Layout, flow and materials

Layout, Flow and Materials

The journey around your garden is central to the experience of being in it. Now we'll look at how to lay out your garden to create flow, discuss how to create interest through changes in level, and explore material choices in more depth.

These are some key elements to include in your garden's layout:

1. A route designed to take a visitor on a journey around the garden
2. Little areas that the route leads to
3. Changes of level to create interest

Here's how I've incorporated these at The Bell:

• a path leads the whole way round with various stops along the way
• sculptures provide points of interest along the way – some are focal points, others reveal themselves as you walk around
• the path leads to areas such as a central fire pit, seating areas and garden rooms nestled into the landscape.

If you have a garden room, studio or shed, consider sinking it into a corner so as to not make it a main feature, either by changing the levels or using planting so that it's revealed as a surprise.

A Sense of Journey is Essential

Remember the flow around the garden in your design. The journey is really important to:

• get you from A to B
• bring interest to the garden and ensure you don't see everything at once.

How to create your journey:

1. identify your start point – e.g. a seating area
2. identify your end point – another space where it will take you, e.g. an entertaining area
3. think about what you'll do in between and fill in the gaps.

At The Bell we have seating areas, a terrace and blurred areas in between, with gaps painted in with planting.

Materials to Suit the Circumstance

When choosing materials, look at what's around you, and consider what environment you are in.

• Here we're in the countryside, so materials have been chosen to match – weathered oak for seating, stone for paving, gravel paths – which have a soft, weatherworn feel.
• More contemporary-feeling materials might suit a city garden.
• Gravel is useful for a curved path. Keep it a little way from doors so it doesn't go inside.

There's a soft, weatherworn feel to these materials. If this was a city garden I might look for more contemporary-feeling materials.

Choosing Hard Standing Materials

Re-using materials or finding materials nearby to use in your garden adds to the sense of place that is key in bringing atmosphere to your garden.

Keep in mind that you shouldn't see more than three different materials in any one space.

• E.g. cobbles, gravel and wood in one area; stone, gravel and wood in another
• A limited palette of materials is easier on the eye, which makes for a more relaxing space.

Borrowed Materials

Look at surrounding buildings and your own house – what materials are there?

• What brick is your house made from? If you're using brick in the garden, choose one that's a similar tone or texture.

Clay pavers are an excellent material to use in the garden and work really well with brick.

• They come in a range of warm colours, and can feel from contemporary to traditional depending which one you choose.
• They're great for paths or raised beds.

Example Material Combinations

In country gardens I often use stone, gravel and weathered wood.

In a city garden I use less gravel and look at lighter stone that may be cut in a more uniform way to give a more ordered feel.

Make Routes Practical and Beautiful

Keep these three things in mind when designing the route around your garden:

1. easy journey – gets you easily from one area to another (e.g. not muddy or obstructed)
2. looks nice and feels right – the route is a pleasant experience, either through what you're looking at or how it feels underfoot
3. nice destination – make the destination pretty, so you want to go there and then enjoy it when you get there.

Having all these three things will make you want to use the path.

Change Level to Create Interest

Changes in height are a great way to create interest in a small garden.

• It doesn't need to be a big change – just a couple of steps or a raised bed can be effective.
• Arches or pergolas are another way to create interest higher up and draw the eye upwards.

In this garden, the path travels upwards along steps and slopes to a highest point at the seating area, then gently travels down.

• This increases the sense of journey and prolongs the route.

Gabion Walls for Change of Level

Raised beds can be made from brick or stone, but gabion walls can be a cheaper or more creative method.

• These hold back the earth to create changes in height.
• They can often be made with whatever materials you have on site – we had stone and rocks, but also used lidded wine bottles and even an old teapot for a bit of fun.