Read almost any landscape design novel and you’ll discover the term “garden space.” That is because performers take a look at the garden as an extension of the house — as a stage for dwelling. And just like in a house, walls are among the key elements.
From a style point of view, I define “wall” as any vertical construction, more or less, stretching a few feet above the ground. It is possible to build walls, expand them split the difference by attaching a vine into a trellis. With so many available options and applications for walls, it’s easy to become caught up with the “What does it look like?” Excitement and eliminate sight of concerns.
Kathleen Shaeffer Design, Exterior Spaces
Consider look. Most folks would agree that putting a wooden split-rail fence around the White House would miss the mark. The casual, rustic design of a split-rail fence doesn’t have anything to do with the traditional European, Palladian design of the White House’s architecture. By the same token, you can cross adobe block off your list of materials around a Tudor cottage. There ought to be a logical conversation between the walls and also the kind of the house, the setting and the other garden features.
And since I will discuss further on walls that function a purely artistic function still should match with the rest of the garden, irrespective of how diverse your lawn might be.
Contemplate deracticality. On the opposite side of the coin, it’s important to match the materials, size, place, durability and long-term sustainability of their walls, hedges or fences for their intended usage. Safety requires impregnability the way masonry or a tall iron fence can (we’ll steer away from barbed wire and gun turrets). Privacy means making smart decisions regarding density and height, and that means that you can avoid prying eyes. Retaining walls need a certain level of mass and decent footings to withstand the forces of gravity.
Howard Design Studio
Secure your boundaries. The most obvious place you’ll find a garden fence or wall is along the property lines. In tract house subdivisions, expedience and price often result in much more than a straightforward wood fence. The programmer’s needs are met by this approach but contributes little speaking.
By comparison, this timeless, beautifully crafted brick wall not only defines a peaceful courtyard, but also is tall and solidly built, assuring security. Another benefit of masonry walls is their rigidity and density, blocking and representing unwanted noise.
Not that there is anything wrong with simple wood construction, particularly for garden owners seeking a casual feel. Something as straightforward as setting the planks transforms the mundane into the sudden, while still keeping an eye on the checkbook. Add a bit of pleasure and practicality using a chalkboard for those children (or for grown-ups in touch with their inner doodler).
Designscapes Colorado Inc..
Since walls can be a dominant element in a garden and are present year round, why don’t you enlist their help on your color palette? Almost any surface can be painted or stained, but infusing stucco with essential color makes lasting upkeep a nonissue. This warm-hued Southwestern-style wall plays into the floral color scheme of gold Moonshine yarrow (Achillea sp), while the gate echoes the trendy tints of catmint (Nepeta sp) and pincushion (Scabiosa sp).
Debora carl landscape layout
Creating a modern feel comes easily when you substitute semi metal panels for timber. The rhythmically undulating surface complements delicately vertical plants, like thrashing reed (Thamnochortus insignis, zones 9 to 11), a South African native right at home in this easy, stylish corner of their lawn.
Tip: Building and zoning codes may contain limitations about how high walls and fences can be in the setback areas of your premises. Check with local officials before setting the elevation and place of your walls.
A Pleno Sol
Create solitude. If you have already obtained a serviceable, though less-than-lovely, timber (or, dare I say it, chain-link) fence as well as the price of replacing it is too high, you are able to camouflage it with greenery. Living foliage has a vitality that’s not possible to achieve with built walls. Insert the bonus of flowers, fragrance and also the occasional hummingbird darting about, and it’s apparent why so many designers choose the horticultural option.
That said, there are downsides to take into account. Plants don’t live forever; occasionally they don’t even endure for a couple of months. The long-term achievement of crops supplying year-round security and privacy is dependent upon your gardening skills in addition to the absence of pests or diseases that could wipe out a mature hedge in a season or two. Another thing to ponder: Once a concrete block wall is finished, it’s unlikely you’ll spend your precious weekends shearing back new growth to keep it from swallowing up your patio. You can’t say that about a privet hedge.
More thoughts for stylish backyard solitude
Cultivate calm. A gentle breeze on a hot day is a welcome thing, but strong winds can turn reading the Sunday comics at the patio table to some Three Stooges comedy pattern. It helps to understand the dynamics of airflow before you erect a windbreak, whether assembled or planted.
When wind strikes a solid vertical surface, it compresses and spills over the wall, resulting in turbulence. This implies that except for a short distance instantly contrary to the lee side of a weapon, your efforts might not be very powerful. An improved strategy, if space permits, is slowly lifting the wind by creating a build-up of elements. On the windward side of your garden, plant knee-high crops to start lifting the wind, backed by shoulder-high, subsequently head-high plants and finally, a taller fence or wall, if necessary. This will create a laminar flow and achieve a larger quiet zone for you to enjoy on your own garden.
When there isn’t adequate space, a angled board across the top of the fence, behaving as an aerodynamic foil, can raise the windbreak’s effectiveness. Another strategy is to filter, rather than block, the wind by planting vines or shrubs that allow some air to pass through them.
Banyon Tree Design Studio
Divide your distance. Whether your garden is large or small, breaking it into smaller distances — each having its own boundaries and character — creates the illusion of more space. The solution is often as straightforward as erecting a partition that insinuates a separate space and functions as a gateway. From the garden here, an open section of timber slats does double duty as a backdrop for a controlling focal point.
Bruce Clodfelter and Associates
Envision this sitting area in the midst of an open yard. “Cozy” is not an adjective that springs to mind. But enclose it in a easy vine trellis and a rich bed of greenery, and it will take in an intimate character conducive to hours of conversation and relaxation.
Tip: If your goal is to create privacy for your own dining patio or reading room — or some other space where you’ll be seated — a 5-foot-tall hedge or wall is all it takes to make you vanish. Any taller and also the space could feel claustrophobic. And keeping the top within easy reach makes trimming less of an ordeal.
Jeffrey Gordon Smith Landscape Architecture
On the lookout for a bit of theatricality on your garden? By day this garden room features a crisp, architectural character. But in the hands of Jeffrey Gordon Smith, with a flair for advanced color usage, nightfall transforms this patio into a magical atmosphere. Sandblasted glass diffuses backlighting, recalling a dusky sunset’s magical.
Amp up the wow Element. There are instances when the wall is the star player, adorned with bold colours, crafted of advanced materials or functioning as a gallery for works of art.
The heat is on when a sensuous red bougainvillea spills over a fiery orange wall, creating the focal point in this modern tropical landscape. (Good thing there is water nearby to cool things off.)
Exteriorscapes llc
Provided that we’re considering walls as art, why don’t you stop from the paint shop and have some fun? This diverse, giddy wood fence illustrates how recycled boards take on new life when you unleash your imagination and untether your own paintbrush. See if there are present materials in your garden you are able to put back into service with a sprinkling of imagination.
Colors Of Green Landscape Architecture
Turn your property’s border in an art gallery by exploring the marvels of gardening. There are scores of organizations offering home made wall planters composed of plastic honeycombs filled with potting mix, hydroponic systems with built-in numbing apparatus or fabric pouches. Or design your own. Exotic options include succulents, exotic orchids and bromeliads, grasses, mosses and leafy greens and greens.
Tip: Garden Up! Smart Vertical Gardening for Small and Massive Spaces, by Susan Morrison and Rebecca Sweet, is packed with Fantastic ideas for enhancing garden walls.
Sally Stoik Landscape Architect
Halt a hillside. Sloping properties come with the challenge of reclaiming enough usable flat space to make outdoor living functional. Since retaining walls tend to be highly visible, and often massive, be careful to pick materials that harmonize with the other built elements.
Natural fieldstone or river rock walls are a logical complement to some patio fashioned from irregular flagstone slabs. Taller retaining walls that need construction permits and an engineer’s stamp are often built of concrete block, although not the sexiest substance to border your dining room, but their pragmatic look can be glammed up with a veneer of stone, tile or brick, or by coating it with colored or textured stucco or plaster.
Pat Brodie Landscape Design
Maintaining wall areas are fantastic places in which to strut your planting prowess. Plants that might otherwise go unnoticed at ankle level are raised where they can be seen, caressed and sniffed. Have your wall play hide and seek by growing spillers like rosemary, campanula, carpeting roses or stonecrop at the front of a bed.
However, slopes could be tough places for crops to grow on; they often lack an adequate thickness of topsoil for deep root development. Amend your soil after seeking advice from local garden pros. Provide decent drainage behind the wall using porous gravel wrapped in filter fabric, and with weep holes to permit excess water to drain from the root canal. And research native plants that have adapted to similar conditions in their evolution.
Next: How to Select the Ideal Floor for Your Backyard Room
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