Modern garden design ideas – How to create the ‘Wow’ Factor

Colour in a modern garden design ideas

This is the simplest way to create big impact for a modest outlay. Paint a wall a bright zingy colour and add vibrant planting to create a backdrop to your garden that screams ‘look at me!’

Large coloured fibreglass (GRP) planters also make a bold statement. They can be bought ‘off the shelf’ in various finishes and colours or manufactured to your exact specifications. To enhance the impact of your planting, stick to a couple of colours and remember that it is not just flowers that add colour to a planting scheme – there are many deep, rich coloured foliage plants to choose from.

We frequently use Perspex in our designs to add a year-round block of colour. Perspex panels are easy to install on timber posts and can be used in a variety of situations, such as a free standing feature amongst planting, to create an instant explosion of colour. Using opaque Perspex screens can help to divide a space, while a translucent coloured panel allows you to layer the garden, setting apart areas of planting and other features while still keeping them visible.

Scale

Instant dynamics are created when you start playing with scale in a garden. Over sized furniture, giant leafy plants, sweeping pathways – all add a sense of drama to a modern garden design ideas. Work with your surroundings: if your garden has a large tree juxtapose it with something less imposing, such as an archway, to draw the eye gently across the space rather than focusing solely on the largest single mass.

Repetition

Use repetition to emphasise a feature. A series of box balls installed at intervals through a planting scheme can create unity and balance. Used well this technique can lend weight to a design and is worth employing whenever possible as it will help to reinforce your choice of materials or plants.

Materials

When we use two materials that have different properties in proximity to each other it creates an unexpected contrast that can be quite striking. Mix steel with grass, decking with paving or coloured glass chips with timber to give your design both elegance and punch.