We are sometimes afraid to use colour in our garden and as a result stick with neutral shades and variations of wood stains on fences and other wooden features such as furniture. Adding a colour to a garden can be invigorating and can lift your garden design out of the ordinary. The range of paint colours available now for use outdoors on both masonary and wood is much more extensive than previously, with shades across a rainbow of colours available off the shelf. So, be bold and have a go!
This Garden Design was completed for a Garden in Charlesland, near Greystones, just outside Dublin. The fences and sheds in this garden were painted blue to brighten up the garden and provide an attractive backdrop to the new Garden Design. The planting is only just completed but once it matures the backdrop of blue will set off the plants beautifully. The photo to the right shows the garden before the implementation of the new garden design. The garden was of average size and rectangular in shape but with the exception of an existing paved area just adjacent to the house and a few narrow beds there was only a lawn and shed.
The Clients wished to keep thier existing paving and the challenge in this garden was to integrate a new garden design into this existing paving.
End corner of Garden Before new Garden Design
This was achieved by interlocking a circle of buff coloured granite cobbles with the existing paving and using the same cobbles to edge the existing paving adjacent to the lawn. For those of you who have noted the Turtle in the photo above, this semi circle has been designed to hold a Chiminee which has not been purchased yet!
New Border to right of Garden with Semi Circular Bed
A matching half circle bed, edged in cobbles was also set against the opposite fence to balance the design. The garden was then encircled by curved borders edged in the same granite cobble which pulls the whole design together. A path of cobbles hugs the border alongide the left side of the garden to provide access to the shed which was also painted blue! Bamboo’s were planted on each side of the shed to soft the colour and integrate the shed into the garden.
This garden was not overlooked which is a great advantage and there was an existing high concrete block wall to the rear of the garden. Concrete block walls can cause a problem in gardens and normally do not provide a good back drop to a new Garden Design. So, to offset the blue of the fences and shed this wall was painted slate grey, which then provided a nice backdrop to the raised sleeper bed in this corner. As this corner was shady the planting at the end of the garden incoporated a lots of Ferns, Japanese Maples, Astilbles, Heuchera’s and Hosta’s.
Nearer the house we used Lavender, Erysium, Agapanthus, Sedum, Alstromeria and Penstemon’s, to name but a few.
Border to right of Garden before New Garden Design
Watch out for my next post where we get even bolder with colour!
