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Create A Classically Elegant Garden

Elegant classic gardens can often be as much about illusion as reality, using the horticultural equivalent of smoke and mirrors to cheat scale, give the illusion of space and detach the garden from whatever its setting is, however mundane, and place it in a more engaging context.

This small town garden has aspirations of classical grandeur that could easily prove to be 'ideas above its station', but for the confidence with which those aspirations have been realised. The result is actually rather restrained and pretty, a calm and restful space.

Which design elements should you include to create a classically elegant garden design?

A Garden Retreat

In a small garden, it's not always practical to have a summerhouse, so you might want to opt instead for a hooded bench like this one, or a small retreat, as in the garden on the previous page. Despite their size, these features achieve a number of aims: they create a grandiose focal point/eye-catcher and practical space in which to repose and enjoy the view across the garden back to the house.

Neat Low Hedging

The position and scale of the hedges in the garden create a very definite garden room at the centre of the site, comprised almost entirely of lawn, whilst not compromising the views to and from the garden building or closing down the overall space.

Clipped Box

The effect created by the hedging is enhanced by the clipped round box plants in smart terracotta pots. The simple device of repeated pots of clipped box creates a unifying presence through the garden, as well as introducing the suggestion of that quintessential classical garden feature: topiary. Find out more about what to prune when in our feature.

A Lush Lawn

Though a lawn can be a liability in small gardens, damaging easily under footfall and proving tricky to maintain, here it is hard to envisage what else would work in a garden where the references to classical influences are subtle, but still important.

A Unified Planting Scheme

The flowers in this garden have been specifically chosen for their colour: white. This is a classically elegant scheme that creates a calm atmosphere, but also stretches space. If you try something similar, combine sculpted or trailing foliage with flowers that have show-off or heavily scented blooms. Choose the best plants for your garden from our plant galleries.

Want a minimalist garden that's good to look at but easy to look after? Need to make a small space feel bigger and be useful? Want privacy in an overlooked space? Here's how.

courtyard garden

Make A Small City Garden Feel Bigger

The design for this small city garden needed to work hard and be well organised in order to deliver the desired effect of a stylish contemporary space that can accommodate outdoor dining, structural planting, a number of different seating opportunities and a degree of privacy from the surrounding properties.

The result is understated and effective, and a space that should be easy to live with for years to come, whilst not so minimalist as to be unchanging or lacking energy.


Good Looking Seating

An attractive table and bench set is the most significant feature in a small garden because it is inevitably the focal point. Consequently, it is far more than just a place to sit, as it is also a focal point and structural device - so the need for it to be as attractive as possible is obvious.

Neat Screening

A row of bamboo plants (left) or small trees, such as olive trees (as in the garden on the previous page), will create a strong structural presence along one boundary of the garden. The repetition helps to create a sense of harmonious unity whilst the verticality of the trees helps to screen out the adjoining garden. If you need screening, see which trees garden expert Matthew Wilson recommends.

Low Planting

A simple, low planting along a path to the seating area will offset the large expanses of paving in a city garden, and also brings greenery close to the most used part of the garden. For suitable plants, see our rock garden plant selection gallery.

Gravel & Paving

The central area of the garden, where traditionally a lawn would be, is occupied by a low-maintenance granite-chip gravel surface which can be used as an additional seating/dining area. By retaining the size and shape of where a lawn would once have been, the balance of the garden is maintained. As for paving, the variety of paving surfaces in the garden on the previous page helps give it textural interest, changes in scale and also avoids the sensation of a 'concrete garden', which can be an unfortunate side effect of making a hard landscaped, heavy, low-maintenance space. A blend of granite chips, stone paving and timber decking ensures variety.

How To Plan Your Garden
Starting your garden from scratch? Here's how to begin successfully filling a blank canvas.


1. Plan Thoroughly Before You Start

Great gardens don't just happen. A good garden is one that has been carefully planned. You don't need to be a garden designer to plan your own garden. Just sit down, work out what you want, and start there. By creating a plan, you can work through any potential problems on paper, rather than finding yourself stuck mid-way through your project.

Where does the sun fall and when? Before you begin plotting out what goes where, make a note of where the sun falls when, so you can plan a dining area in dappled shade; a sun-bathing area in full sun and a children's play area somewhere cool and sheltered.

Think about privacy. Do you need to work in some tall planting or trellis somewhere so that neighbours can't see into your garden?

Will you need to put in an outside tap for a hosepipe? Or, perhaps, if you have kids, a hot tap will be handy, too, for the (few) times it's warm enough to fill up the paddling pool in the summer.

2. Work Out The Practicalities

Create a design that will cater to the whole family - people first, plants second! If your household includes children and pets make sure that you consider their needs when planning your garden. There's little point in creating a splendid display of delicate flowers if it means your children can no longer play in their garden.

Is it child-safe? If you have, or are planning to have children, maybe a pond isn't the best feature for your garden. If you want water, you could instead consider a pebble pond or a water feature that has no water basin, thereby eliminating any risk to children. However, you may need a big lawn, in which case, you might want to limit the size of the borders.

What storage will you need now and in the future?
You should allow space for not just garden tools, but probably DIY tools, too.
Plus, garden furniture, children's toys and bikes.


More garden design ideas at : http://www.interior-idea.com/garden.html