Garden design, garden planning, garden layout, planting plants and planting schemes

Small Garden Design Ideas – Raised Beds

Posted on June 2nd, 2010

RAISED BEDS featuring pressure treated PINE SLEEPERS

Raised Bed with sweeping curve layout

An important challenge in designing and building Small Gardens is to utilise the available space to provide practical and visual interest. Raised Beds which can be be constructed in a range of materials and in different sizes and formats are a very useful design idea or feature for the small garden. Not only do they provide easy access and easier maintenance of plants but can be a feature within the garden area. In this example we have used pressure treated Pine Sleepers to construct the Raised Bed and another interesting aspect of this example is the layout, ie a combination of gentle arc and linear layouts reflecting the sweeping curves of the lawn areas.

Another aspect is the inclusion of herbaceous planting at ground level in front of the Sleepers to provide a two tier arrangement to the planted are. The photos show the excellent Scabiosa columabria ‘Pink Mist’, which reaches 25-45cm (Raised Planter Bed is 45cm) and produces beautiful pink flowers from June – September each year. Some spacing between the Scabiosa was left for additional planting of Spring bulbs. 

Raised beds are an easily accessible and eyecatching idea for inclusion in small garden areas with sweeping curves offering additional interest in contrast to the more usual linear layouts.

Raised Bed with foreground planting at ground level

RAISED BEDS add a new level and focus to the garden

Small Garden Design – Small Garden Landscaping

Posted on May 29th, 2010

A current project reflects the many typical or broad challenges encountered in designing and building small gardens. Frequently such gardens have particular challenges, eg poor or inadequate space during sunny spells, no provision for storage space, uneven or sloping irregularities in lawns, arbitrary division of soft and hard landscaping areas, lack of focal points. All of these points although individually not too serious but collectively conspire to make the small garden uninspiring, uninviting and underutilised.

Here are some photos from early stages of project, commencement of site clearance through the stages of development Patio construction, groundworks and levelling. A very interesting aspect of this particular project was the decision to paint the boundary fencing which providing a very clean, unified and interesting background for planting later on. Also painting the new Garden Shed in same colour was also a simple example of how to make the ubiqitous garden shed less conspicuous within the garden.

Later on I will post photos of the completed project which I believe illustrate how creative small garden design combined competent and careful landscaping produce an exciting garden space that is packed with practical features, inspiring colours and an exciting outdoor living space.

Designs for Small Gardens

Posted on May 27th, 2010

Morning Patio

Afternoon/Evening Patio

The design of small gardens is particularly challenging to deterimine the optimum space allocation for the Patio and Planting areas as well as the practical demands for Utilities like waste bins, clothes lines etc. Despite the lack of space it is still possible to achieve a layout which is not only pleasing and practical but also on a modest budget. 

Simple sweeping Stepping Stone Pathway

A recent project example illustrates some of these points, in which we provided the happy owner with two Sandstone Patios (Morning and Evening Sun), a series of sweeping curves to delineate the planted areas (Raised Sandstone Kerbing) and an informal but eye catching Stepping stone path which links the two Patios across a modest area of bright and cheerful stone chippings.

Sandstone Kerbing for clear but effective retention of planted areas

Despite the compactness of the area, I believe a little imagination is all that is required to design and build affordable Small Gardens which are visually interesting, easy to maintain and where the space has been handled in a very practical and appealing way. Who says everything must be straightlined or linear. Even in small spaces, sweeping gentle curves also play a vital role within the overall design.

Good Common Gardening

Posted on May 5th, 2010

Jaded and overgrown

Despite the narrow margin, the planting looks very untidy

A recent planting project involved replacing a generally cumbersome, jaded and overgrown planting scheme which bordered a common entrance to an attractive and surprisingly peaceful enclave of detached bungalows in a Dublin suburb.  Although the project scope was rather modest, it clearly demonstrates as a simple but effective example of practical plant selection with appealling results. The pressure treated Pine sleepers provided a raised edge to enclose the feature planting area comprising of a wide variety of primarily evergreen but also deciduous trees and shrubs.

A range of attractive coloured foliage complemented with an extended flowering season ensures very good appeal throughout the year. Simple planting for this common area for all to enjoy and with many shrubs not exceeding a height and spread of less than 900mm, there will be little effort required to maintain this planting scheme.

Trees to please

Posted on October 17th, 2009

After earlier planting of Olive and Acers, our tree planting of rear garden resumed today, this stage the emphasis was on our ‘native’ trees including Sorbus aucuparia ‘Autumn Spire’ and Sorbus acu. ‘Joseph Rock’ (Mountain Ash), Betula utilis Jaquemontii (Himalayan Birch), Malus Evereste (Ornamental Crab) and Prunus Amanogawa (Flagpole Cherry). We chose these particular varieties essentially for interesting form and colour, e.g., the stunning bright white paperlike peeling bark of the Himalayan Birch, the fantastic seasonal colours of the  Mountain Ash with the added bonus of providing much needed berries for wildlife, the Flagpole Cherry and also the Malus which both have very attractive seasonal flowers in late Spring/early Summer.

Most of these varieties would be ideal for urban gardens as the growth height is 5m (which is pretty small for a tree) and apart from the Himalayan Birch (which boasts a broad crown) all others have more or less a columnar  form.

Deciduous trees which also bear flowers and fruit are excellent barometers for the variance and seasonality of the gardening calendar. Most people enjoy and many admire the changes in colour and hues as the season progresses. Despite losing leaf during the dormant season, the scale and form of these trees are also attractive and Autumn Spires and/or Birches when planted closer provide an eyecatching columnar network of upward reaching branches. 

All in all trees which are easy to grow, requiring little maintenance and therefore guaranteed to please.

Attractive yellow berried fruit of Sorbus acu. 'Autumn Spire'

Some interesting facts about the Autumn Spire which may not be familiar to many. Sorbus Autumn Spire was a new variety produced originally in Ireland (Flannery’s Nurseries, Staplestown, Co Kildare) an dgrown under licence throughout Europe. Autumn Spire features include: Upright compact tree 5m x 2m (height & spread), ideal for small gardens, orange/yellow berries and excellent autumn colours. Suitable for formal planting and also roadside planting, tolerates wet or dry sites. An easy care, low maintenance tree which produces berries a useful source of food for wildlife.

The beauty of Autumn Spire's upright and compact form

Maples – delightful forms with stunning colours

Posted on October 15th, 2009

Well most of us will be familiar with some or several Acers (Japanese Maples) but here are some interesting varieties which will special appeal to many gardeners especially if you are on the look-out for small trees. These varieties are quite simply amazing, with striking colourful displays they can be planted in the ground or alternatively in large patio containers.

As a general rule, Maples/Acers are a little vunerable, they do require some protection from strong winds but otherwise are very content if planted in a sheltered spot ie sun/half shade. These varieties are also deciduous, and as Acers do not like pruning, select a spot which allows plant to comfortably reach normal height and spread.  Apart from some basic ground preparation, mix in some compost and fertiliser with planting soil and water regularly until the plant becomes established, they are otherwise trouble free.

Here are 3 great varieties with all the magic of Maples:

Landscaping with Ravena Sandstone paving

Posted on August 6th, 2009

A recent garden landscaping project completed in Blackrock, Dublin incorporated an interesting combination of features including Extended Patio areas, sweeping Sandstone Garden pathway, Sandstone Raised Bed which amongst other items included a Mill Wheel water feature, some very attractive Olive Standards, a new  fence constructed from pressure treated Timber cladding and discreet lighting using the latest high output low energy LED lighting.

The photos were taken during wet conditions which perhaps is useful to see how beautifully vivid and varied the colours of natural Sandstone can be. In this project the Sandstone paving (and wall capping) is Ravena, an increasingly popular alternative choice to the more widely used Sandstone Mint. Ravena appeals to those who prefer to have a more muted tones in dry conditions to the ubiquitous yellow tones typical of Sandstone Mint. Another feature of Ravena is the pink/wine colourways which are much more evident during wet conditions. On closer examination some hints of the yellow tones are also visible.

The Raised Planted Bed was constructed using White Sandstone and the wall capping is of course Ravena sandstone. The layout was designed to be essentially one level thus maximising the use of the various areas and also  providing some additional flexibility to the use of the recessed paved area. This approach also influenced the layout of the Raised bed which was essentially linear but incorporated a full circle to circumvent the Mill Wheel water feature which the clients were keen to incorporate in the new scheme. Looking at the photos the colour of the Mill Wheel is remarkably similar to the Ravena Sandstone.

I would also like to point out the results of the skill and workmanship in several aspects of the paved areas including the linear and curve cutting and installation. Grass margins were re-defined to conform with the new levels set by the paving hence the extended soil areas adjoining the old lawn and new paved sections.

Frequently we receive feedback on how useful and informative our SUNBLOG is to readers seeking design and layout ideas.  I also receive requests from readers to show more ‘Before’ as well as ‘After’ photos from our project portfolio. So here are a few ‘Before’ photos from this particular project.  

Bright White Background

Posted on July 10th, 2009

A very recent garden project featured an interesting combination of granite paving/patio with nice bullnose profile on steps which looked particularly well with the vivid green lawn (note the explosive growth in less than 2 weeks) and the white bright painted finish of the timber wall cladding. 

A few before photos again illustrate how design and layout can make even a modest size urban space look bigger and brighter and much more appealing.

The white background works particularly well with the Olive trees to create a Mediterranean look.  

Townhouse Garden Design with Structure & Style

Posted on July 3rd, 2009

Earlier this year, the owner of a large Townhouse who was planning a major refurbishment of the property, contacted us to seek our advice and assistance to design and re-build a new garden to replace an old garden which had become overgrown with cumbersome planting and provided little means to enjoy any outdoor living.

The sample photos provide some evidence of how  jaded the garden had become. From the outset it was clear, that several elements demanded immediate attention, including provisioning of Patio area(s), a unified boundary which would not only be more defined but also conceal some of the rather unsightly appearances of the concrete posts and plinths of the panel fences as well as the exposed blockwork on the opposite boundary wall.

The side access although generous and long resembled more an alley way and displaying all the signs of having been overlooked. To complete the visual disharmony, concrete pathways were in abundance and exceptional number of AJs were all too conspicuous given the overall scale of the property.    

To begin with all tree and shrub planting was removed including all roots. The design plan was to instal wall cladding on all three sides of the boundary walls/fencing within the main garden. Plan included two Patio areas, one main and a smaller ‘Bistro size’ Patio nearer the house. All stone work (paving, setts and step risers) would be Indian Sandstone (Mint). The side access was also to be paved to link with main garden area, also a separate seating and planting area would also create a more secluded ’shaded garden’ space within this area, and a trellis screen would be used to screen waste bins at rear entrance and well away from the main garden area. Garden lighting was positioned to provide individual lighting zones (four in total: specimen planting, main patio and perimter borders, olive tree and side area), offering flexibility to light owner depending on use.

The appeal and simple line of timber cladding is well illustrated here and to conceal the rather uneven but distinctive curve section of walling, this was clad with a double  line of timber laths (fixed vertically) to provide a subtle but otherwise a favourable and compatible finish with the otherwise horizontal lines of the timber wall cladding. All timber works were painted in a dark tone of green to provide a uniform look but also a ‘green’ backdrop and less requirement for bulk planting.  The exception being a beatiful specimen of the Olive tree in rear corner to counter balance an otherwise dominant appearance of the main circular Patio.

From start to finish, this project was completed in less time than a typical  2 week summer holiday. A great surprise for the owner upon return.

As is the case in all gardens, but especially a  townhouse garden functionality is very important, space is a premium and in such cases although planting can and is also important, use of space is probably more important than appearance. However in this project and similar, where timber cladding is featured, the results clearly demonstrate that timber fencing/cladding can make a major contribution to achieving structure but style in a garden. In this instance I believe the green tones provide a relaxed and calming backdrop to the simple geometry of the layout and results in a garden that has not only clear useable spaces, defined gentle curves and a selection of planting that provides year round interest without any significant regular maintenance requirements.

In terms of design, structure, style and functionality are all critical elements of  successful townhouse garden design and attention to detail and quality of finish are essential pre-requisites.

Planting Garden Planters for instant pleasure

Posted on July 3rd, 2009

Using the innovative modular patented Deroma ‘Repeat’ Planters with carefully selected Specimen Plants provides not only a superb visual and fragrant treat but an instant and practical solution to achieving impact in the garden and patio areas featuring specimen and architectural plant stock.

The modular design of the Deroma ‘Repeat’ Planters makes them the obvious choice for an instant but imaginative and flexible choice for spatial definition, and featuring a clever internal automatic means of irrigating the plant rootball there is no more need need to worry and inconvenience of  regular watering of plants. Deroma ‘Repeat’ takes care of this, allowing you more time to relax and enjoy the views.

The featured installation demonstrates clearly the versatility of using the Deroma ‘Repeat’ planters in gardens and with some thoughful consideration of plant selections, superb compositions are within easy reach for instant pleasure.

 Deroma ‘Repeat’ range comprises of four unique planter types, the Rosenpot (Large individual planter) and the modular units, vase, corner and trough. All available from our showrooms: GARDENSTUDIO, in Terenure, Dublin 6W.