Garden design tips in the landscape

Don't be one of those people who get sucked in by trends and fashions and end up with garden design tips that date badly. Just because it's fashionable doesn't mean it's good, so check out some ways to avoid bad designs in the landscape.

There's nothing more embarrassing than a demonstration of poor taste that is constantly on display. So how do we avoid this in our landscapes? 

How do we ensure that the designs and plants we choose for in our outdoor spaces will stand the test of time and be as appealing in 10 or 20 or even 30 years?

Tony, an experienced landscape architect and teacher, has seen numerous trends come and go and suggests that he can pick to within a few years when many residential landscapes were designed and constructed.

Designs and ideas for the landscape

"You can often tell from the design styles and from the vegetation choices," he says. "Just like in the fashion industry, landscape architects and designers can be influenced into choosing a narrow variety of plants or landscape styles, when in fact there are many more which can work just as well but, because they're not considered ‘in’, they don't get used." 

Tony points to the proliferation of strappy plants such as flaxes and yuccas being planted at the moment.

"The idea being sold is that these plants will stay looking great and provide that structural effect for years while not needing any maintenance or watering," he says. "But it's not quite so simple. People need to consider how these sorts of plants will evolve and change shape, how they will look in several years, before deciding if they really want to plant them now.

"And they also should remember that there is a huge number of other plants which are low maintenance and don't need much water that are just as attractive, if not more so."

How can I avoid bad ideas in the garden?

Tony suggests that the best way to ensure your garden stays appealing through the years is to consider how the space will work overall, and to design it accordingly; then the style will look after itself.

"The space should function correctly for the people who are using it," he says. "The bones of the garden - the paths, the garden beds and all the hard landscaping features - should hold the space together both visually and in a practical sense for the people living there. And then the plants should be chosen on their own merits, not just depending on what's in fashion. It's all about how the user interacts with the space."

If in doubt, consult a landscape architect or designer to learn more garden design tips. After all, it's their job to give balanced, unbiased advice and to be able to look into the crystal ball of design and steer their clients away from styles that will make your garden a beacon to bad fashion sense.