Top Tips
When it comes to garden design there are 6 rules that should be followed to make the project work in any space and in any type of garden.
Our 6 Top Tips
The 'law' of Enclosure
The number one rule but it should be a law!
To create a garden we are trying to create a sense of refuge and of feeling being within nature’s embrace. The law of significant enclosure says that we feel enclosed when the vertical edge of a space is at least one-third the length of the horizontal space we’re inhabiting.
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For example if the area was 4 metres wide a tree or hedge should be at least 2.6 metres. This formula gives a feeling of being enclosed but still enjoying the openness.
Of course, there are times when the point of a landscape design is a monumental sense of scale or view, but the best gardens, whatever their size, modulate a feeling of enclosure and openness, and this rule will help.
Follow the Line
In architecture they often use an imaginary line that helps connect and organize design.
An example would be looking at the layout of the house or existing garden structures such as decking or patios and then aligning walkways or planters with those lines. The result is orderly and cohesive, even after being softened with planting. This simple rule is great for balancing out a garden space and making it an extension to your home.
Size Matters
Go big. Faced with a decision to make a staircase wider or narrower, decking longer or shorter, a pergola higher or lower, the answer is almost always the former.
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As your garden grows and matures, small structures may look swamped and out of place. Plants can always be pruned and cut back, empty patio space can be filled with planters or pots, it always better to think ahead.
Big to Small
When deciding what to plant, always start with trees, then shrubs, then perennials, then ground cover. This is important as seeing the bigger forms first gives a better sense of the overall structure, but it also is practical. Setting a big tree may require machinery or at least multiple gardeners and ample space for manoeuvring. It would be sad to damage or undo some newly planted bed.
Plant in bulk
The most stunning gardens have one thing in common; Volume. Our advice is don't plant one or two, plant ten! Whether that is 10 different pants or 10 of the same, garden spaces will benefit from a large volume, empty spaces may drawn your eye away from the beauty you are trying to create.
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If you find it too over whelming it is much easier to remove the excess rather than trying to fit new plants into an established place.
Follow the Line
In architecture they often use an imaginary line that helps connect and organize design.
An example would be looking at the layout of the house or existing garden structures such as decking or patios and then aligning walkways or planters with those lines. The result is orderly and cohesive, even after being softened with planting. This simple rule is great for balancing out a garden space and making it an extension to your home.
Holes
'It’s better to plant a 50p plant in a £5 hole, than a £5 plant in a 50p hole'. Planning and a team who are willing to put their time and effort into your garden are the most important things. At OMC we put our hearts into every project to make sure you are 100% happy and there are no 'holes' in your garden dreams.
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No matter how brilliant the plan, if the plants are not well planted—at the right height, in a sufficiently sized, and properly amended pit—the results will likely be poor. Some rules just can’t be broken.