Claude Monet once said that he thought about his garden as his most beautiful masterpiece. It may be hard to believe considering how wonderful were his paintings but every garden owner and gardening lover will immediately understand – you can never be too proud of your garden, and it doesn’t matter if these are The Gardens of Versailles or a couple of square metres in your backyard. Do you feel like this could be you? It’s not a walk in the park – it requires a lot of hard work, money, time and maintenance. But you have to start with a good plan. Consider your needs and capabilities to make sure that you don’t bite off more than you can chew. Think about your expectations towards the effects of your work. Know different types of gardens and decide which one will suit you best.
Flower garden
Specific plants may vary depending on the region you live in, but general planning rules are the same everywhere. Well-organized shrubs and trees are the foundation of every garden, so that’s where you should be starting, and then plan the herbs and flowers around them. Be careful to not get carried away – if you don’t have a lot of space, consider that flowering trees and shrubs will take a big part of it. There’s no point in planting a little forest if your backyard is the size of two cars, so it may be better to go for a cherry or redbud trees which are smaller but really lovely. Some people decide on one type of flower and they plant different variations of it, but others prefer diversity. If you’re the latter, it’s important to remember when each plant flowers, how big they grow, etc. Plus, think about mixing colours and forms to give your garden a more natural look.
Water garden
Adding a pond or even a waterfall design can turn out to be one of the best decisions of your life. It will give you an opportunity to grow plants that normally won’t grow without any water reservoir, for example, exceptionally beautiful water lilies (which were already cultivated as far back as 4000 years ago). It will create a whole new environment in your garden, a rich ecosystem that will certainly prove beneficial to everything around it. What’s more, if you decide on a fountain or a waterfall, you will quickly discover how relaxing it is to lay on the ground (or in your room with the window opened) and listen to splashing water.
Herb and vegetable garden
It’s a good idea, especially if you care what you eat or feed to your family. This type of garden used to be cultivated for medicinal purposes but it’s rarely the case now. These days herbs in gardens are mostly for cooking; they have to be located in sunny places as most of them come from dry and warm regions of the world. It’s the same with a grand majority of vegetables. You have to be able to, among many things, cultivate and prepare the ground and rotate the crops in order to succeed in vegetable growing.
Container garden
This is the perfect solution if you dream about gardening but you don’t have too much ground space, e.g. you live in the middle of a city. This type of garden allows you to grow plants in, for example, wheelbarrows or flower pots, and keep them on a balcony, patio or even in your living room. The huge upside is that you can always move them wherever you want them to be. It’s also less costly to start and maintain a container garden so it’s good for beginners who want to see if they can be good and caring gardeners.
Rooftop garden
This is another solution for people who live in urban areas and don’t have a place for a true garden, but in this case, you need access to roof space. The conditions there are perfect – constant sunlight and fresh air will let your garden truly flourish. Of course, it’s impossible to grow trees or plants that require a lot of soil, but it’s always better than nothing. Usually, you will need pots and containers but with more elaborate roofs you can even make small beds and pools.
Rock garden
It’s an option for you if you have terrain that’s sloped or difficult to mow for some different reasons; it would be a drag to prepare the ground for growing any plants there so you can do something else. You can make it look like a real rocky hillside or add a waterfall for a more spectacular and soothing effect. Then you may find some filling plants that aren’t too demanding when it comes to the type of soil.
Now that you know some of your options, you can consider your needs and expectations to choose the right type of garden for you. And let’s get to work!
