Not everyone has a full-blooming garden that inspires them every day and provides something pretty to look at, while being a special functional space you can use all year round.
Sometimes gardens are less wow and more, “oh, is that it?” Plain gardens are rather lacklustre to say the least, and whether you’ve just moved to a property with an underwhelming garden or simply want to breathe some life into the space you have, these tips can be great starting points to help you create something wonderful from nothing and upgrade your garden.
Create Zones
One huge blank space can be somewhat intimidating. The trick is to break it up into zones. Even small spaces can be zoned with ease.
Break up lawns with garden beds or by adding a pathway. Section off hard landscaping by using rugs or pots to create definition in an otherwise blank space. You don’t need massive garden overhauls, although expert landscapers can be ideal for larger spaces or those that need a touch more expertise than you have. Small, simple additions, however, can help you create boundaries and give the garden more interest instantly.
Add Texture
Texture instantly upgrades any space, both internally and externally. But outdoor texture can include a range of different plants and flowers, it can be adding hard landscaping amid a huge patch of grass, it can be adding grass, decking, wooden features, etc. It can be adding terracotta plant pots on your tiled pathway, a rug under your seating area, a wooden trellis up a brick wall or soft furnishing on seating areas.
It’s worth noting that, for a more cohesive design and so everything doesn’t look thrown in for the sake of it, experts recommend using a maximum of three materials, e.g., wood, metal, gravel, or tile, composite decking, brick, etc. This goes for things like lawns and soil, too. The trick is thoughtful placement and repetition, not a huge number of different materials.
Add Vertical Interest
If everything is put at the same level, it’s a bit boring and uninspiring, and it can make small spaces, especially, feel smaller and more cluttered.
Add more interest by adding visual interest in vertical areas.
You can install a living wall, an increasingly popular gardening trend in recent years. You can use shelving for planters or garden decor, add hanging baskets, or just hang outdoor artwork on walls. Even things like pergolas or awnings add extra vertical, visual interest and give the eye something to focus on that isn’t on the ground.
Create A Living Area
A great way to add something special to an otherwise plain space is to create an outdoor living area. It can be a simple bistro set on a small outdoor rug. Or maybe decking on a small part of the garden, or you can create a full outdoor seating area with or without an outdoor kitchen if you have the space and budget.
Add a firepit, heater, or lighting, a bit of shade and all of a sudden your boring garden has an external space for people to gather and use that is functional and aesthetically pleasing too.
