Crafting Your Garden Layout: Steps and Ideas
Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash
The garden is a wonderful extension of the home, providing an ideal space for enjoying nature and relaxation outdoors.
While the layout of a garden varies depending on individual preferences and needs, there are several key points to consider in creating an attractive and functional space.
Here are some examples of needs or purposes:
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Photo by Sam Manickaraj on Unsplash
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Relaxation:
Designating areas for seating, lounging, or meditation to create a tranquil atmosphere.
Entertainment:
Allocating space for outdoor dining, social gatherings, or recreational activities like games.
Gardening:
Planning sections for flower beds, vegetable patches, or herb gardens based on the gardener's interests and preferences.
Children:
Creating play areas with safe and age-appropriate equipment, such as swings or sandpits.
Pets:
Designating areas for pets to play, explore, or relieve themselves, possibly incorporating paths or designated zones to minimize damage to plants.
Here are some examples of factors that influence the layout and design of the garden:
Privacy:
Incorporating features like tall hedges, screens, or trellises to create secluded spots within the garden.
Aesthetics:
Selecting plants, decorations, and layout elements that contribute to the overall visual appeal and harmony of the space.
Functionality:
Ensuring easy access to essential features like water sources, compost bins, or storage areas while maintaining an organized layout.
Consideration for Neighbors:
Designing the garden layout to minimize disturbances to neighboring properties, such as avoiding activities or features that may cause noise, light pollution, or encroachment on their space.
Seasonal Considerations:
Planning for changes in sunlight, temperature, and weather conditions throughout the year to optimize comfort and usability.
Here's an introduction to the layout of our home garden. The main spaces include areas for relaxation and dining, a play area (lawn area), plant placement areas, the location of the shed, and pathways.
The layout of my garden. Still a work in progress.
We positioned the space for relaxation and dining right outside the house for easy access. Placing it next to the house makes it convenient for carrying items in and out. To distinguish this area from other area in my yard, we had a patio built with blocks by professionals. This not only makes the area dry quickly after rain but also makes cleaning easy, providing great convenience.
In front of the patio and at the center of the garden, we have a rectangular lawn area. This shape visually enlarges the garden, enhances the sense of openness, and provides enough space for activities like badminton. The linear design adds to the beauty and brings order and coherence to the entire garden.
For the shed's placement, we chose a spot that wouldn't cast shadows on plants. After checking the direction and observing the sun's movement, we found that along the fence near the neighboring backyard's entrance was optimal. This positioning makes privacy easier to maintain and suits the overall garden design.
In front of the shed, we planted roses at the center to create a symmetrical design. In the middle of this planting, there's a straight pathway. We plan to lay bricks or lay turf in this space in the future.
Around the lawn, we've placed plantings. Initially, we planted trees and roses. We chose young trees because they're more affordable, although it takes a few years for them to grow and look good. Roses also take a couple of years to flourish, and they require a sunny spot, so we planted them early on. Then, we gradually added perennial plants. It took about five years until we could start planting perennials. Gardening became more enjoyable when we started working with perennials. I enjoy combining various colors and textures to create interesting visual effects in our garden.