Garden Design IdeasGarden Ideas, Photos and Tips for Gardening at Home
Molding clay into ceramics may not seem like the most ordered homework for a career design gardens . But Key West landscape designer Craig Reynolds , who studied ceramics in college , sees the connexion . “ Garden design is my clay , ” he says of his process of reckon an outdoor distance . “ Every piece of land has a fingerprint , by which I think of proportion , scale of measurement , circulation . You just have to find it . ”
Reynolds , who has projects throughout South Florida , the Florida Keys , and the Caribbean , near each projection much as he would if he were painting a landscape . “ I use aboriginal works in the background as a framework , and in front I layer tropical - wait flora like philodendrons , palms , and variegate plants to impart in colouration , ” he says . “ I like gardens to feel sculptural and designed in a way of life that finger like artwork , ” he says . Here are eight tips from Reynolds on produce a garden that feels like art .
1 . MASS IT
No matter what size space you ’re planting , “ you need masses of things , ” Reynolds enounce . “ You may have five or six species of plants , and use perchance 10 of one , 20 of another , and 100 of the smaller groundcovers . Masses commix a textural , heavily planted garden . ”
Massed bromeliads andPhilodendron‘Burle Marx ’ fill either side of the ipe boardwalk with a ocean of green . DwarfPsychotria ligustrifoliaand fernlikePodocarpusadds height and texture along the fencing . picture : Richard Bloom .
2 . EMBRACE THE LONG VIEW
Small gardens gain a sensation of depth when you stress tenacious view across the garden . “ Instead of making a design you meander through , take advantage of one tenacious view , ” Reynolds indicate . Emphasize its duration with a straight path and striking focal point at each end .
3 . PLANT A NATIVE BACKDROP
“ Natives are often the most tolerant to pestilence and most indestructible once they get established , ” Reynolds say . “ And so the prospicient - full term health of the garden is go to be honest if you apply them . For clients who want a tropical look , I employ indigen in the desktop , and then I layer showier , tropical - style plant life in front . The customer gets what they want , and environmentally we ’re doing as much as we can to use the right plants . ”
Ficus repensgreens up a white stucco wall , while a borrowed view of neighboring palms nurture the illusion that this garden continues beyond its quarter - Accho boundary . “ We used what was next threshold so that we did n’t have to establish on the inside of the wall , ” Reynolds order . “ This gave us a little more space for a patio . ” Photo : Richard Bloom .
4 . LIGHT IT , BUT DON’T LIGHT IT UP
" light is a huge part of my design , ” Reynolds says . Eliminating hot spots — the spotlight of an exposed bulb — is the number one challenge , he says . “ If you may get rid of hot spots , the lighting look natural . ” Focus , too , on highlighting features you want to accentuate and let less of import elements lose into dark .
5 . BIGGER ISN’T ALWAYS amend
Proper proportion is fundamental to a successful garden aim , specially for patios and swim pool , and they must relate well to the size of the planetary house and other garden element . For pools specially , Reynolds suggests , it ’s better to err on the smaller side . Make it a design feature , not the rife element . “ When you count out , you want a sense of space , ” not a railyard pickle - packed with wish - list particular .
This nursing home ’s living room transforms into a covered porch when glass room access are unfolded , unwrap a modestly - sized 14 - by-14 - foot swimming pool , a lawn , and concealment - provide greenery . exposure : Richard Bloom .
6 . LOOK UP
A small garden feels larger if it draws the eye up and over the boundary fence . Borrow a neighbour ’s landscaping by ensnare a view of their Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree and creating the illusion that your garden extends out past the prop line . Or plant a few grandiloquent trees near your fence strain . “ A tall tree draws your center up , ” Reynolds says . “ That arrive at a place palpate bigger and the tree seems farther off , even if it ’s plant at the sharpness of the property . ”
7 . PLANT SEE - THROUGH flora
Soften a patio and give a little garden a greater sense of depth by breaking up paving with planter spaces , and fill them with an airy tree rather than a shrub or bushy perennial . “ What you want is to see through and beyond the works , ” Reynolds say . “ If you put a President Bush there , for example , it would arrest your persuasion , and the space would feel smaller . That ’s why I care King Alexander palms : they have multiple trunk and get improbable enough so you may see right through them . ”
King Alexander palm underplanted with bromeliads develop up the paving around the puddle . On the left , masses of bold - textured plants including palms andCyperus papyruscreate a “ woodland ’s edge ” sense of expansiveness . Photo : Richard Bloom .
8 . A outpouring SHOULD appear GOOD , EVEN WHEN DRY
A spring is n’t always on , peculiarly if you ’re trying to conserve water . Reynolds suggests making a natural spring that looks just as good move around off as on — for example , a trash - roofing tile water wall that still looks attractive , and a recessed spout that fades from gibbosity when the urine ’s turned off .
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