What Makes a Great Garden?

Most people think a great garden is all about the plants. A garden is more than just a collection of plants; in fact, plants are not the first thing you should think about when trying to create a garden. A great garden starts with great bones. In design terms, ‘garden bones’ refers to the structure of the garden – the architectural elements, pathways and signature plants that give the garden its lines and form. A garden with good bones will draw you into the space from one point of interest to another.  Curving borders, paths and focal points will take you on a visual journey where you will find something of interest around every turn.

To create a great garden that your family and friends will actually use, start by walking around your space and asking yourself some questions: 

• What is the purpose of my garden? 
• Is my garden meeting my needs and the needs of my family and pets? 
• Does my space allow easy access with appropriate pathways? 
• Does it provide opportunities for relaxation? 
• Is my garden welcoming and conducive to entertaining? 
• Does it have focal points that draw the eye?  
• Are there opportunities for exposure to nature and wildlife? 
• Are there areas for my children and pets to play? 
• Do I have plants that provide year-round interest and are easy to maintain? 
• Do I want a space to grow vegetables and fruits?

After you answer these questions, you can begin drawing up a plan for how to improve your garden space. If you want more privacy, you might plant trees, a trellis with vines or large shrubs to screen your garden from the neighbors. If you need a place to relax, create a garden “room” with a private seating area to serve as your special retreat. Add a simple water feature to mask outside noise, while providing the calming sounds of falling water, and include fragrant plants to give a sense of serenity.

If you like to entertain, consider expanding the patio area, adding comfortable seating and an area to barbecue. Make sure your guests will have some shade in the summer by including umbrellas or awnings. Add lighting along the pathways so you can enjoy the garden at night.

If you have children, focus on how they can better use the space. You can cultivate a lawn area for play and dedicate one garden bed for children to do their own planting. To encourage your family to appreciate wildlife, make sure your garden includes all the necessary elements to attract critters including water, food and shelter. Add a small raised bed in the sun for veggies.

Don’t forget that a great garden has something of interest all year long, not just in the springtime.  Consider adding plants that provide color, texture and form in each season of the year.  During the winter you will especially appreciate a few well-placed focal points. A focal point draws the eye and gives you something visual to savor and enjoy. When you look out the windows into your garden, you should always see something interesting. It can be a showcase plant, a piece of garden sculpture, a birdhouse, a wrought iron gate, a trellis, arbor, garden bench, a water feature,  – anything that appeals to you and draws the eye. The best focal points can be viewed from several directions. I have a large standing birdhouse that can be seen and enjoyed from three different windows in my home. 

The best advice – keep it simple. Less really is more! Repeat a few selected plants along your pathways instead of adding every plant you see at the nursery. Use just one or two different evergreen shrubs (like boxwood) as foundation plants and they become the backbone that ties all the other plants together. Don’t crowd your space with too many accent pieces. A few carefully selected and well-placed pieces are more pleasing than too many objects.

When all is said and done, a great garden is one that reflects your personality, interests and style and functions so well that you and your family are drawn outside to enjoy it each day.