Last Updated on July 11, 2021 by Kimberly Crawford
There is always a new idea or feature to add to the garden. Some projects require a lot of time and others, a moment, but they all add something special.
Gardeners love designing their gardens, dreaming about them during the cold days of winter and planning them well in advance.
They can’t wait for the first warm days of spring so they can be outside digging and hauling everything from soil to stones, imagining the beauty of the end result. Coming up with garden design ideas is rewarding when those ideas are made reality.
The Rose Walk
If space allows, build a series of three to five arches of rough-cut cedar and plant climbing roses at each base, ideally no more than 10′ apart and placed over a walkway.
The path within could be simply grass, pea gravel or flagstone. Consider a herbal path as well, using thyme or chamomile. Both of these scented plants can be walked upon.
The Laburnum Walk
If space, finances and garden zone allow, consider planting a laburnum walk. Walkways overhung with flowers add romance to the garden.
If not the yellow dangling flowers or laburnum, consider easy-to-grow vines. The key is in the density of plantings. This will create the tunnel affect of a traditional laburnum walk.
A Flowery Patio
Consider a cement stone patio, but rather than place the large square stones close together, allow a few inches between them and use the open areas for planting herbs, creepers and other low-growing plants.
Thyme, pinks, violets and thrift would work well here. This idea is especially useful for gardeners with little space to garden.
The Chamomile Lawn
Make a chamomile lawn or chamomile path. These are beautifully scented plants that will bounce back when walked over, releasing their pungent scent.
In less hardy areas, the gardener could use a variety of thymes in different shades for the herbal lawn.
Morning Glory for Quick Coverage
Annual vines make a quick coverage over an unsightly shed, wall or fence. Consider morning glory for color and fast growth.
String wire vertically from the top of a structure to the base, just a few inches apart and sow the seeds where the plants are needed to climb.
This is a rapidly-growing plant and on mid-summer mornings the gardener will have a blast of color where there was once something unsightly.
Runner Beans and Sunflowers
Grow runner beans and sunflowers side-by-side. The beans will attach to the sturdy stems of the sunflower and both plants will grow up together. This adds great interest to the vegetable garden.
A Topiary
Trim and train at least one evergreen into a topiary. There are numerous books on how to do this and numerous ways to do it.
Topiary add a little interest, formality and novelty to a garden. Smaller topiary in iron or cement urns at each side of a garden gate is an elegant welcome.
A Rock Garden on the Flat
Make a rock garden on the flat. Most rock gardens are built on hillsides and in a manner that keeps the soil in place. They allow low-growing alpine plants to fill in the spaces. The goal is in achieving a waterfall affect as the flowers grow.
When a rock garden is built on a flat surface, the plants grow upright. The beautiful stone is more visible. Stone pathways between the beds make weeding and nurturing easier.
If done with care, the gardener could have the affect of a ruin garden. Add a few broken cement sculptures or other cement architectural elements to the mix to further the affect.
The Plant Collection
If the gardener has a love of a particular plant, she could begin a collection. Most plants have numerous varieties and all or most are available via the internet or through print catalogs.
Learn as much about the plant as possible. Be willing to give up a bit of lawn for a lily garden, peony garden or rose garden. Separate it from the rest of the plot and devote the space to that one plant.
The Pink Garden
Plant a border with pink flowers. The key to an affective one-color garden is to break up the many shades – add some gypsophila, and various shades of green foliage.
Pink gardens are beautiful when done well, but do consider balance of color. It needs to be restful and easy on the eyes.
