The Finishing Touches

Well-designed gardens have structure and movement- the backbones of the garden upon which all else is based. The house needs to link with the garden seamlessly and professional designers can help you do this using design techniques that will help to draw one out into the garden. Straight lines or sinuous curves of lawns, architectural plants, a feature statue or gate placed carefully in the landscape and the use of garden lighting, all guide you through the space. The style of planting chosen can lend an air of romance or add a sense of energy in the garden.

But it’s the finishing touches such as materials and garden furniture or statuary that will really bring the garden of our dreams to life! I recommend that you invest in the best quality construction materials and furniture possible. We live in a country rich with natural resources such as slate, stone and decorative chippings available from quarries all over – local stone from nearby always looks best in a garden- the tones and hues of the stone echoing the surrounding landscape.  Stone is an expensive material and so it may be more cost-effective to simply face a key wall with stone as a feature, or use more cost-effective materials such as faux stone pavers in the right colour to blend naturally or more recently there has been a resurgence in the use of concrete pavers, with brand new contemporary designs available in all shapes and finishes.  Modern houses are often built with block rendered walls, so it is entirely fine aesthetically, to use rendered block walls within the garden, to create unity with the house. It could be topped with a coping of local stone to give authenticity and that special finishing touch!

Moving on to furniture and statuary,  many companies now make some attractive,  well designed, weatherproof garden furniture while sustainably sourced hardwoods such as Oak,  Teak, Ipe or Iroko not only look stunning- they will last a lifetime.  Local craftspeople are often not as expensive as one might think and commissioning a piece of artwork such as a water feature, statue, a beautiful circular tree seat, an oak garden swing seat or bench by fellow West Country-based Sitting Spiritually will be a real joy and really add to your enjoyment of your garden! More permanent structural pieces such as a Sitting Spiritually oak pergola or wrought iron gate will also add value to your property, long term.  

With many thanks to Alice Blount Garden Design, professionally trained and experienced garden design consultants who can design your garden, design structures and source garden furniture and statuary – for assistance please call  Alice on 07747 772524

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If you would like to contribute a blog, please contact Sitting Spiritually at info@sittingspiritually.co.uk

All images courtesy of Alice Blount Garden Design