Design an Interesting Garden

It's all too easy to lay down a square or rectangle of lawn and plant flowers around the outside, but there are ways to make your garden more interesting.

29/08/2020

 

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So many homeowners opt for the easy way when it comes to landscaping their garden. Lay down a square or rectangle of lawn, dig out and plant beds around the outside and there you have it... a boring, flat landscape that doesn't offer much of anything apart from the plants.

 

 

 

 

 

 

You don't need to be a gardener or have a green thumb to make any garden a bit more interesting and we look at a few ways that you can transform your garden without spending a fortune. Some of the projects we look at below can be done in a weekend, others might take a few weekends, but once you are done with whichever project you choose, you are guaranteed to make a difference in how your garden looks and feels.

 

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ADD SOME LUSH CURVES

Nearly every garden you look at is either a square or rectangle and that's due to the fact that the property surrounding your house is the same shape. While there are some that like straight lines in their garden, adding a few curves here and there can make all the difference.

 

Instead of having a square or rectangular piece of lawn, why not have a circle, half-circle or oval shape. We have enough straight lines in our lives and it makes a lot of sense to bring in some softness - both indoors and outdoors - to cancel out the hard edges.

 

 

Even if you only have a small piece of garden at the front or back of your house, there are many ways to introduce curves to add more interest to a plain garden.

 

With everyone looking for ways to reduce their monthly bills and be more eco-friendly, cutting back on a large piece of thirsty lawn and replacing this with hard landscaping doesn't mean you can't still have a beautiful garden. There are so many ways to reduce the size of a lawn, add more space for entertaining and have a stunning garden.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Take a walk along wandering paths and walkways and discover secret pockets of indigenous and water wise plants and shrubs.

 

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If you don't fancy the idea of a circular or similarly shaped lawn, there's always the option to add curves along the edge of the lawn. Even gentle curves around the lawn will add more interest than straight lines. 

 

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THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD

Paths and walkways are a great way of getting from one spot to another in a garden, but you can also add paths to make your garden more of an adventure. Instead of a straight path from A to B, let the path curve and wind around interesting features, and if you don't have any interesting features in your garden, add these along the path.

 

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Why take a short trip from one point to another when you can take a gentle stroll along a curving garden path.

 

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There are all types of materials that can be used to set down a curved path and you just need to decide how much work you want to put into creating the path, as well as how much you want to spend. You can lay a basic path using old reclaimed bricks or new concrete bricks, you can use natural stone or concrete paving slabs, you can even use reclaimed wood or pine planks to make a rustic path that runs through the garden.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Consider how much you have to spend for a garden path and based on this you will be able to see what materials you can afford to lay a beautiful curved garden path.

 

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Ensure that the materials you select for your curving garden path complement the overall design of the garden. If you have an indigenous garden, materials can be anything from reclaimed bricks or wood, natural stone, or even a gravel path.  

 

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CIRCULAR REFLECTIONS

Small or large, every garden should have at least one water feature, situated where you can sit and relax on a hot summer's day. A circular water feature in a garden filled with straight edges has the effect of softening the surrounding area.

 

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Place a water feature where it can be fully enjoyed, or let a garden path lead your along to discover the water feature in a hidden spot along the path.

 

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A ready-made water feature can set you back quite a bit since they don't come cheap. If you really want to add a water feature to your garden, the most affordable way to do this is as a do-it-yourself project. Alternatively, you can look around at various other types of materials that you can use to set up a homemade water feature without the expensive price tag. 

 

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OTHER CIRCULAR GARDEN ELEMENTS

There are plenty of other ways to incorporate circular designs into a square or rectangular garden. A simple design that looks stunning and very interesting is to use curved seating areas around the garden. I love the gabions below that have been topped off with wooden slats to create an interesting seating area.

 

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Forget all about straight lines, curves are far more appealing for your garden seating areas.

 

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Use reclaimed materials such as tree stumps to create a circular seating area for dining outdoors. You won't have to spend much for this type of set up and may even get the tree stumps for free is someone in your neighbourhood is cutting down large trees. 

 

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And while still on the topic of tree stumps... these concrete pavers are made to look like tree stumps. If you fancy making your own concrete tree stump pavers, simply create a form using a flexible material and fill this with cement mix. Just before the concrete cures, start adding designs to give it whorls and shapes to make it resemble cut trees. After about 3 weeks you can paint the pavers to finish them off.

 

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Concrete is used a lot of design elements in a garden and you can also use precast concrete pipes to bring circular shapes into the garden. Don't you love this circular pipe seating area and fire pit?

 

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Remember, it's not just about circles, you can bring interesting design into any garden using a variety of materials to create curved shapes, whether it's curved paths and paving, curved wooden decks above water features or a garden created entirely using curves, as shown below.

 

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