The best lawns are those that make individuals comfortable and happy. Excellent grounds look good, but they also need to feel good. Amazing gardens are easy to move through, not too hard to keep, and pretty relaxing. Structures and paths need to be simple to navigate, while the plants chosen should provide interest and serve functions without being Prima Donnas or bullies.
As landscape architects, professionals tackle these problems of utility and comfort every single day. Listed below are some simple and practical tips that have helped experts create livable and enjoyable gardens for themselves and their customers.
Provide a wide berth
Property owners should ensure their pathways are wide enough for a comfortable passage. Nobody likes squeezing through a narrow space, in or out. Primary thoroughfares need to be wide enough for two or more individuals to walk side-by-side, not less than five feet.
For secondary pathways where individuals walk single files, the width needs to be at least three feet. Always keep in mind that taller structures and plantings on the flank of the walkway need wider paths. Tall boundaries make spaces feel more restricted.
Watch your steps
Outdoor stairways and steps should ascend properly and gently; otherwise, these things are liable to be daunting. Steps with a rise of six inches or less are considered the most comfortable. The depth or run of every step and the height or rise should equal twenty-six inches.
So steps with a six-inch height would need a run of fourteen inches. If the garden stairways include at least ten steps, homeowners need to consider landings after the fourth or fifth steps to ease the progress. Landings need to be at least as deep and wide as the stairs. Generous landings are needed wherever stairways change directions.
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Provide tons of elbow room
Decks and patios are ideal spaces for outdoor entertaining—plans for enough space to accommodate mingling and dining. People should consider how many guests they are likely to host regularly and plan on at least four square feet of space for every individual. Dining outside also means outdoor furniture. Homeowners should try leaving a three-foot-wide perimeter of open area around any pieces of furniture to allow for comfortable circulation.
People should stay steady on their feet
Property owners should make sure that their paving provides secure footing. They need to avoid loosely set pavers or slick surfaces that wobble. Paving materials such as smooth outdoor tile or polished granite may not offer adequate traction in winter and rainy climates.
Gravel walkways are excellent. People can also use unsifted gravel. These things contain different-size aggregates, which compact firmly, as well as provide a good footing. This gravel is made up of aggregates of the same size, which don’t compact well, as well as remain pretty loose underfoot. Whatever paving materials the homeowner uses, they need to make sure paved surfaces are one to two percent sloped to keep water from pooling in some spots.
Heads up
Property owners can leave a lot of headroom under arbors, pergolas, and archways. Experts consider seven feet to be the minimum, and they usually add another eighteen inches or more if they know there will be plants or shrubs growing on the structure. It may sound pretty high, but structures situated outside tend to look a lot smaller compared to what they would look if they were inside.
Plus, it is always better to be safe than sorry, as well as avoid butting heads with climbing wisterias and roses. Posts for pergolas and arches should be a few inches outside the pathways that can run through them to help allow enough elbow room.
Plan for future growth
People can give their plants room to grow. If they must have a full and dense landscape right away, they can plant with the intent to remove or relocate some of their plants as they grow or mature. Individuals can also plant short-lived and quick-growing filler plants to temporarily bolster plantings. Some of these fillers include tall verbena, delphiniums, butterfly bush, and golden tree mallow. Just keep track of prolific self-sowers plants like verbena to prevent fillers from taking over.
Keep distance
Place plants more than thirty to thirty-six inches tall at least two to three feet back from patio edges and walkways; otherwise, spaces may feel unduly crowded and cramped. While property owners are at it, they can try to keep aromatic plants such as crown imperials or thorny plants such as roses away from areas with high foot traffic. Suppose the homeowner wants to plant a rose on a pergola or arch over a walkway. In that case, they need to consider fragrant or thornless garden roses like Reine Des Violettes, Legras De Saint Germain, or Zephirine Drouhin.
Put a turf in its place
Lawns can be labor-intensive and expensive to maintain, but no other surface is yielding, resilient, forgiving to play on, and comfortable for lounging. Nor can planting take the type of foot traffic that gardens regularly endure. Turf is a special lawn feature, which is why people need to use it wisely.
People should not waste the effort of keeping their gardens where low-maintenance plants or paving might serve just as well, but they should not skimp on the grass in places where they will enjoy it. A sweep of grass can also be a good counterbalance to borders and beautiful beds. That is why garden design online is essential because you can plan everything on the Internet before putting it into action. It can save tons of money, time, and energy.
Create comfort zones
Beauty is only skin deep, but all plants can do more in the grounds than sit around and just look pretty. The right plant, used in the right way, can add utility and comfort to the garden. Broad-leaved evergreens and conifers can protect the grounds from the harsh environment. Ornamental grasses or large-scale perennials can make an immediate privacy screen.
A well-placed tall shrub or tree border can provide a wonderful shady oasis during summer. Do you not think you have enough space for a tree? You better think again. With tons of compact ornamental trees to choose from, there is probably one that will fit your property.