As our houses get bigger and blocks smaller, it is becoming ever more important to optimise the space available for a garden.
Fortunately, it only takes a few clever plantings in a border along the fence line to make your property seem more spacious. Likewise, the shape of the garden beds and the paths and spaces between them can add to the illusion of distance.
If your backyard is short, try running a garden bed along each side, tapering away slightly towards the farthest end from the house. This will have the effect of making the landscape appear more distant.
Another way to make a small garden look bigger is to build a winding path around and through plantings, to slow down the journey and forge a sense of distance.
When choosing plants to create the illusion of space, follow these general rules:
– Group coarse-textured landscape plants near the house, medium-textured plants next and fine-textured plants farthest away;
– Place plants with ‘warm’ flower colours – yellows, oranges and reds – nearest the house;
– Place plants with blue colours – such as Agapanthus, Lavender or Plumbago – in the distant part of the landscape. Along with the blues, include some pinks and mauves;
– Use plants with silver or grey foliage to provide a unifying base colour throughout the border.
– Tall, narrow plants such as clumping bamboo growing against a dark fence will lift the eye away from the garden, giving a sense of drama and space.
Avoid using lots of small or potted plants, as they are not only visually cluttering but they also make it difficult to navigate the garden. Instead, choose a few large pots and fill them with a variety of plants that will offer height, colour and texture.
