For beginners stepping into the world of gardening without a clear vision or a model to follow, creating a garden can be challenging. Even if everything seems tidy, the garden might still feel disorganized and not quite right. Here are five useful beginner tips to help avoid common mistakes:
Coordinate the Overall Design
To achieve a unified and harmonious look, consider whether the completed garden will have continuity with the materials and style of your building, as well as its harmony with the surrounding environment. The garden should blend in with its surroundings, utilizing any available scenic elements and concealing any disharmonious parts. It should also complement your home’s architecture, acting as an extension of your interior decor. Garden components should be organically connected with seamless transitions. The placement of hardscape elements should align with the architectural framework in style and material, appearing as if they grew naturally from it.
When planning the viewing paths, use the organization of pathways, paving lines, and corridors to naturally guide visitors’ attention rather than using signs, enhancing the garden’s unity and harmony.
Plant Elements
When considering plants, color coordination in the design is crucial. If native trees are visible from outside the garden, it’s best to plant local species inside too, creating a smooth transition between the garden and the outside “natural” world. In larger gardens, using the same shapes and plants across different areas can unify various elements, provide rhythm, or highlight a theme. This unifying line can connect isolated elements into a harmonious whole.
Create Garden Dynamics
Gardens with multiple viewpoints can guide the gaze back and forth, creating a sense of movement. Except for Japanese-style micro-gardens and very small spaces, this should be considered in almost every garden. Movement is influenced by the shape of the garden and vertical elements like hedges, walls, and vegetation. Square and circular areas are static and calm, suitable for seating areas, whereas long narrow areas with high borders create a sense of intrigue and dynamic movement. Balancing different sections can adjust the rhythm, adding unique charm to the garden.
About Plants
Many might underestimate plant arrangement, but it is central to garden design. To achieve the desired landscape effect, you first need a comprehensive understanding of plant colors, shapes, sizes, and leaf types before combining them. Successful classic combinations often skillfully merge the commonalities of plants to create optimal vistas.
Choose a Style
Mixing multiple styles without control can make a garden look chaotic and inconsistent. Selecting one style can bring order and sophistication. In larger gardens, different areas can reflect diverse choices according to the owner’s preference, but this requires an overall plan and sensible arrangement.
Ensure Privacy
Private gardens are personal sanctuaries, with privacy being a major concern. While relaxing in your garden, you don’t want disturbances or prying eyes. Common ways to ensure garden privacy include planting the appropriate number of trees or climbing plants along the boundaries and installing suitable structures like fences—this is what we call borrowing scenery or designing scenery.
In spaces where public or neighboring structures are present, these can be leveraged for scenery. Maintaining these elements and using decorative enhancements can establish a private atmosphere without unnecessary waste, fostering a low-carbon, environmentally friendly approach. Another method is installing 1.6-1.8m high fences, planting quick-growing tall trees or climbing plants, growing hedges, building courtyard fireplaces, or adding sectional decorative walls to block views.