“Raised Beds”

Raised beds do have many advantages. In heavy clay, just raising the soil helps to improve drainage. The raised bed is also convenient and can be attractive: they are also a solution to several other problems that may arise.

No soil compaction because raised beds prevent you walking on the growing surface. Easy access – walk around the beds on paths. Access to crops from both sides of the beds. Deep beds for those crops that require the extra depth.

A raised bed may be ready to plant into several weeks before the normal garden plot, especially during a cool, wet spring. Raised beds will allow excess moisture to drain away and therefore over-watering is less of a problem. They are often the answer for disabled gardeners for they are more convenient, making kneeling or bending too far unnecessary.
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“Garden Paving”

Make a flight of steps look more formal by placing two matching containers at either side of the bottom or top step. They can be planted up with bay, roses, box or dwarf conifer, alternatively stand large decorative pots such as terracotta filled with stones to give weight and stability.

To soften the effect of a large, paved area (Garden Paving), take up one or two slabs and plant into the soil. Before adding the plants, prepare the soil well adding some compost and manure to introduce nutrients.

To age new bricks, brush them with milk or yoghurt.

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“Garden Paving”

Every garden has its own personalized touches that make it unique. In many cases, a garden can achieve added beauty by accenting it with an imaginative walkway, patio or any type of paved area. However, make sure your paved areas enhance, rather than take away from, the beauty of your garden.

The success of your paved garden is based not only on the materials you choose, but how you use them. Many different choices can affect the outcome, so it is important to make all the right decisions that personally suit you. Your paved work can be as intricately detailed or as simple as you wish.

Choosing a Pattern:

Bricks- Choose a paving pattern that suits your garden. Most people have found that, when it comes to garden paving, simple is best. One common pattern used in small areas is called the stretcher bond, a pattern used in building walls. (see figure 1). It is simple, effective and does not look distracting in a small garden. The herringbone (figure 2) and basket weave (figure 3) patterns are better suited for paving larger areas because they are more detailed and can be better appreciated in larger areas.
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“Garden Paths”

Garden Path basics:
The types of paths you need to create are dependent on the traffic they are to endure. The practical sort that are used for places people need to go, such as from the garden gate to the front door need solid foundations, a generous width, and they should take the shortest possible route.

Choosing a surface:
There are many different surfaces that you can use for paths, including:

Gravel:
Gravel is a popular choice for front paths, drives and seating areas, as it’s cheap, quick and easy to lay. Rake gravel over a base of pounded-down rubble.

Brick:
A well laid out brick path gives character to most garden settings particularly to the cottage garden environment. Combinations and patterns used when laying a paved brick area can make for a variety of pleasing effects. Engineering bricks are often recommended for well used garden paths as ordinary house-bricks will crumble and turn to rubble after continued frost. There are other types of strong bricks with cut surfaces, which are fairly weather resistant and will serve you at reasonable cost.
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“Mirrors in Garden”

Mirrors in Garden are an easy and effective way of making a small garden feel larger. A cleverly placed mirror can add depth to your urban oasis and be used to give the illusion of hidden corners or a doorway to another garden room! Using mirrors to reflect sunlight into shady corners is also very contemporary and easy way to brighten up the space.

Glass is a great material to use in the garden as it works so well with natural light. It can be used underfoot, as a screening device, to reflect light and as a table surface. Use glass floor bricks to add colour and interest to a plain patio surface – place lights underneath for an added element of depth.
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“Garden Treasures”

An area without a structural focal point can still have a focal point; it can be achieved instead with colour. A vibrant coloured plant or group of plants with rich and dynamic colour such as red can take centre stage giving balance and injecting interest especially in a garden where most of the colours are far more muted.

Try to make your garden a journey of discovery with hidden Garden Treasures and secluded places to sit.

Think about views, framing them, hiding them and creating some from the house into the garden.

Don’t just think flat! It is more interesting to introduce varying levels in a garden, in terms of both planting and structures.
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“Garden Colour Schemes”

Many successful garden colour schemes are created with the use of two or three chosen colours such as red, orange and yellow, but can be equally exciting using just one colour such as an all white flower theme. The key to creating a successful white garden lies in the realization that a white garden is not predominantly white, but also green.

The various textures of the foliage act as a foil to the stark-white blossoms, muting their brilliance with a calm and cool effect. Grey-leaved plants, such as lamb’s ears, santolina, and artemisia, also perform a beneficial role: Used in moderation, these “almost whites” act as a bridge between dark and light and serve to link the two serenely together.
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“Balanced Garden Design”

It can be a tricky matter to determine whether a landscape is balanced or not. You’ll probably rely more on intuition than conscious calculation. While there are complex mathematical formulas you can follow, the best solution may be to simply step back and take a good look, just as a painter would do with a piece of art.

Take a look at these examples to get a feel for this design principal:
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“Garden Design Plan”

Draw up garden design plans to scale, using pencil on vellum over graph paper (four squares per inch). Use tissue over the vellum layer for idea sketches before drawing out the final plan. It may take several attempts to achieve the one satisfactory design; the final plan may take the best elements from each sketch. Your plans don’t have to be so elaborate, however. After all, a plan is simply a map for you to follow in your garden. As long as you can understand it, that’s all that matters. And while planning for spring, summer, and autumn glory, don’t forget to add plants with winter interest—beautiful bark, berries, textures, form, or colour.
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“Garden Design”

There are basically two roads to follow when seeking balance in the garden design: symmetrical and asymmetrical. Formal landscapes have symmetrical balance. A formal design is best used on flat ground or when working with a central feature, such as a fountain or front door. Formal gardens, such as Mediterranean gardens, consist of symmetrical compositions balanced about a central axis.
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