Garden Design Tip #1: Add colour…

Here’s a garden design tip, if, like a lot of the gardens I design, space is at a premium, you need to make every available space work hard. Consider the vertical planes in your garden.

Have you a bare wall in your garden? Do you have a garden shed? Try using a vertical plane to add colour to the space. Adding upright lines to your garden helps create a dynamic component. One of the easiest ways to do this is by painting a wall.

Consider what you are going to put in front of the wall and if it is to be planting think about what colours green looks good against.  If you do not have a wall but like the idea of using a block of colour – consider attaching some exterior ply to the side of your shed, you could even cut a hinged opening if it means covering your shed window. A large block of colour really adds personality to a space and when you get bored with the colour you can simply repaint it.

If you have no wall or shed to make use of, why not simply mount the exterior ply to a wooden frame and concrete it into the ground to make a screen. Using this technique to create a garden screen is great for hiding ugly areas of the garden, or dividing it up in to sections to create intrigue. You could also try mounting coloured Perspex sheets on your screen frame. This has a very funky modern feel and does not block as much light as a solid screen.

There are also a vast array of things you can hang on your garden wall or screen, from outdoor canvas pieces to decorative trellis, hanging baskets to mirrors, which will help add to that designed feel.  The possibilities really are  endless and limited only by your imagination…