will provide a sensational show through the winter. Lavender is a real winner with flowers in the summer and, if it's cut back in autumn, it'll look good throughout the winter too.ģ. Look for striking plants which perform over a long period. Go for box bushes or other sturdy, evergreen planting to punctuate the garden and give it shape in winter.Ģ. Winter structure will be key to getting the view right all year round. ![]() There's a good saying in gardens: 'If you can get the garden looking good in December then May and June will take care of themselves.'ġ. Have large clusters of a limited variety of plants – not only will this look amazing but it will help with the maintenance as well.Īnd, if your garden can be seen from inside the house, give priority to winter planting to get that all important view from the house looking top notch all through the darker months. With plants the rules are just like those for the structure – the simpler the better. Whatever list of plants you want in your garden, halve it and then halve it again. 'Lush but limited' is the rule for plants in small gardens. PARC Set of 2 orange metal folding chair, £60, Habitat Bear Grylls // Digital Spy Do you want to sit up at a table and make an outside dining room? Or do you want to lounge around on sofas and make your garden into an outdoor sitting room? If you're lucky you may have space for both but then it's worth thinking about where each should be placed – what time of day does each area get sun? For most people, gardens are mainly for sitting in so give plenty of thought to the furniture. Think also about where you put your sitting area there might be a corner of the garden that's completely private.ħ. It's unusual to find a smaller garden that's not overlooked in some way but with a carefully placed shrub or a line of trellis along the top of a fence, it's possible to minimise the problem. If you have these on three different circuits you can mix and match for different effects.Ħ. Finally add a really subtle layer of light at ankle level to make the whole place glow. Next, light any features you have: water features, small trees, interesting wall surfaces. The first layer is for practicality: light the steps, sitting areas, paths. At four o'clock on a winter's evening your garden needs to look as 'wow' as it does at high noon in summer. Not just for when you're out there, but for that all important view from the house. Limit that palette and your garden is going to look so much better.ĥ. The rule of three also applies to the colours you use – for painting the fences, plants, for accessories and for furniture. It's possible to get a garden to look good with a wider variety of materials but it's also harder, and why make life harder?Ĥ. ![]() This will give a coherence and consistency to your garden which will be the envy of all who walk in there. For example: grass, sandstone and gravel. So use a maximum of three types of flooring materials. Keep it simple and remember the 'rule of three' applies to most things in the garden. It might seem that curves will bring softness to a garden, especially in a town or city garden, but really, outside spaces soften up very quickly and the best designs contrast the softness of the planting against the cleanness and crispness of the edges.ģ. Go for bold geometric shapes for the patio and the lawn, and if in doubt stick to straight lines – they are easier to get right. Given our climate, most of the enjoyment of your garden will be from looking out at it, especially if you have a favourite armchair or a washing up spot – that is the vista to prioritise.Ģ. ![]() Always work on the view from inside the house first. Generally rules are there to be broken but these 7 will help you get the very best out of your space.ġ. And if you treat it right it will reward with wows throughout the year. If it's big enough to sit out, big enough for a few plants, big enough to make a lovely view from inside the house, then the garden isn't small, it's just right. Most of us have what garden writers call a 'small garden', but we call it a perfectly sized garden.
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