When we talk about Garden design It is important that we find a method that allows us to make the most of, not only the land we have at home or in the place where we want to have the garden, but also to create an extension effect, using and managing correctly some elements and accessories that they are part of the garden.
It is important that we try to integrate the walls, plants, bushes, in short, everything that influences the garden as a whole in order to generate interconnected and interrelated spaces. The purpose of garden design is create a multispacethat serves not only for our recreation and admiration, but also to rest and rest. In the same way, it is important that the garden we design expresses our personality and that of each of the members of our family.
What must be taken into account when designing the garden?
But then, what method can we choose for the design of our garden? There are different methods with which we can work, each of them depends on the terrain and the accessories that we have on hand or those that we want to use. However, whatever method we choose must comply with the following rules:
- First of all, the garden must match the straight lines around itand the angles that delimit the place.
- We must also make trees and shrubs part of this design, while the meadow or lawn must become a fundamental element and protagonist of the garden.
- And lastly remember that the more space you have, the greater must be the number of trees and / or palm trees that you must plant in the garden.
In a nutshell, The most important thing when designing the garden is to carefully observe the space and the site where we are going to build it.the characteristics of the soil, the winds, and the light and shadow that it has. Therefore, the design must have a balance between what we want to do, and the characteristics of the space.
How to design a garden step by step?
Designing a garden is an experience that can be very rewarding. Seeing how a land is revitalized that for months, maybe years, has been “abandoned” and / or without plants, is very beautiful. But this is not something that can be done lightly; that is to say: to achieve harmony in the place it is necessary to decide what style to give it.
Garden styles
There are many: Mediterranean, Japanese, French, … All of them have their own characteristics, adapted to the climate and terrain conditions of their countries of origin. For example:
- Mediterranean garden: it includes plants that resist drought very well, such as lavender, rosemary or laurel. Likewise, shady corners cannot be missed, often provided by trees such as wild olive trees, olive trees or even citrus fruits such as orange trees. Learn More.
- Japanese garden: it is a very special type of garden, in which the traditional culture of the country joins the design of the gardens. Waterfalls, fountains, paths or paths lined with bushes such as Japanese maples, camellias, azaleas, among others, are key elements of it. Learn More.
- French garden: order and control predominate in him. The geometric figures are an essential part, so that the paths, and the plants that give them life, must have a defined shape. And speaking of plants, those that are typically Mediterranean such as the common cypress are included, but you will also find fruit trees such as citrus and rose bushes. Learn More.
- English garden: he is the one who tries to “include himself” in the nature of the place. It is one in which you will not see artificial elements such as fountains or waterfalls, only native plants. Learn More.
If you are not convinced by any style, you can always create your own. This is what I did and I am delighted with the result. Yes indeed, find out well about the dimensions that the plants come to have when they finish growing and if they are capable of withstanding the climate in your areasince this way you will be able to choose the species correctly.
Related article:
Now that you know what style you want to give it, it’s time to do the draft. From here, the work will be easier.
Draft
Yo I recommend you use any free program what do we mention in this article, since this way you will get a much clearer idea of how your garden will look once finished. For example, with SketchUp, it will be very easy to design it since it includes a gallery with many objects ready to use in your design.
The draft usually includes the following:
- The different areas that you want the garden to have: the relaxation area, lawn, swimming pool, shady and sunny corners, rockery, etc.
- Trees and palm trees in very specific places: being the largest plants there will be, you should reserve areas where they can grow normally.
- Shrubbery: with them you can create beautiful hedges that will serve to delimit paths, and / or the entire site for example.
- Vivacious and seasonal plants: the ideal is to combine them by finding out when they bloom. This way you will have the opportunity to have flowers for much longer.
- Shade plants: ferns, ribbons, hostas, and others, will give an exotic touch to those corners where the light does not reach.
Choice of plants
First of all, you have to know that Ideally, once you plant the plants in the ground, you should never move them around. Why? Because no plant is physically prepared to withstand transplantation. Some support it better than others, but it is not something that is in their genetic code, because as soon as the seed germinates in one place, that is where it will grow. For this reason, the choice of species must be something that is done with premeditation, thinking very well where we are going to put them, and if they are going to live well in our area.
Therefore, here is a list with some of them:
- Plants for a Mediterranean garden: laurel, wild olive, olive, lavender, rosemary, thyme, date, etc. Any plant that resists drought and weak frosts (down to -7ºC) will do.
- Plants for a tropical (wet) garden: banana trees, starlets, ensetes, ferns such as Blechnum or Asplenium, palm trees such as Areca, Dypsis, Cyrtostachys, Adonidia or Roystonea, etc.
- Plants for a garden with frost and snowfall: many trees such as oaks, chestnut, Aesculus, maples; climbing plants such as wisteria or climbing roses; conifers such as redwoods or spruces, etc.
Preparation of the land
The soil must be ready before receiving the plants. To do this, you have to pass the walking tractor or remove it with a hoe to break up the first layer and expose any stones just below. These have to be removed, although you can save them and use them later if you want, since with them you can create very beautiful corners, like a rockery.
Apart from the extraction of the stones, you have to fertilize the soil. Spread a layer of about four inches of compost, manure or worm castings, and mix it with the soil using a rake. This way you will leave it level, but keep in mind that it does not have to be perfect: if you like how it looks, it will be fine.
It is also interesting to place a anti-weed mesh in those areas where you are going to grow garden plants or create a beautiful flower bed. This way, you won’t have to worry about weeds.
(OPTIONAL) Installation of the irrigation system
If you are going to want to install an irrigation system, for example to water the garden area, now is the ideal time to do so. There are several types: hose, shower, drip. The most recommendable thing is that if you live in an area where it rains little and / or if you have to hydrate many plants, use the dripsince this way you will save a lot of water.
But if the area to be watered is small and it also rains frequently, a hose or a watering can will surely be more useful. In any case, if the one you put does not convince you, you are always in time to change it.
Planting the plants
And finally we reached the step we had been waiting for a long time to reach: that of planting the plants. We will take one, and we will make the planting hole where we want it to bemaking sure you get the light or shade you need. This hole has to be large enough so that it can fit without problems at least, but I recommend that it be of a larger size so that the roots find the lighter soil, something that will help them to root better.
During the spring it will be the most ideal timebut if we have deciduous plants they can be planted in autumn when they have run out of leaves, or in late winter before they sprout.
When they are all planted, the only thing left to do is take care of the garden, and enjoy it.
Photos of my garden
To finish, I am attaching a series of images of my garden. I really like to combine, so I have plants originating from many parts of the world. For this reason, when you visit it, it can give you the impression that it is based on the design of the tropical garden, since there are several plants with large and wide leaves, but immediately you come across species from temperate climates, which misleads you. And it does not really have a defined style:
The oleanders (nerium oleander) welcome. By their side they have Cycas rolledand in the background are palm trees. These are one of my favorite plants, so from the first moment I wanted them to be the protagonists. The little one you see is a Sabal, and it can reach 10 meters when adult.
This corner is the most tropical I have: in the background to the left is a ‘Maurelli’ pot-bellied vinenext to him a Euphorbia grantii ‘Rubra’, rose bushes and a strelitzia augusta. Also, in the lower left corner are some bronelias.
We continue with the palm trees. Two Syagrus are distinguished (the one on the left is a Syagrus crownedand the one on the left Syagrus romanzoffiana). In the foreground, on the right, a Pseudobombox ellipticuma deciduous tree that can measure up to 12 meters, and to the left a Prunus cerasifera pissardialso deciduous.
This is another image taken from the same place as before, but from another point. Thus, some more palm trees are shown: roebellini phoenix down, filibuster Washington next to him, some Chamaedoreas to the left, a Sabal cause on the right. Some bushes are also visible, such as the Hibiscus rosa-sinensis which has in front of two cat residents of the garden, or a small Pitosporum tobira right in front of the Euphorbia grantii.
What do you think?
