Garden Design - A Journey Down the Ages

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. The West Wycombe Park, Castle Howard, Chiswick House as well as Riveleaux Terrace and Temples are a few examples where the Roman influenced Augustan style is evident.

The gardens were an integral part of the Mughal architecture. These gardens had luxurious fountains, water cascades, stunning structures and arrangements for relaxing. The Mughal gardens also had an extensive collection of plants and flowers. Moreover, the seasonal variations were complemented the garden design.
During the 18th century, the unbendable, frozen style of earlier garden design gave way to the pleasant designs. These were result of the careful selection of garden materials. The designers preferred using rocks, tarnished timber and earthy blocks ruled the gardens, along with appealing fittings.

The gardens, however, are planned counterparts of their natural entity. There has been a widely popular phase of garden designing which included forest-like gardens by Stephen Switzer. It had massive estates full of trees, caves, lakes and hills to give it a semblance of a stylized forest. The entire concept centered on more of serenity and economy by using the genuine works of nature. The concept's success lay in the practical idea of having a comfortable garden with the pattern of the 'cut-through the avenue' concept.

The Post Modern style of garden design had designers experimenting with primary geometric patterns. Today almost every next garden is technically planned. The expertise of garden designers is recognized and in demand. Before executing the design, the garden designer draws a blue-print of the future garden with the natural and stylized elements available. Garden design is an intrinsic part of the present trend of setting up well-decorated gardens. Garden designers set-up the initial garden design plan, based on the natural flavor of the land, purpose, location as well as budget.

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Organic Garden Design Basics - Little Known Secrets That Make Your Garden Thrive

It doesn't matter if you're an expert at garden design or just planning your first organic garden- the same rules apply: anyone who wants to have a thriving, successful, organic garden needs to follow these same basic guidelines.

First Thing's First: It's Not A Beauty Pageant

I've seen too many people place their organic garden in a spot of their yard because it "looks the prettiest"... while completely forgetting that area was right in the middle of the only path for their truck to drive onto the property!

That's the first thing you need to think about when planning your organic garden: accessibility.

Remember to think about how people (and vehicles!) need to move around your property. Also don't forget about children and pets - they all have 'space needs' and you don't want that conflicting with your organic garden.

I'm sure you'll agree that your garden is not the best place for your children to lie down in while playing 'hide n seek'. (Don't laugh too hard... I've actually seen that happen to a friend!)

Another 'slap yourself in the face moment' is when you notice your plants getting flattened regularly from a basketball. (Yes... I'm afraid basketballs are not garden friendly so keep your garden far away from hoops! :)

Play it safe and think about where your children play and locate your garden away from those areas.

The 2 Most Important Things Your Garden Needs: Sunlight And Breezy Conditions!

It's funny: as common as it is for us to know that "my garden needs sunlight"... I still see people not giving it a second thought and assuming all corners of their yard have the same sunlight and breeze conditions.

...that's just not true!

It's not hard... just make sure you think it through and put your garden in the best place for sunlight and breeze.

Lots of garden designs advocate using your garden to improve the view from a porch or deck... and I'm all for it! (Just don't make it first priority over the more important things we've already mentioned!)

Other *Insanely* Important Things That Nobody Ever Thinks About

If you're designing a functional organic garden, what landscape features need in your garden design? How about your driveway... how close is it to your garden? What about drainage? Drainage is one of the most overlooked aspects and if it's not happening right, your plants will drown.

Don't forget about weather conditions... you may want to setup screens so your plants are protected during harsh weather. (Screens are great for keeping out salty breezes, dust, etc.)

Remember also to think about how you and your guests will move around your garden and especially how you'll maintain it. (Don't forget you'll have to mow the grass around your garden when it grows so make sure your garden design makes it easy for you to mow!)

Organic Garden Tip: Placing stepping stones within your garden will make it much easier for you to move around. You can also use hose guides to keep your hose away from fragile plant stems.

How Big Do You Want Your Organic Garden To Be?

After you get the important basics planned out, you should think about the size of your organic garden - how big does it need to be? And how is the size going to look when related to the surrounding buildings? (Remember: just because I said "looks" aren't everything doesn't mean they're not important!)

Other things you'll want to think about are any existing paths, trees, shrubs, walls etc. Don't forget about sunlight, breezes, moisture, shade and healthy soil.

The Most Important Factor That Will Make Or *Break* Your Garden

Perhaps the biggest, most important, factor that we should weigh when designing or planning our organic garden is: how much time do you actually have to devote to maintenance? For instance, if you don't have much time for maintenance then you might not want to put your garden as close to those trees because mowing will take twice as long!

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