Garden Design Tips

How to improve your garden
Gardens give visitors the first impression when they come to your home. It is important to keep them maintained and attractive so they reflect a positive image upon the house. The information discussed in this article can help you change your garden so it is a bit more stylish and unique.

Curved paths through the garden
By paving a brick path or using crushed limestone it gives your garden a personal texture and style! Once you have defined the path you can create the garden beds and put boundaries along the edges of the path for an added effect. If you're not keen on using bricks or limestone paving think about using spray on paving which achieves the same look as real bricks.

If you decide to put a path through your garden try to make sure it leads somewhere, such as a back fence or the washing line, otherwise it is a bit pointless and may look odd!

Elevate your garden!
Using limestone blocks through your garden to define the boundaries adds style and can also be elevated to form different levels between your garden beds. This is a common effect used to make an ordinary garden look a bit more stylish and dynamic.

You can also put the a path leading up to the wall and limestone blocks can then be used to form steps, so your visitors can actually walk up the elevated level.

If you're into colourful designs consider using a wall material that will allow you to render it a particular colour afterwards. If you can choose a colour that blends nicely with its surroundings it will be much more attractive than a plain brick colour.

Sacrifice your lawn if you do not use it
Lawn can simply get in the way and cost you money if you don't use it. You can always pull it out and convert it into a garden bed with a dirt path if you find it useless.

However if you use your lawn why not convert a corner of it into an elevated garden bed? You can grow low maintenance plants and also provide your own personal touch to your garden by doing this.

Remove objects that just get in the way
If you have an old shed that doesn't seem to be doing much consider removing it for increased garden space. Sheds are also attractive for unwanted species such as spiders, snakes, mice and even rats!

Removing old plants is also a good idea because if you don't like the plant you won't take care of it. Just make sure the plants are not poisonous or likely to injure you before removing them. Examples of this include piercing rose thorns and palm trees.

Water Features
Your garden can reflect relaxation, rest and serenity with water features. Bird baths, ponds and water falls do a great job at improving the look of your garden. They really can make your garden a place of tranquility and quietness!

Before rushing out to buy water features make sure you know exactly where it is going in the garden and whether it's a convenient location. This is important because water features are often difficult to move once they have been placed in a final position.

Decide beforehand where its location will be, how big an area you have and whether you will ever need to move it. If you're after something a bit smaller and movable you could try placing bird baths or sculptures in your garden.

There are many water features available so take a look at what's possible and decide whether it will improve the look of your garden or not.

The simple ways to make your garden more attractive
If you're looking for an easy, simple and fast way to make your garden more attractive, try using hanging baskets with small flowers in them or simple brick work around your lawn.

Sculptures are also an easy way to characterise your garden, however most sculptures are quite heavy to lift! Never the less with 2 or more people you can have a sculpture placed neatly into your garden. You can buy them from just about any shop that sells garden products, such as Bunnings or your local nursery.

Why would I want to improve my garden?
Renovating or designing your own garden as a hobby can give you a great feeling of satisfaction, especially if you start small and gradually improve as you feel the need. Taking photographs along the way will also show you how much you have changed your garden from its original look.

Many gardens weren't planned or finished in a day, so you will need patience and a strong sense of motivation to continue with your gardening projects. Some gardens take years to develop into places of tranquility but they look absolutely stunning!

If you're interested in designing your own garden, work out some ideas of what you wish to do and spend some time actually in the garden observing it. This allows you get a feel for your own garden and the ways that you can improve it.

If you're stuck for ideas try looking through books or magazines for inspiration. You can also start small and work your way up as the ideas come to you. This is the way many garden enthusiasts have gradually built their gardens into masterpieces!

Use your imagination for ideas!
You can change your garden in 101 different ways, so if you have a creative idea that you just have to try out, do it and see if you like the end result. Any garden owner will tell you that an important part of gardening is trial and error. Fortunately you can always improve your garden so think with an imaginative, open mind.

Where to get started
You can attend a 5 week Garden Design Course from Home Base Expo to help you learn the basics of garden design. It will teach you how to plan garden projects and will show you what's possible with your garden before you even get your hands dirty. It also includes a garden design folder for references in the future.

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