Extend your indoor space of you home outdoors to create a beautiful garden oasis that is relaxing and inviting. I believe plants have the ability to refresh any environment whether it is for an indoor or outdoor space. It will become a place to unwind and remove any stress you may have encountered during the day.
Creating such an environment can be done with some time and some creativity on your part. With the addition of the elements, smells and sounds and the right plants will make the space your preferred location to relax and enjoy. Happy places are usually filled with life and colour and something worthy to incorporate into your garden.
Everyone loves surprises and a good way to add to the space is to include hidden entrances which makes it mysterious with the use of plants. Adding a swing, benches, water or object and lights are methods of enhancing the space. By carefully selecting plants that are vibrant and have extended bloom periods will keep the garden active and colourful to birds and butterflies and give the aroma of flowers in bloom which leaves everyone in a good mood. I am making some suggestions of plants that are amazing additions for any garden.
- Double Knockout Rose use as a hedge or a shrub. They are available in various colours like red, white, or pink. They have a long blooming time and will be outstanding in the garden. They require minimal maintenance. If used as a hedge it is absolutely stunning. They are adaptable to most soil and the blooms will last up to six months. Place the plant in full sunlight. You may be concerned about the cold temperatures, but it has some tolerant to the cold and a good way to prepare it for the winter season is to add mulch around the roots with a good fertilizer in the fall. If you are concerned about the cold, then choose a hardy selection.
- Climbing Roses so many varieties of this plant one popular type is the Blaze Rose. These plants are visually appealing because as the name suggest they have the ability to climb on practically anything. They are great in containers, walls, fences, gazebos, and trellises. Use this plant with its vibrant colour and double blooms to form and arch way or entrance into your garden. Train this along a trellis anchored and allow it to bloom as the perfect entry way. Expect it to bloom continuously into the fall season. It has the ability to sustain itself and has an amazing fragrance. The blaze rose can either be used as a climber or as a shrub because it has a bushy foliage. Your garden will never smell the same as before.
Introduce Bulbs to Avoid Replanting
It may not always be economically beneficial to continually keep planting each year. The introduction of bulbs into the garden saves time and money. It is worth preparing your space by introducing bulbs as a quick and easy solution to avoid replanting continuously each season. Consider planting any of these bulbs for colour, texture, and class in the space.
- Carpet Border Lily create a flower bed to showcase these vibrant colours of red, yellow, and white and pink. The flower bed can be used to distinguish and separate the other plants or to create its own stand-alone space. Another useful way is to use them along pathways. During the blooming periods use cuttings to make floral arrangement for the indoors space. Use on tables or center pieces or patio tables. They will return each year and continue to bloom and enjoy sun or partial sunshine during the day with a well-drained soil.
- Hyacinth a fragrant plant to add to your garden with some caution as the plant is poisonous if ingested by dogs and cats. If you have selected this bulb always wear protective gloves. They are beautiful perennials in colours of purple, red, yellow, white, and pink. A garden’s delight that will tolerate either full or partial sunshine with amazing, scented flowers.
- Gladiolus stunning in its appearance and can be found in a combination of hues of red and yellow, purple, and yellow. Great for enticing pollinators and onlookers. Your garden will attract many spectators. They make great bouquets and centre pieces when combined with other plants for your indoor space. They can grow over three feet tall so place them in a strategic location so the other flowers that are smaller will not be overpowered with this plant. They require full sunshine.
Promote Some Exotic Tropical Plants
Looking at your garden with the same plants year after year can become boring and eventually it will become neglected. Change the space by adding uniqueness with tropical plants. They can be placed in pots and transferred indoors when the temperature becomes too cold.
- Red Velvet Canna Lily Native plant to the Caribbean and Mexico. A tropical bulb that has become hardy in many places. What is amazing about this plant is the beautiful bloom it presents and addition the green foliage as a contrast. This makes this plant desirable to any garden space. It is used as a boarder for gardens and requires full sunshine. In order to preserve the bulbs from extreme cold temperatures it is best to remove them from the ground and store them well. Or place the plant in pots and take them indoors for the winter.
- Tricolor Ginger Plant an exceptional plant with combination colours blended to create a spectacular specie. Colors of red, white, and green foliage is what makes this plant a showstopper for any space indoor or outdoor. It is also able to do well if kept indoors in a container. It can grow up to three feet in height and will respond to either direct or indirect sunlight. Expect this plant to brighten any space and will compliment any furniture or entry point to any home.
- Bird of Paradise also known as the crane plant and looking carefully at its foliage it does have a striking resemblance the actual bird. Expect this plant to engulf your space creating an ambiance of the tropical regions from which it came. It can grow up to to five feet in height, and it is best to plant at the rear of the garden or along a pathway or also in pots if your preference is to keep it indoors. Full or partial sunshine is a good choice for this plant.
- Lady Palm enjoy this palm tree in your outdoor garden or if you prefer keep it indoors, it is very adaptable requiring minimal amount of sunlight. What is great about this plant is it is drought-tolerant and heat resistant. This makes them the perfect potted plant to be featured in your home or garden. This palm comes with exquisite slim shaped fonds that resembles a fan. Generally used in an office setting but makes a good houseplant helping to remove toxins from the environment. This makes them perfect for any indoor or outdoor space.
Water Features Create Tranquility
Sounds create peace that is appealing to the spiritual senses. The sounds of rain falling on a rooftop, waves beating against the rocks, rivers flowing along a path seem to produce a piece of mind. It is just impossible not to be appreciative of your surroundings and listen to its calming effect. This is a feature to consider to distinguish your garden from just being ordinary to alluring.
Some Additions to Consider
With the addition of seating in the garden and by using natural wood products like chairs or benches help to compliment the space and the environment. It will become a place to enjoy a breath of fresh air with a good book or listening to music or just generally appreciating the sounds of nature in a natural setting is something to consider for your own well-being or state of mind.
Not only do you want to enjoy the space during the daytime but prepare the garden by making it inviting at night with the adding of lights. Solar lights are the way to go which are budget friendly and makes use of harnessing the sunshine. Light the pathways, choose specific plants that you wish to highlight. They can be strung to create a design on fences or any stand-alone structures. The options for lighting are vast, they are available in various shapes like flowers, cascading fireworks, solar stake lights that create its own design for pathways, wind swaying lights in various colours. This gives the homeowner the option to enjoy the space continually without any limitations.
Décor pieces help to enhance the space and create uniqueness. You can choose items that may have a history with your family and tells a story or has a good memory that makes you feel uplifted. It may be old and in need of some repair. You can choose to mend it or leave it in its natural state. It will become a conversation piece for your family or friends. Otherwise, these pieces can be bought either online or a garden center. Handmade items offer uniqueness collections of animals, angels, children playing joyfully, bird silhouette are just a few items that may interest you.
Chimes
Introduce chimes in the garden to create sounds as the winds blow this will lift the sound of their melody into the atmosphere to create a soothing sound of peace. There are days when the winds are too forceful just remove them and replace it when there is a gentle breeze. These tend to work with large backyards that are not in close proximity to neighbours who may be bothered by the sounds.
Rocks and Stones
Natural stones or rock add a special touch to you garden. You can find unusual pieces that are a gem for the space creating style and character. They can be used as seating or allowing different plants to cascade along giving the impressing of a free-flowing waterfall. Place them along pathways or use them as natural steps leading into the garden space.
Fire Pits
Fire pits are enticing and romantic and keeps you feeling cozy especially on cold nights and also for entertaining . A good place to roast marshmallows, having hot teas and drinks or having a good time with family and friends and keeping the atmosphere filled with joy and laughter. A good medicine for the soul.
Stage your Garden
With the garden being an extension of your outdoor space, it needs to be presented as if you are listing it on the market for sale and therefore requires as much detail as if there is an intended buyer. The garden requires the same attention the only difference is you are the prospective buyer and you now become the best judge of what it needs to transform the space for your own needs.
Once the decision is made then the planning comes into focus. Without having a visual concept, the space will be a bit chaotic and plants that are taller could end up anywhere and overpower the ones that should be at the forefront of the garden. Everything that is bought to enhance the space should have a specific place to create uniformity, style, and class. Making a drawing or a sketch of what you would like to see is necessary. If you are not creative there are computer programs that gives ideas or free templates for designs and will not cost anything unless you are indeed of a profession format.
Soil Preparation
Making sure the right soil is in place for the garden is important and will depend on the types of plant you have selected. Making sure the soil has good drainage and position the plants that need direct or indirect sunlight which should be included in your plans.
Enjoying your Garden Space
At the end of the day, you may or may not achieve all your goal set and it’s just that time to relax and unwind and appreciate the atmosphere that you have now created. Whether you have chosen music or a book as a source to relax it really doesn’t matter. The end results should be that you are happy with the space, and you are able to relax in it. The garden could take a bit of time to come into full vision. It will eventually come alive to the elements of soft breeze blowing, butterflies and birds visiting and helping to pollinate it with the plants in full bloom.
A good way to see if the garden is a special place for you are your experiences in it. An overwhelming sense of joy and happiness and complete relaxation and it’s a place that you should feel the need to return to continuously. It will be a place where you want to entertain family and friends and eventually be at peace in it. If this is how the space makes you feel, then you have accomplished your goal. There are times when you will want to add an ornament or change something in it. That is part of developing your own style in the space you have created and hope to enjoy for a long time.