Gardening Sweet Spots
By Donna Hessel
As we age, many of us are moving to smaller homes, condos or independent living villas. That means giving up the large gardens we may have had for smaller spaces, perhaps even just a porch or balcony. That was my experience last year and this blog post is about planning my small garden space plus tips that may help you make a gratifying and pleasing transition to smaller garden spaces.
Garden Design Principles are Even More Important in Small Gardens
Line: The lines of a garden establish patterns, define spaces, sculpt forms and unify themes and can be created in various ways. Straight, formal lines can direct the eye to focal points. Curved lines invite a leisurely exploration of the garden. Vertical lines draw the eye skyward, while horizontal lines make areas appear larger than they actually are.
This is a “before” photo of my garden taken in March when everything except the established boxwood was still dormant. It’s the view I see from my office window — a room in which I spend a good deal of time. Even in winter, I love to see the curve of the path meandering leisurely toward the street. I brought the stones from garden borders at my former residence – some advance planning that paid off handsomely. The path makes the garden look a lot longer than it actually is.
Form and Shape: These may be architectural features or specific plants. They establish a garden’s style – formal, structured shapes — or informal with organic lines.
Mass-Weight: Mass refers to the visual size of an object or group of objects. It could be the house, a planting bed, or individual plants. The goal is to achieve balance among different masses so they harmonize with their surroundings. Balancing the negative space—the open spaces—with planted areas plays a key role in unifying the garden.
Color: Color can be used to guide the eye, create visual flow, and enhance the overall aesthetic appeal of the garden .It can set the mood of the garden and evoke emotions. Warm colors such as reds, oranges and yellows will energize while cool colors like blues and purples invite tranquility and calm. The color can come from foliage, bloom color or hardscaping and artwork.
Shades of pink in the impatiens echo the pink in the front garden Spirea shrubs.
My planted garden includes four clumps of yellow Stella D’Oro lilies. They bloomed in July. They surround a viburnum carlesii, which bloomed in early spring and smelled delicious. At the front of the garden there are three pink golden Spirea bushes, which bloom in July/August. They are backed by two small, round evergreen boxwoods. I decided to add low pots of New Guinea impatiens and taller pots of impatiens in shades of pink in front of the boxwoods to provide color into the fall months. Purple perilla bordering pots of hostas and variegated iris add a darker accent and repeat throughout the garden. A red caladium in an aqua pot near the back of the garden echos the color in the leaves and stems of the Gryphon begonia and painted ferns surrounding the turquoise birdbath.
Texture: Every garden needs a variety of textures to create layers of interest. Plants with coarse textures, such as those with large leaves or bold features, create a sense of depth while those with fine textures, characterized by delicate foliage or intricate details, impart a softer and subtler view. Hardscape materials like stones, bricks, or wood with rough or smooth surfaces add to the garden’s textural layers.
My little garden is bordered by the stone foundations of the structures on each side of it, providing a textured background. The stone path adds an element of repetition that carries the eye through the space. The varied textures of the foliage in the containers adds layers of interest.
Balance, Proportion and Scale: Balance can be symmetrical or asymmetrical and results in a sense of order and calm. Scale is the relationship of an item to a fixed object, while proportion is the size of an object in relation to other surrounding elements.
I planned a symmetrical garden this year, given the containers and plants I had to work with. My container colors are terra cotta and varieties of turquoise and green to achieve both continuity and repetition. The height of the containers is varied. The birdbath, which is a focal point, is turquoise and the turquoise and green glass globes floating in it echo the colors of the containers.
Rhythm and Repetition: These are vital, unifying forces in the garden. They establish a consistency of materials and elements such as form, line, texture and color. It is the repetition of these elements that creates rhythm and movement. Creating a balance between the two results in harmony without the view being overwhelming.
Focal Point: Every garden needs one – or maybe more, depending on the space available and the arrangement of plants. A focal point may be artwork, a splashing fountain or interesting plant specimens. The focal point doesn’t need to be centered in the garden, but wherever it is placed, it should attract attention and add a complementary aspect to the overall design.
The birdbath, the caterpillar.
In my garden, there are a couple of focal points, visible only from selected spots, each within its own vignette.
Function: Depending on how you will use your garden, consider adding comfortable seating, interspersing herbs or veggies in pots or, if spacious enough, adding a compost bin. Gardens can be both beautiful and functional.
The walkway to my front door begged for a bench and a couple of adjoining pots of flowers.
My garden faces east, so gets morning and early afternoon sun. By evening in the summer, there is shade and sometimes a breeze, making it an inviting space to sit and relax. There’s no space in my garden for a bench. However, the long walkway leading to my front door is wide enough to accommodate a bench – with maybe a pot of flowers on each side. It was serendipity to find the perfect bench on Facebook Marketplace in late July, just waiting for me to acquire it from a neighboring community. The adjoining flower pots will have to wait until next summer. As gardeners know, a garden is forever evolving and never finished!
Your small garden will be different than mine, but planning ahead, keeping in mind the garden design principles listed above, will make it one that you will admire and enjoy.
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Article Resource: Garden Design Online Newsletter: “10 Elements & Principles of Landscape Design”
by Rebecca Sweet, Garden Designer & Writer
All photos courtesy of Donna Hessel
