5 Overlooked Garden Design Tips To Improve Outdoor Spaces
There is a lot that goes into successful garden design and renovating your outdoor space, which is why some things get overlooked.
It is common for people to spend time and energy focusing on the main areas of renovation, such as the preparation and installation, because these create the bulk of the work required. However, while they may not be as instantly noticeable as the larger elements of garden design, the smaller details do matter in the long run.
As a premier landscaping company, Taming Mother Nature understands the many elements of garden design and what is needed to create a stunning outdoor space. We provide complete exterior renovations to clients across the region, and appreciate that in many cases, the smaller details make the biggest impact.
To help you create a garden you’ll love and that can withstand the test of time, we are sharing some of the most commonly overlooked garden design tips for increased appeal, functionality and longevity.
Top 5 Overlooked Garden Design Tips
If you want to create an attractive, practical outdoor space, then you need to consider all areas of garden design, not just the main priorities. These overlooked garden design tips may not always be appreciated, but they can make such a difference to your landscape and determine whether it is fit for purpose, designed to last, and suitable for your lifestyle:
1) Zoning For Misused Or Difficult Spaces
When designing a garden, all corners of the landscape need to be considered. You not only want to think about how the space will look when it is finished, but also how it feels.
This is where zoning comes in. While creating zones may seem like a common design trick for outdoor spaces, it is actually one of the most overlooked garden design tips out there because people tend to focus only on the bigger picture during renovations. This failure to zoom in on specific areas of the garden means something is going to get left behind.
Whether you have a traditional or an odd-shaped garden, zoning can ensure that every corner is used effectively. Zoning relies on a combination of hard and soft landscaping materials to create separate environments for different purposes.
For example, it is common to see gardens separated with a paved patio for outdoor dining areas or bars; a lawn area for playing and planting, and a deck for relaxation and sunbathing. Using a combination of surfaces creates distinct zones which can then be tailored to your lifestyle and desires.
To ensure cohesive flow throughout the garden, material choice is incredibly important. It is recommended to choose complementary materials in terms of colour, such as all light shades across the paving and decking panels.
Working with professional landscape gardeners, like our team, means you can have access to a range of materials and design choices to achieve this. We can recommend the best colour palette and material choices for your specific landscape.
2) Smart Storage For Small, Cluttered Gardens
Storage is one of the main overlooked elements of garden design because, during a renovation, many of your items have already been moved or stored away somewhere else.
When things such as children’s play items, garden furniture or gardening tools are no longer in your line of vision, you may forget what you have. Once your garden has been renovated and is ready to use, suddenly you find there is nowhere to store what you once owned, which can either mean getting rid of items you truly enjoy and want to use, or cluttering the garden.
A lot of homeowners struggle with storage both inside and outside of their properties, because they feel they do not have enough room for all their items. While it is a good idea to keep garden clutter at a minimum, there are going to be things that are only required once in a while or that can improve specific conditions in the garden, such as parasols for sunny days, lawn mowers to maintain the grass, and hose pipes for effective watering.
This is where smart storage solutions come in, and they can be a great way to improve both the functionality and design of your outdoor space. Bench storage (which doubles as seating when it is closed) and shelving are some of the best ways to maximise the space you have available and ensure everything has a place to stay.
If you have a larger garden, a small shed or garden room may also be a great storage solution and can be built to complement your unique garden design.
3) Permeable Paving To Avoid Flooding
Much like many other elements of garden design, many people’s main concern with hardscaping is how it looks, rather than the long-term benefits it can provide. While all of our paving and patios are made to last, permeable paving is one of the best overlooked garden design tips we can provide.
Permeable paving, such as gravel and resin, is an ideal solution for waterlogged gardens and particularly damp areas. These solutions offer excellent drainage, allowing rainwater to run off, which will avoid flooding and standing water issues, such as mould and algae.
Due to the Great British Weather being unpredictable throughout the seasons, drainage and paving cleaning are vital parts of garden design, yet are commonly overlooked in favour of aesthetic choices. With the right drainage and regular cleaning, you can keep your garden looking its best while also avoiding the issues that waterlogging can cause.
4) Sensory Enhancements For Static Gardens
Even after making all the right decisions for an attractive garden, you may find that your outdoor space is still lacking something. A lack of movement and texture can make your garden appear flat, dull and lifeless. While it may have colour and areas of interest, you will find that the overall appeal of your landscape is lacking without considering sensory elements.
For these overlooked garden design tips, a mixture of plants, grasses and garden features is required to bring life to the garden. Including tall, ornamental grasses in your flower beds or pots not only adds visual enhancement to areas of the garden, but they will sway in the breeze for much-needed movement and varying texture.
Likewise, incorporating fragrant plants, such as lavender, sage or herbs such as rosemary and mint, offers more sensory benefits to bring your garden to life. Whether you create a dedicated herb garden or simply incorporate these plants in the flower beds with the rest, the scents will move with the breeze and offer year-round appeal to the garden.
While water features cannot necessarily be described as overlooked, as they are a common adornment in all kinds of outdoor spaces, the benefits they provide are often underappreciated. Water features are an elegant and luxurious addition to gardens, but they can also add movement and catch the light in beautiful ways to provide a complete sensory experience.
From running waterfalls to still water bowls, water offers a soothing ambience to the garden, attracts wildlife and brings more light into the garden for wider appeal and lasting interest.
5) Low-Maintenance Planting To Avoid Overwhelm
After spending a lot of time and money renovating your garden, you want to make sure it lasts. This is where a lot of people struggle, because they have made decisions that look great in the moment, but they cannot maintain them. This is why low-maintenance planting is one of the most effective yet overlooked garden design tips.
Low-maintenance planting is often overlooked in favour of instant blooms and seasonal appeal, as people want their gardens to look great when they spend time in them. However, for the rest of the year, they struggle because the plants demand more than they can afford.
Low-maintenance planting, such as drought-resistant flowers and native species, reduces the need for gardening. Tasks such as watering, aerating and fertilising are significantly reduced if not completely eradicated when using low-maintenance plants, without compromising the appeal of your garden. These plants and flowers will either be able to thrive with limited watering or thrive organically in local conditions.
Another great, low-maintenance option for your garden design is evergreen shrubs. These shrubs maintain their dense, green foliage all year round, so you can have a consistent structure to the garden without any additional work.
Creating an attractive garden means thinking about the long-term and what kind of work is needed to keep it this way. There are many options for low-maintenance plants, ensuring there are options to suit all designs. Our landscape gardeners can recommend the best solutions for your unique landscape and requirements, helping you to maintain an attractive, vibrant space without the effort.
Taming Mother Nature: Bringing Light To Overlooked Garden Design Tips
It makes sense for you to be preoccupied with the bigger, and often more expensive elements of garden design when renovating your garden. As a landscaping company, we understand that services such as paving, landscaping, and construction require a lot more time and energy than anything else, which is why they often take priority during projects.
However, this does not mean that your focus cannot shift throughout the project. To ensure the best results from garden design and renovations, no detail should be ignored. It is a combination of the large, foundational installations and the small design or functionality details that create such a stunning outdoor space that remains this way for many years to come.
With our experience and professional understanding, we ensure that every possible element of garden design is considered and implemented into each project we undertake. We know that to deliver the high standards our clients expect, we need to cover all bases, which is why we include the more commonly overlooked areas of garden design in our services.
Contact Us Today
If you are looking to renovate your garden or require some additional landscaping support, we are here to help. Reach out to the team today to request a consultation and get started.
