Planning a perennial garden can be overwhelming. Here are some tips to help organize your thoughts and choose a design you will like

Garden Style

In order for us to end up with a garden we can enjoy, we must first decide what we like. Choosing a garden style is the first decision. That style can be worked in to any size or shape later. A good start in choosing a style is to look at magazines and find pictures of gardens you like. Tear the pictures out and save them for a while as you collect more. Look at the collection of clippings. What do you like about them as individuals? What do they have in common? Are they calm like a Japanese style garden or are they a riot of color, shape, and abundance? Do you have a particular theme in mind like an all-white garden or a fragrance garden? A look we like can be incorporated into a property of acres or a collection of potted plants. In choosing a style, it is important to consider, not just what we like, but where the garden will be located. While you might like a meadow garden, or a whimsical garden in which to display your whirligig collection, perhaps the front yard is not the place. Your neighbors probably will not appreciate it and there may be zoning laws as to lawn height and content. In general, the front yard keeps a relatively formal look. As for the rest of the property, the farther from the house and street, the less formal the garden can be.

Perennial flower garden design tips

Plant Choices

Next, think about the flower and foliage color, various leaf forms, plant heights, and bloom times. Plants can be placed in drifts through a bed. They can be grouped in several places along a walkway to lead the eye down the path. Plants can be used as a single specimen, a focal point. Choose plants that vary in height, placing the tallest at the back. If the bed is large, plan how you will get to the plants in the back to care for them. A few well-placed stepping-stones may be in order.

Seasonal Considerations

Think about what each season will be like. Try to make a focal point for each season. You might put in some bulbs and forsythia, maybe an early blooming fruit tree like cherry, for spring. Add lilies, day lilies, gay feather, Russian sage, or a host of other summer blooming perennials. Choose different colors and shapes of foliage too. Many flowers, like gaillardia, bloom on into fall. Mums with so many colors offer great fall showings. Have some plants that have fall foliage color changes. Most of us have a winter to deal with. Grow plants that leave behind berries like nandina or bittersweet. Many plants have interesting seed heads that persist through the winter like ornamental grasses. Make sure to have some evergreen plants.

Containers

If your perennial garden is a container garden, a lot can be decided about the style by what kinds of containers you choose. They do not all need to match each other, but they should match your style. The containers could be rustic or they could be sleek and shiny lacquered pots with an oriental design painted on them. The plants can be bamboos, palms, bananas, trees, succulents or virtually any plant that you could grow in the ground. They can be colorful or serene.

Pots or other containers of plants can be set into the midst of a garden as accents. If you have a space that looks a bit drab or bare, set a potted plant there. This is an especially good trick if you are waiting for small perennials to grow into large ones. The garden can look a little sparse for a year or two. Another way to make a new garden look fuller is to plant annuals in the spaces until the perennials fill in. Some people leave sections of the perennial garden empty on purpose because they like to incorporate annuals, which are changed seasonally or for holiday flower displays.

Garden Accessories

If seats are placed along the garden path, sit there and look at the view. Is there a focal point for the lounger to enjoy? Is there something that attracts attention? Place seating with that in mind. If arbors are present, be sure that they are placed with the view through the arbor in mind. Think of the arbor as a picture frame. Any fencing should be chosen with garden style in mind. A two-foot-high fence of sticks might look cute in a rustic garden, but a more polished garden requires a more polished-looking fence.

As you can see, there is a lot to think about when planning a perennial garden, but dreaming about how you want it to turn out is half the battle. Now you know how to get started.

Planning a perennial garden can be overwhelming. Here are some tips to help organize your thoughts and choose a design you will like

Garden Style

In order for us to end up with a garden we can enjoy, we must first decide what we like. Choosing a garden style is the first decision. That style can be worked in to any size or shape later. A good start in choosing a style is to look at magazines and find pictures of gardens you like. Tear the pictures out and save them for a while as you collect more. Look at the collection of clippings. What do you like about them as individuals? What do they have in common? Are they calm like a Japanese style garden or are they a riot of color, shape, and abundance? Do you have a particular theme in mind like an all-white garden or a fragrance garden? A look we like can be incorporated into a property of acres or a collection of potted plants. In choosing a style, it is important to consider, not just what we like, but where the garden will be located. While you might like a meadow garden, or a whimsical garden in which to display your whirligig collection, perhaps the front yard is not the place. Your neighbors probably will not appreciate it and there may be zoning laws as to lawn height and content. In general, the front yard keeps a relatively formal look. As for the rest of the property, the farther from the house and street, the less formal the garden can be.

Perennial flower garden design tips

Plant Choices

Next, think about the flower and foliage color, various leaf forms, plant heights, and bloom times. Plants can be placed in drifts through a bed. They can be grouped in several places along a walkway to lead the eye down the path. Plants can be used as a single specimen, a focal point. Choose plants that vary in height, placing the tallest at the back. If the bed is large, plan how you will get to the plants in the back to care for them. A few well-placed stepping-stones may be in order.

Seasonal Considerations

Think about what each season will be like. Try to make a focal point for each season. You might put in some bulbs and forsythia, maybe an early blooming fruit tree like cherry, for spring. Add lilies, day lilies, gay feather, Russian sage, or a host of other summer blooming perennials. Choose different colors and shapes of foliage too. Many flowers, like gaillardia, bloom on into fall. Mums with so many colors offer great fall showings. Have some plants that have fall foliage color changes. Most of us have a winter to deal with. Grow plants that leave behind berries like nandina or bittersweet. Many plants have interesting seed heads that persist through the winter like ornamental grasses. Make sure to have some evergreen plants.

Containers

If your perennial garden is a container garden, a lot can be decided about the style by what kinds of containers you choose. They do not all need to match each other, but they should match your style. The containers could be rustic or they could be sleek and shiny lacquered pots with an oriental design painted on them. The plants can be bamboos, palms, bananas, trees, succulents or virtually any plant that you could grow in the ground. They can be colorful or serene.

Pots or other containers of plants can be set into the midst of a garden as accents. If you have a space that looks a bit drab or bare, set a potted plant there. This is an especially good trick if you are waiting for small perennials to grow into large ones. The garden can look a little sparse for a year or two. Another way to make a new garden look fuller is to plant annuals in the spaces until the perennials fill in. Some people leave sections of the perennial garden empty on purpose because they like to incorporate annuals, which are changed seasonally or for holiday flower displays.

Garden Accessories

If seats are placed along the garden path, sit there and look at the view. Is there a focal point for the lounger to enjoy? Is there something that attracts attention? Place seating with that in mind. If arbors are present, be sure that they are placed with the view through the arbor in mind. Think of the arbor as a picture frame. Any fencing should be chosen with garden style in mind. A two-foot-high fence of sticks might look cute in a rustic garden, but a more polished garden requires a more polished-looking fence.

As you can see, there is a lot to think about when planning a perennial garden, but dreaming about how you want it to turn out is half the battle. Now you know how to get started.

Planning a perennial garden can be overwhelming. Here are some tips to help organize your thoughts and choose a design you will like

Garden Style

In order for us to end up with a garden we can enjoy, we must first decide what we like. Choosing a garden style is the first decision. That style can be worked in to any size or shape later. A good start in choosing a style is to look at magazines and find pictures of gardens you like. Tear the pictures out and save them for a while as you collect more. Look at the collection of clippings. What do you like about them as individuals? What do they have in common? Are they calm like a Japanese style garden or are they a riot of color, shape, and abundance? Do you have a particular theme in mind like an all-white garden or a fragrance garden? A look we like can be incorporated into a property of acres or a collection of potted plants. In choosing a style, it is important to consider, not just what we like, but where the garden will be located. While you might like a meadow garden, or a whimsical garden in which to display your whirligig collection, perhaps the front yard is not the place. Your neighbors probably will not appreciate it and there may be zoning laws as to lawn height and content. In general, the front yard keeps a relatively formal look. As for the rest of the property, the farther from the house and street, the less formal the garden can be.

Perennial flower garden design tips

Plant Choices

Next, think about the flower and foliage color, various leaf forms, plant heights, and bloom times. Plants can be placed in drifts through a bed. They can be grouped in several places along a walkway to lead the eye down the path. Plants can be used as a single specimen, a focal point. Choose plants that vary in height, placing the tallest at the back. If the bed is large, plan how you will get to the plants in the back to care for them. A few well-placed stepping-stones may be in order.

Seasonal Considerations

Think about what each season will be like. Try to make a focal point for each season. You might put in some bulbs and forsythia, maybe an early blooming fruit tree like cherry, for spring. Add lilies, day lilies, gay feather, Russian sage, or a host of other summer blooming perennials. Choose different colors and shapes of foliage too. Many flowers, like gaillardia, bloom on into fall. Mums with so many colors offer great fall showings. Have some plants that have fall foliage color changes. Most of us have a winter to deal with. Grow plants that leave behind berries like nandina or bittersweet. Many plants have interesting seed heads that persist through the winter like ornamental grasses. Make sure to have some evergreen plants.

Containers

If your perennial garden is a container garden, a lot can be decided about the style by what kinds of containers you choose. They do not all need to match each other, but they should match your style. The containers could be rustic or they could be sleek and shiny lacquered pots with an oriental design painted on them. The plants can be bamboos, palms, bananas, trees, succulents or virtually any plant that you could grow in the ground. They can be colorful or serene.

Pots or other containers of plants can be set into the midst of a garden as accents. If you have a space that looks a bit drab or bare, set a potted plant there. This is an especially good trick if you are waiting for small perennials to grow into large ones. The garden can look a little sparse for a year or two. Another way to make a new garden look fuller is to plant annuals in the spaces until the perennials fill in. Some people leave sections of the perennial garden empty on purpose because they like to incorporate annuals, which are changed seasonally or for holiday flower displays.

Garden Accessories

If seats are placed along the garden path, sit there and look at the view. Is there a focal point for the lounger to enjoy? Is there something that attracts attention? Place seating with that in mind. If arbors are present, be sure that they are placed with the view through the arbor in mind. Think of the arbor as a picture frame. Any fencing should be chosen with garden style in mind. A two-foot-high fence of sticks might look cute in a rustic garden, but a more polished garden requires a more polished-looking fence.

As you can see, there is a lot to think about when planning a perennial garden, but dreaming about how you want it to turn out is half the battle. Now you know how to get started.

Planning a perennial garden can be overwhelming. Here are some tips to help organize your thoughts and choose a design you will like

Garden Style

In order for us to end up with a garden we can enjoy, we must first decide what we like. Choosing a garden style is the first decision. That style can be worked in to any size or shape later. A good start in choosing a style is to look at magazines and find pictures of gardens you like. Tear the pictures out and save them for a while as you collect more. Look at the collection of clippings. What do you like about them as individuals? What do they have in common? Are they calm like a Japanese style garden or are they a riot of color, shape, and abundance? Do you have a particular theme in mind like an all-white garden or a fragrance garden? A look we like can be incorporated into a property of acres or a collection of potted plants. In choosing a style, it is important to consider, not just what we like, but where the garden will be located. While you might like a meadow garden, or a whimsical garden in which to display your whirligig collection, perhaps the front yard is not the place. Your neighbors probably will not appreciate it and there may be zoning laws as to lawn height and content. In general, the front yard keeps a relatively formal look. As for the rest of the property, the farther from the house and street, the less formal the garden can be.

Perennial flower garden design tips

Plant Choices

Next, think about the flower and foliage color, various leaf forms, plant heights, and bloom times. Plants can be placed in drifts through a bed. They can be grouped in several places along a walkway to lead the eye down the path. Plants can be used as a single specimen, a focal point. Choose plants that vary in height, placing the tallest at the back. If the bed is large, plan how you will get to the plants in the back to care for them. A few well-placed stepping-stones may be in order.

Seasonal Considerations

Think about what each season will be like. Try to make a focal point for each season. You might put in some bulbs and forsythia, maybe an early blooming fruit tree like cherry, for spring. Add lilies, day lilies, gay feather, Russian sage, or a host of other summer blooming perennials. Choose different colors and shapes of foliage too. Many flowers, like gaillardia, bloom on into fall. Mums with so many colors offer great fall showings. Have some plants that have fall foliage color changes. Most of us have a winter to deal with. Grow plants that leave behind berries like nandina or bittersweet. Many plants have interesting seed heads that persist through the winter like ornamental grasses. Make sure to have some evergreen plants.

Containers

If your perennial garden is a container garden, a lot can be decided about the style by what kinds of containers you choose. They do not all need to match each other, but they should match your style. The containers could be rustic or they could be sleek and shiny lacquered pots with an oriental design painted on them. The plants can be bamboos, palms, bananas, trees, succulents or virtually any plant that you could grow in the ground. They can be colorful or serene.

Pots or other containers of plants can be set into the midst of a garden as accents. If you have a space that looks a bit drab or bare, set a potted plant there. This is an especially good trick if you are waiting for small perennials to grow into large ones. The garden can look a little sparse for a year or two. Another way to make a new garden look fuller is to plant annuals in the spaces until the perennials fill in. Some people leave sections of the perennial garden empty on purpose because they like to incorporate annuals, which are changed seasonally or for holiday flower displays.

Garden Accessories

If seats are placed along the garden path, sit there and look at the view. Is there a focal point for the lounger to enjoy? Is there something that attracts attention? Place seating with that in mind. If arbors are present, be sure that they are placed with the view through the arbor in mind. Think of the arbor as a picture frame. Any fencing should be chosen with garden style in mind. A two-foot-high fence of sticks might look cute in a rustic garden, but a more polished garden requires a more polished-looking fence.

As you can see, there is a lot to think about when planning a perennial garden, but dreaming about how you want it to turn out is half the battle. Now you know how to get started.

Courtyard gerdens are an extension of your home. Prevent problems like glare and heat build up by planting lots of plants and adding a water feature.

Courtyard gardens are spaces that are enclosed by walls usually on three sides and sometimes four sides. They usually do not have a roof. Most courtyards do no have a lawn. Mulched areas and/or paving is most common for the floor of a courtyard garden.

Home and garden plans: Courtyard garden design

The perimeter against the walls is where the planting beds are usually located. The walls protect the plants from wind but sometimes this leads to poor air circulation. With paving and courtyard walls heat can build up and present a problem. All courtyards need many plants and a water feature to keep down the glare and the heat. Vines growing on the walls will help add to the comfort level of a courtyard garden. Fountains or any type of water feature will serve as an interesting focal point and help add humidity and moisture to the plants.

Keep the courtyard design simple by having just a few types of plants in masses. If too many plant species and too many different colors are used it will take away from the calming effect a courtyard should have. Blues, greens, purples and whites are good cool and calming colors for courtyard gardens.

Choose plants that don’t have an invasive root system or you will have roots breaking through your courtyard floor. Keep plants in scale with the size of the courtyard. If the walls of the courtyard create shady areas then choose shade loving plants such as ferns. Always add compost and mulch to your planting beds.

Container plants are perfect for courtyards. Roses, dwarf fruit trees, palms and flowering annuals can all be used. Hanging baskets will draw the eye up. Divide the walls into three areas, ground level, eye level and upper level. Something interesting should be at each level, whether it be a plant or something else.

Espaliered plants look great against a courtyard wall and they take up very little space. This will also help reduce heat and glare. Avoid plants that will harm your walls. If you have rock walls with mortar then do not use plants like Climbing Fig or English Ivy because these plants have roots and feelers that will destroy the mortar in between the rocks and cause it to be unsafe in time.

Add garden art to your courtyard garden such as statues or gazing balls. An interesting addition can be a bird bath, bird feeder or a simple, yet decorative ivy pole. Hang up chimes or little wind gadgets that twirl and sparkle in the sun. If your courtyard wall is short enough to sit on, add cushions for more comfort, when you have guests. A small table and some chairs are needed in any outdoor room. Homemade benches can be unique and comfortable. Use an old stump to carve out a chair or an animal for a conversation piece. Take out some paving stones and add some plants that like to be stepped on, like the thyme plants. When you step on them they will release their essential oils and be very fragrant.

Courtyard gerdens are an extension of your home. Prevent problems like glare and heat build up by planting lots of plants and adding a water feature.

Courtyard gardens are spaces that are enclosed by walls usually on three sides and sometimes four sides. They usually do not have a roof. Most courtyards do no have a lawn. Mulched areas and/or paving is most common for the floor of a courtyard garden.

Home and garden plans: Courtyard garden design

The perimeter against the walls is where the planting beds are usually located. The walls protect the plants from wind but sometimes this leads to poor air circulation. With paving and courtyard walls heat can build up and present a problem. All courtyards need many plants and a water feature to keep down the glare and the heat. Vines growing on the walls will help add to the comfort level of a courtyard garden. Fountains or any type of water feature will serve as an interesting focal point and help add humidity and moisture to the plants.

Keep the courtyard design simple by having just a few types of plants in masses. If too many plant species and too many different colors are used it will take away from the calming effect a courtyard should have. Blues, greens, purples and whites are good cool and calming colors for courtyard gardens.

Choose plants that don’t have an invasive root system or you will have roots breaking through your courtyard floor. Keep plants in scale with the size of the courtyard. If the walls of the courtyard create shady areas then choose shade loving plants such as ferns. Always add compost and mulch to your planting beds.

Container plants are perfect for courtyards. Roses, dwarf fruit trees, palms and flowering annuals can all be used. Hanging baskets will draw the eye up. Divide the walls into three areas, ground level, eye level and upper level. Something interesting should be at each level, whether it be a plant or something else.

Espaliered plants look great against a courtyard wall and they take up very little space. This will also help reduce heat and glare. Avoid plants that will harm your walls. If you have rock walls with mortar then do not use plants like Climbing Fig or English Ivy because these plants have roots and feelers that will destroy the mortar in between the rocks and cause it to be unsafe in time.

Add garden art to your courtyard garden such as statues or gazing balls. An interesting addition can be a bird bath, bird feeder or a simple, yet decorative ivy pole. Hang up chimes or little wind gadgets that twirl and sparkle in the sun. If your courtyard wall is short enough to sit on, add cushions for more comfort, when you have guests. A small table and some chairs are needed in any outdoor room. Homemade benches can be unique and comfortable. Use an old stump to carve out a chair or an animal for a conversation piece. Take out some paving stones and add some plants that like to be stepped on, like the thyme plants. When you step on them they will release their essential oils and be very fragrant.

Courtyard gerdens are an extension of your home. Prevent problems like glare and heat build up by planting lots of plants and adding a water feature.

Courtyard gardens are spaces that are enclosed by walls usually on three sides and sometimes four sides. They usually do not have a roof. Most courtyards do no have a lawn. Mulched areas and/or paving is most common for the floor of a courtyard garden.

Home and garden plans: Courtyard garden design

The perimeter against the walls is where the planting beds are usually located. The walls protect the plants from wind but sometimes this leads to poor air circulation. With paving and courtyard walls heat can build up and present a problem. All courtyards need many plants and a water feature to keep down the glare and the heat. Vines growing on the walls will help add to the comfort level of a courtyard garden. Fountains or any type of water feature will serve as an interesting focal point and help add humidity and moisture to the plants.

Keep the courtyard design simple by having just a few types of plants in masses. If too many plant species and too many different colors are used it will take away from the calming effect a courtyard should have. Blues, greens, purples and whites are good cool and calming colors for courtyard gardens.

Choose plants that don’t have an invasive root system or you will have roots breaking through your courtyard floor. Keep plants in scale with the size of the courtyard. If the walls of the courtyard create shady areas then choose shade loving plants such as ferns. Always add compost and mulch to your planting beds.

Container plants are perfect for courtyards. Roses, dwarf fruit trees, palms and flowering annuals can all be used. Hanging baskets will draw the eye up. Divide the walls into three areas, ground level, eye level and upper level. Something interesting should be at each level, whether it be a plant or something else.

Espaliered plants look great against a courtyard wall and they take up very little space. This will also help reduce heat and glare. Avoid plants that will harm your walls. If you have rock walls with mortar then do not use plants like Climbing Fig or English Ivy because these plants have roots and feelers that will destroy the mortar in between the rocks and cause it to be unsafe in time.

Add garden art to your courtyard garden such as statues or gazing balls. An interesting addition can be a bird bath, bird feeder or a simple, yet decorative ivy pole. Hang up chimes or little wind gadgets that twirl and sparkle in the sun. If your courtyard wall is short enough to sit on, add cushions for more comfort, when you have guests. A small table and some chairs are needed in any outdoor room. Homemade benches can be unique and comfortable. Use an old stump to carve out a chair or an animal for a conversation piece. Take out some paving stones and add some plants that like to be stepped on, like the thyme plants. When you step on them they will release their essential oils and be very fragrant.

Courtyard gerdens are an extension of your home. Prevent problems like glare and heat build up by planting lots of plants and adding a water feature.

Courtyard gardens are spaces that are enclosed by walls usually on three sides and sometimes four sides. They usually do not have a roof. Most courtyards do no have a lawn. Mulched areas and/or paving is most common for the floor of a courtyard garden.

Home and garden plans: Courtyard garden design

The perimeter against the walls is where the planting beds are usually located. The walls protect the plants from wind but sometimes this leads to poor air circulation. With paving and courtyard walls heat can build up and present a problem. All courtyards need many plants and a water feature to keep down the glare and the heat. Vines growing on the walls will help add to the comfort level of a courtyard garden. Fountains or any type of water feature will serve as an interesting focal point and help add humidity and moisture to the plants.

Keep the courtyard design simple by having just a few types of plants in masses. If too many plant species and too many different colors are used it will take away from the calming effect a courtyard should have. Blues, greens, purples and whites are good cool and calming colors for courtyard gardens.

Choose plants that don’t have an invasive root system or you will have roots breaking through your courtyard floor. Keep plants in scale with the size of the courtyard. If the walls of the courtyard create shady areas then choose shade loving plants such as ferns. Always add compost and mulch to your planting beds.

Container plants are perfect for courtyards. Roses, dwarf fruit trees, palms and flowering annuals can all be used. Hanging baskets will draw the eye up. Divide the walls into three areas, ground level, eye level and upper level. Something interesting should be at each level, whether it be a plant or something else.

Espaliered plants look great against a courtyard wall and they take up very little space. This will also help reduce heat and glare. Avoid plants that will harm your walls. If you have rock walls with mortar then do not use plants like Climbing Fig or English Ivy because these plants have roots and feelers that will destroy the mortar in between the rocks and cause it to be unsafe in time.

Add garden art to your courtyard garden such as statues or gazing balls. An interesting addition can be a bird bath, bird feeder or a simple, yet decorative ivy pole. Hang up chimes or little wind gadgets that twirl and sparkle in the sun. If your courtyard wall is short enough to sit on, add cushions for more comfort, when you have guests. A small table and some chairs are needed in any outdoor room. Homemade benches can be unique and comfortable. Use an old stump to carve out a chair or an animal for a conversation piece. Take out some paving stones and add some plants that like to be stepped on, like the thyme plants. When you step on them they will release their essential oils and be very fragrant.

Creating corner flower gardens

Designing a garden area in a corner of your yard can be a creative endeavor, bringing serenity and beauty into your life at home. Although many ideas can be gathered by visiting other gardens, such as city gardens for public view, one may also achieve a unique design by putting together some fundamental elements in an arrangement that is particularly pleasing to the garden’s owner.

Garden design ideas: Great ideas for corner flower garden designs

First, you will want to consider the shape of the garden. If a fenced or walled corner is the focus, you will be working with a triangle, or perhaps a semi-circle extending from, or arching into, a right angle. The tallest section of the garden will be the corner. You may wish to plant a small flowering tree here, but larger trees can cast too much shade, making it difficult to grow other plants in the area. Another idea for achieving height in the corner is a tiered succession of shaped, small leafed bushes. Keeping the further-most bush quite tall, a tiered effect of several shades of green, neatly trimmed, will make an interesting and permanent backdrop for the corner. Be sure that the shade from these bushes does not overtake the garden. Tiered bushes can serve as the backdrop for smaller, more colorful plants and flowers.

When choosing a variety of plants, be sure to note the growth season, so that you can attractively alternate varieties that will bloom at different times of the year. Your main plants should be eye-catchers throughout the seasons, and those that are not should be alternated with a successive species, such as spring bulbs planted in advance to fill the spots where summer flowers do not yet appear.

The easiest method for choosing plants is to visit a local nursery where there are knowledgeable salespeople. Even without advice, you can observe which plants are commonly planted in your part of the country, and safely choose these for your beginning garden. Also, there will be sun and temperature factors to consider. Be sure to make a special note of which areas receive the most sun at different times of day or year, and whether any part of the garden is exposed to wind or frost in winter. Also take care that you are not shopping indoors, where all the tropical plants are kept, when looking for outdoor plants that need plenty of sunshine.

For those who want to dress their garden with small plants and flowers, a succession of trellises is a lovely idea for the small garden area. These can be adorned with climbing, flowering vines, such as Morning Glories, to achieve a lovely effect. In a corner spot, a stair-step effect of the trellises, meeting symmetrically at the center from each side, will form a point of focus, giving rest to the eye. An attractive bird bath or fountain centered in front of the tallest point will add beauty and interest as well as the elements of water and wildlife to your special area. Another idea is to place rectangular trellises on each side, with a fountain or bird bath in the center. If you don’t want the look of a trellis, vines can also be attached to the fence or wall with a large staple or bracket carefully nailed over the vine.

If you want wildlife visiting your garden, you can inquire at your nursery about various plants which will encourage their attendance. Certain species attract birds, and there are clumping plants to attract frogs as well. You may wish to select only the heartiest plants for your garden, requiring minimum upkeep. The best course to follow in this event is to find locally indigenous plants. A book on this subject might be most helpful in planning an indigenous garden.

When choosing the colors for your garden, keep in mind your favorites. Some colors will have a more pleasing effect to you than others, and there are color clusters that go very well together, whereas others may clash. Plants and flowers leading away from your fence line should all be planted in order of height, leaving the shortest for the front of the garden. Also keep the center corner area taller than the flanking sides, or for the opposite effect, make your outermost plants very tall, to form a kind of pillar to each side. Symmetry is most pleasing to the eye, and following this rule makes arranging easier to accomplish successfully. Buy even numbers of every plant except for your center piece.

When thinking of a border for your garden area, consider using a heavy, contrasting element such as medium to large stones. Contrast adds to the effect of delicate flowers with their bright colors. If you are wanting for a more formal look, use a uniformly cut material to border the area. The cut-off line between grass and garden soil must be sharply divided so as to prevent grass from growing again into your flowerbed. After tilling the area to be planted, a flexible metal or plastic divider can be purchased for pushing down into the dirt, making a barrier to crossover growth. Set your decorative dividing stone along this divider. Add your garden soil to the planting area, and a fertilizer recommended by your nursery specialist. A solid green ground cover between your flowers and your divider may also lend a pleasing effect to the garden border.

Garden benches placed on each side of a climbing flower trellis arrangement with a birdbath, will form a cozy seating area. The garden may be enclosed with tiered bushes in this arrangement, which should be set toward the back side of the benches, allowing for beautiful flowers and interesting plants in the foreground. The benches can be accented with boxed flower gardens on each side, and set amongst a simple rock walkway. Pavement stones leading to your garden area are inexpensive and very easy to install. These can be arranged creatively to form an artistic path.

For the garden that is not created specifically for the purpose of contributing to your view from the house, garden benches set beneath flowering vine-covered arched trellises with will form an especially romantic setting. With the bench facing away from the heavy traffic areas toward the corner garden, a simple stone or pebble path leading toward a fountain would be most pleasing. To make your covered garden bench particularly romantic, cut a trellis form to fit the backside of the arch and cover the structure with flowering vines all around. In this more romantic arrangement, a Grecian urn pot of flowers flanking each side of the bench would be more fitting.

In keeping with the plan of symmetry, you may wish to duplicate the arched trellis at a right angle to the first. Both archways would form a sort of entrance to your corner garden, making it a private place for shaded rest, reflection or wine and cheese with your loved one. This area might be an ideal spot for a larger fountain, perhaps including the beautiful Koi fish.

Whether you choose to make an elaborate and expensive garden design, or to simply plant some well placed flowers, you can create a garden area with which to grow. Add to and embellish your special corner as you please, and in time, your corner garden will become a restful place and a beautiful work of art.

Creating corner flower gardens

Designing a garden area in a corner of your yard can be a creative endeavor, bringing serenity and beauty into your life at home. Although many ideas can be gathered by visiting other gardens, such as city gardens for public view, one may also achieve a unique design by putting together some fundamental elements in an arrangement that is particularly pleasing to the garden’s owner.

Garden design ideas: Great ideas for corner flower garden designs

First, you will want to consider the shape of the garden. If a fenced or walled corner is the focus, you will be working with a triangle, or perhaps a semi-circle extending from, or arching into, a right angle. The tallest section of the garden will be the corner. You may wish to plant a small flowering tree here, but larger trees can cast too much shade, making it difficult to grow other plants in the area. Another idea for achieving height in the corner is a tiered succession of shaped, small leafed bushes. Keeping the further-most bush quite tall, a tiered effect of several shades of green, neatly trimmed, will make an interesting and permanent backdrop for the corner. Be sure that the shade from these bushes does not overtake the garden. Tiered bushes can serve as the backdrop for smaller, more colorful plants and flowers.

When choosing a variety of plants, be sure to note the growth season, so that you can attractively alternate varieties that will bloom at different times of the year. Your main plants should be eye-catchers throughout the seasons, and those that are not should be alternated with a successive species, such as spring bulbs planted in advance to fill the spots where summer flowers do not yet appear.

The easiest method for choosing plants is to visit a local nursery where there are knowledgeable salespeople. Even without advice, you can observe which plants are commonly planted in your part of the country, and safely choose these for your beginning garden. Also, there will be sun and temperature factors to consider. Be sure to make a special note of which areas receive the most sun at different times of day or year, and whether any part of the garden is exposed to wind or frost in winter. Also take care that you are not shopping indoors, where all the tropical plants are kept, when looking for outdoor plants that need plenty of sunshine.

For those who want to dress their garden with small plants and flowers, a succession of trellises is a lovely idea for the small garden area. These can be adorned with climbing, flowering vines, such as Morning Glories, to achieve a lovely effect. In a corner spot, a stair-step effect of the trellises, meeting symmetrically at the center from each side, will form a point of focus, giving rest to the eye. An attractive bird bath or fountain centered in front of the tallest point will add beauty and interest as well as the elements of water and wildlife to your special area. Another idea is to place rectangular trellises on each side, with a fountain or bird bath in the center. If you don’t want the look of a trellis, vines can also be attached to the fence or wall with a large staple or bracket carefully nailed over the vine.

If you want wildlife visiting your garden, you can inquire at your nursery about various plants which will encourage their attendance. Certain species attract birds, and there are clumping plants to attract frogs as well. You may wish to select only the heartiest plants for your garden, requiring minimum upkeep. The best course to follow in this event is to find locally indigenous plants. A book on this subject might be most helpful in planning an indigenous garden.

When choosing the colors for your garden, keep in mind your favorites. Some colors will have a more pleasing effect to you than others, and there are color clusters that go very well together, whereas others may clash. Plants and flowers leading away from your fence line should all be planted in order of height, leaving the shortest for the front of the garden. Also keep the center corner area taller than the flanking sides, or for the opposite effect, make your outermost plants very tall, to form a kind of pillar to each side. Symmetry is most pleasing to the eye, and following this rule makes arranging easier to accomplish successfully. Buy even numbers of every plant except for your center piece.

When thinking of a border for your garden area, consider using a heavy, contrasting element such as medium to large stones. Contrast adds to the effect of delicate flowers with their bright colors. If you are wanting for a more formal look, use a uniformly cut material to border the area. The cut-off line between grass and garden soil must be sharply divided so as to prevent grass from growing again into your flowerbed. After tilling the area to be planted, a flexible metal or plastic divider can be purchased for pushing down into the dirt, making a barrier to crossover growth. Set your decorative dividing stone along this divider. Add your garden soil to the planting area, and a fertilizer recommended by your nursery specialist. A solid green ground cover between your flowers and your divider may also lend a pleasing effect to the garden border.

Garden benches placed on each side of a climbing flower trellis arrangement with a birdbath, will form a cozy seating area. The garden may be enclosed with tiered bushes in this arrangement, which should be set toward the back side of the benches, allowing for beautiful flowers and interesting plants in the foreground. The benches can be accented with boxed flower gardens on each side, and set amongst a simple rock walkway. Pavement stones leading to your garden area are inexpensive and very easy to install. These can be arranged creatively to form an artistic path.

For the garden that is not created specifically for the purpose of contributing to your view from the house, garden benches set beneath flowering vine-covered arched trellises with will form an especially romantic setting. With the bench facing away from the heavy traffic areas toward the corner garden, a simple stone or pebble path leading toward a fountain would be most pleasing. To make your covered garden bench particularly romantic, cut a trellis form to fit the backside of the arch and cover the structure with flowering vines all around. In this more romantic arrangement, a Grecian urn pot of flowers flanking each side of the bench would be more fitting.

In keeping with the plan of symmetry, you may wish to duplicate the arched trellis at a right angle to the first. Both archways would form a sort of entrance to your corner garden, making it a private place for shaded rest, reflection or wine and cheese with your loved one. This area might be an ideal spot for a larger fountain, perhaps including the beautiful Koi fish.

Whether you choose to make an elaborate and expensive garden design, or to simply plant some well placed flowers, you can create a garden area with which to grow. Add to and embellish your special corner as you please, and in time, your corner garden will become a restful place and a beautiful work of art.