Embrace Your Inner Gardenista

Algedra’s garden designers can help you create entertaining, livable outdoor settings.

A garden that matches your lifestyle may be a wonderful addition to your house and family. We'll provide you some helpful hints while planning your garden, such as how to consider your lifestyle, climate, and solar angle.

The finest gardens, in our opinion, are those that make their guests happy and comfortable. Great gardens should make you feel good as well as look nice. Our best gardens are peaceful, simple to wander around, and need little upkeep. The plants picked must be interesting and beneficial without becoming dictators or prima donnas, and the trails and buildings must be easy to explore. Every day, we as landscape architects deal with questions of comfort and function. Here are seven pointers that have helped us create engaging, living landscapes for our clients.

1. Maintain a wide berth

Make sure your paths are broad enough for easy passing. Nobody appreciates squeezing through tight places, whether indoors or outdoors. Main thoroughfares should be at least 5 feet wide, allowing at least two persons to stroll side by side. The width of auxiliary routes where people travel single file should be at least 3 feet. Keep in mind that the broader the route, the taller the vegetation or buildings that side your walkway. Tall borders make any area feel more confined.

2. Allow for plenty of elbow room

Decks and patios are ideal locations for outdoor gatherings. Make sure there is ample space for meals and socializing. Consider how many visitors you're likely to invite on a regular basis, and then allocate at least 4 square feet each person. To allow for easy circulation, aim to provide a 3-foot-wide perimeter of open space around every furniture grouping when dining outside.

3. Maintain your balance

Make ensuring that any pavement offers a stable foundation. Avoid slippery floors or pavers that are loosely put and sway. Paving materials such as polished granite or smooth outdoor tile may not provide adequate traction in rainy or snowy situations. Unsifted gravel is good for gravel pathways. Unsifted gravel has a variety of particle sizes that compress tightly and create a strong base. (Sifted gravel is made up of pebbles of comparable sizes that do not compress well and stay loose underfoot.) Whatever material you use for paving, make sure the surfaces are gently slanted (1 to 2 percent) to prevent water from accumulating on them.

4- Keep in mind: Be aware!

Allow for plenty of headroom beneath archways, arbors, and pergolas. I believe 7 feet to be the very minimum, and I frequently add extra 18 inches if I know plants will grow over the framework. This may seem excessive, but outside constructions appear smaller than they would if they were indoors. Furthermore, it's preferable to be cautious than sorry and avoid colliding with a climbing rose or wisteria. Posts for arches and pergolas should be spaced at least a few inches apart from the walkways that run through them to provide for enough elbow room.

5. Replace it with grass.

A lawn can be expensive and time-consuming to maintain, but no other surface is as yielding, pleasant for resting, or robust and forgiving for play. No planting can withstand the kind of foot traffic that lawns do on a regular basis. Turf is a unique garden element, so utilize it properly. Don't waste time and effort maintaining a lawn when low-maintenance concrete or plants will suffice, but don't scrimp on grass in locations where you'll appreciate it. A swath of green grass may also serve as the ideal counterpoint to lush beds and borders.

6- Make a safe haven for yourself.

Beauty may be skin deep, but plants may do more than just look nice in the garden. When utilized correctly, the proper plants may really offer comfort and function to your landscape. Conifers and broad-leaved evergreens can provide wind protection for your landscape. Perennials or decorative grasses on a large scale can create an "instant" privacy screen. In the heat of a summer day, a well-placed tree or tall shrub border may create a shaded sanctuary. Do you believe you don't have enough space for a tree? Consider again. With so many tiny decorative trees available, there's certain to be one that fits your needs.

7- Understand the code

Building rules for outdoor constructions should not be dismissed as arbitrary inconveniences. They are designed for your protection and the protection of your guests. Many construction regulations specify maximum permitted heights for walls and fences, setback restrictions from property borders, and railing heights for decks, staircases, and terraces. Electrical fixture, conduit, and wire specifications may also be regulated.

Contact us for your landscape design projects.