People often ask me where I get my garden inspo from. Like most of us I rely on a combination of places. I wander around gardens and I google. I browse instagram, pinterest and magazines and I look at the gardens designed by experts.
However the gardens I’m looking at are often huge, they have mega budgets or they’re very different to mine. For me, the more important question around gardening inspiration is therefore, how to translate what I see into ideas I can apply myself.
So to show how I do it, I thought I’d share a few examples of things which have recently caught my eye and how I might apply them in my own garden.
Read more: Garden Inspo – How it Works for MeWhy I Need Garden Inspo – Changes To My Garden
First up I probably ought to set the scene of what I need garden inspo for. At the moment my garden is in a bit of a state of flux. Mr F-W is in the process of building a new wooden shed for himself. He’s going to have it tucked away to the side in our garden and it will feature amazing old reconditioned windows. I’m confident it will look gorgeous when it’s finished as Mr F-W was a carpenter. But he’s very particular, so none of this will happen quickly!
However, when it is completed, the two huge sheds at the bottom of our garden will come down. This will be a massive change. The view will be different. We’ll expose around 60ft of cotswold stone wall which runs across the bottom of our garden. And I’ll have about 600 sq feet of area to turn into garden.
It’s a lot to think about.
Until I have the space in front of me, I don’t think I’ll be able to make any final plans. That’s because I’m not very good at visualising space. But I do know the change will give me options. It will give me scope to create an additional seating area. I may want to use some of the new space for a pond and/or a water feature. I will want a large, additional sunny flower bed. It may also mean that I’ve room for a small greenhouse.
So at the moment, I’m just doing a lot of thinking. When I see something which plays into any of these topics, I’m making a note. I’m thinking how could I take what I see and possibly make it work in some way for me.
Garden Inspo – Water Ideas
For instance when visiting the wonderful Coach House garden at Ampney Crucis I saw this huge rill which they have running through one section. Now there’s no way I can accommodate something of this scale but it has sparked some thoughts.
If I have a water feature could it be a mini rill?
Or maybe I can have some kind of water feature emerging from the wall at the bottom of the garden and have this seating and some statement planting like this amazing gunnera.
I also like the way the rill opens out into a round pond. Perhaps I can do something like this?
Garden Inpo – Pots
When at Aston Pottery a while ago I was struck by the use of a line of pots to create a statement. The pots (below) line a walk to the pottery’s cafe. Now, much as I love a cup of tea and a slice of cake, (and I seriously do) even I wouldn’t put a cafe at the bottom of my garden. However, the use of a line of pots and the planting in the pots is clever. If I have a pathway to the area at the bottom of the garden, could I line it with pots?
I already use a line of pots to travel through a lawn area (below) – will it be overkill or could I repeat the idea in the new zone?
Even if I don’t have a line, could I emulate the planting somehow on the new seating area? The Aston Pottery pots contain White Agapanthus ‘Queen Mother’ cleverly coupled with Eucomis Sparkling Burgundy. Can I find a way to use this somewhere?
I saw this statement container a while ago and thought I’d love to replicate the effect one day. It’s such a wonderful bit of garden inspo. Could I have a huge, softly planted pot like this in the lead up to my new area at the bottom of the garden?
This particular example works so well not only because of the fantastic contrast between planting and container but because the height proportions are spot on too. In my blog where I plant up an Autumn container I explain how the proportions are meant to work. In essence when you look at the planted up pot as a whole (including the planting) the pot should occupy either two-thirds or one-third of the height. If I’ve confused you do read the blog where I hopefully explain it a bit better for you!
At the Amney Crucis garden I not only loved the rill but I also saw some clever ideas with empty pots, with planting part-concealing the containers. That’s such an easily reproducable bit of garden inspo. Surely I can recreate that somehow in the new space.
Sometimes the concealing can be less soft and quite architectural, as in the picture below.
Garden Inspo – Combining Spaces
If I’m creating a new area at the bottom of the garden I will want it to look like it belongs to the rest of the garden. I also think I may want to create a bit of intrigue approaching it. One of the major features in my garden is my line of Annabelle hydrangeas (below).
So with these different thoughts floating through my head, this image on @Gardeningmagics instagram account with its hydrangeas caught my eye. There are a number of things I like about it.
I like the ivy archway as that will look good all year round. The sense of a secret space is also very appealing. Perhaps I could use box heding as they have here to mark out the seating area? However I want the area to be a sun trap too…which this area isn’t. Mmm, more thinking needs to be done!
Garden Inspo – The Seating Area
When it comes to the seating area @Gardeningmagics has again given me some food for thought. While I don’t like the modern seating in this photo, as it just wouldn’t fit with my garden style, I do like the fact the planting envelops the seating space. I also love the purple and white planting, it’s so fresh!
The choice of plants is clever too. White lupins as they have here, might be a lot less trouble than say delphiniums, but they give quite a similar effect. There’s also rosemary in the area. That’s a good point for a seating area – I’ll want to think about fragrance and that can come from herbs as well as flowers.
While I don’t particular want this style of pathway, the planting between the stones in the picture is also very attractive. It will chime with the way I have planting between the paving slabs on my patio, creating further cohesion.
While I wouldn’t want anything as wild or tall as erigeron between the stones of a path, I will want something, maybe a fragrant herb.
Greenhouse
The thought that I might possibly get a greenhouse means I’m now madly greenhouse picture spotting. Could I have a wonderful floral lined walk way to it? I really love this which I saw on @Gardeningmagics instagram. It would enable me to kill two birds with one stone and have the sunny borders I want and incorporate that with a greenhouse.
Then again I also like this effect spotted on Garden Planning’s instagram account (credit bhg). The use of box hedging and topiary gives this a wonderful calm setting. It also has a little seating area, that’s an interesting thought.
The way things curve would also tie-in with the rest of my garden as I use arcs quite a lot. For instance my catalpa trees and Annabelle hydrangeas are in an arc, my flower beds are arc shaped and the pots of clematis running across the lawn arc too.
In essence, like a magpie, when it comes to garden inspo I pick up little elements of these things and store them away in my brain. They percolate there for absolutely ages. Then when I finally sit down, with a G&T of course, to plan the bottom area of the garden – which will be who knows when – I won’t be starting with a completely blank canvas. I’ll have some thoughts, some preferences, some glimpses of the possibilities to draw on…oooh can’t wait!
Happy day-dreaming and gardening X