7 Creative Ways to Transform Your Outdoor Space into Your Dream Garden

Create Garden ‘Rooms’

The garden rooms we discuss here are not a physical structure. The concept of garden ‘rooms’ in design is described as dividing the garden into sections, separated by walls, trellis, or hedging to create individual zones. Creating ‘rooms’ in your garden for various activities creates a sense of privacy and intimacy and allows you to make full use of the space. Introduce a fire bowl for an evening entertaining area or a play set for a separate place for your children to play.

Sissinghurst Castle Garden was influential in popularising the concept of garden rooms. The entire 450-acre landscape is formed of pathways that open onto enclosed individualised rooms each carrying its own style. Among the individual “garden rooms”, the White Garden has been particularly influential.

Add a Relaxing Water Feature

There’s a wealth of water features to suit any style or size of garden. Water features, with the associated trick or gurgle of splashes, help relax and de-stress, reducing blood pressure and promoting physical and mental health. Easy ways to add water features to your garden include still water bowls if you’re looking more something more modern or for something more traditional you can try a cascading rock feature into a small pool.

Water features are mostly self-filling and don’t need to be connected to a water source and can be easily hooked up to electrics so you can enjoy the sound of babbling at the flick of a switch. Or solar-powered fountains are great non-permanent, smaller alternatives.

 Add a Glow with Fire

Adding a fire pit into your outdoor space opens your garden up to a wealth of opportunities. A fire pit promotes a cosy atmosphere, bringing the family together no matter the time of year. Great for cooking on or spending an evening relaxing around, they add a beautiful focal point and brings warm light to the garden.

Bespoke fire pits designed to fit perfectly within your space can be sunken into the ground for maximum intimacy and protection from the wind. Or for more flexibility, portable options such as chimineas or fire bowls provide great warmth too.

Add a Balance of Height

One of the most important design principles to bring depth and balance into your garden no matter of its size is to add elements of height into the space. Introducing taller plants, shrubs, and trees to your garden can enhance the design, making a small space feel bigger by drawing your eye up. Or a larger garden feel unified with the surrounding area allowing your eye to rest and enjoy the space and not be overwhelmed. Beyond this, taller plants can be used to create privacy in the garden, block an unsightly view or shade an overly sunny spot so you can enjoy your garden comfortably.

Incorporate Lighting

Garden lighting is often underrated. Yet it completely transforms your garden from day to night, allowing you to enjoy your space for longer and even during the winter months! During the summer you can set the mood with soft lighting that highlights the texture and the silhouette of specimen trees. Later in the year as the nights draw closer and you spend less time in the garden, it means you can still enjoy the garden from inside your home. Not only is lighting for effect but for safety too, lining pathways or highlighting steps but it’s so subtle it still looks perfectly designed.

Impactful Yet Easy Care Plants

Plants make a garden, being surrounded by lush, green planting instantly makes you more relaxed, and that’s proven science! Whether you have a green thumb or not there are a vast array of plants for sun and shade that can take care of themselves and create the ultimate garden feeling whatever the style is you are going for. Research which plants work best in your garden and take advantage of their colour and unique beauty.

Create a Journey

Last but certainly not least! The best gardens design doesn’t reveal the entire garden at once. What we mean by that is, the most interesting and useable gardens get your to travel around the space, seeing something different as you move around. Ideally your garden shouldn’t consist of a patio that leads straight out onto an open lawn, your eye should be lead around and rest on focal point. To achieve this, encourage borders more into the centre of the garden and don’t be scared to add trees or hedging more towards the centre too. You can screen off areas with trellis and connect each area with pathways. Avoid sticking to the boundaries. Statues and water features are great as focal points (places where your eyes can rest.)

In Short

Creating a charming and soothing garden isn’t hard with a little know-how, even implementing just a couple of these ideas will vastly improve your garden’s feel, creating your dream garden that’s both interesting and perfectly practical for your needs.

If you are struggling to get your ideas into a plan, our expert team with over 25 years of experience in garden design and landscaping are only a phone call away. Give them a call to book in for your free consultation, or book in right away for a scheduled call here.