Garden Design Ideas

The difference between a bush, a forest and a garden lies in the layout. That is what separates a garden from a bunch of green trees and plants. Gardens are made to look beautiful and to add to the beauty of the surroundings. The gardens have drawn admiration for years, but a wonderfully inviting garden is the result of careful garden designing.

The entire garden designing procedure should be absolutely functional. Gardens should be designed according the owner of the garden. Do not have racks of a single plant species, just because it is your favorite. It might spoil the entire design of the garden. The available garden space, proper sunlight and effortless cleaning are to be carefully considered. A proper garden layout unfolds some revelation or surprise at every corner.

It could be a fountain, an all way wooden pathway or bunch of bright flowers in contrast to the surroundings. Sometimes walls, trellis or hedges are used as dividers, to lend the designer look. Low walls have minimum maintenance but are a bit expensive to build. The trellis is cheaper and flexible, it is time consuming to maintain. Low hedges in the garden give it a very natural look. It requires regular trimming to keep it neat. The choice of the garden designing expenditure depends on the space and time available at your disposal.

The available shape and size of area are important in garden designing. The flower beds grown on square, rectangular or triangular shapes can be placed at strategic locations, like the corners or the center. It is preferable to enhance an available pond; it works to attract the birds. Garden designing is a personal choice depending on one's own tastes, so let your creativity flow.

The various styles of garden designing include Asian style, formal, informal, gravel, water garden, cottage style or plain contemporary stylized garden. The effort and time consumed for garden maintenance has to be considered while garden designing. Asian style generally refers to the traditional Japanese or Chinese style of gardening where water bodies were a common feature. The cottage gardens add a pensive touch to the surroundings. It is an informal design, with plants ranging from wild flowers to even vegetables. Contemporary designs have more of a concrete garden than the plants. Formal garden designs are by and large seen in heritage homes. They consist of geometric shapes and patterns, as far as the trees and hedges are concerned.

Gardens add beauty and charm to our lifestyle. The tranquil peace and serenity works like a balm over the stress and rush that make up the modern world. Garden designs are on the priority list for both homemakers and home builders more than ever before.

Garden designs have become more unique along with being more utilitarian. The gardens were initially a green plot of the household where the family used to grow edible products. The entire concept was either for commercial or entertainment. The palatial gardens had pompous designs with grand structures and accessories.

The ancient gardens of Babylon; around 600 B.C could be coined among the first famous examples of garden designs which possibly even applied the Archimedes screw for proper drainage. Garden design includes the use of fountains, statues of exotic animals and rare flora.

Influenced by the styles of various periods, the English gardens have had the most dynamic styles and evolution over the ages. After Charles II's return from exile in France in 1660, the High Baroque style of garden design crept in. It involved planting ranks of trees in straight lines on the avenues. It had a tendency to be enfolded by walls.

This form of garden design was best adopted in Melbourne Hall Gardens, England. It was designed by London and Wise. The typical old Augustan garden design was given a concrete shape by William Kent, a professional designer. Water, wood, glass and the archetypal statues were used for deriving the perfection.