STRONG on structure

The difference between mere vegetation and a space called a garden is structure …

If you’ve spent extensive hours working in your yard, achieved some success in specific seasons but miss the consistent visual impact your garden could have all year long, you may have a structural shortfall.

What is garden structure?

The structure of a garden is how different components in it relate to each other or are linked together to form a complete picture – not unlike the interior décor of a pretty room inside the house. These ‘components’ can be planting designs teamed up with hard materials to create mini gardens within a garden.

Here are 9 ideas to add structure to your garden

1 Divide your garden into rooms

Add comfortable pathways to lead to different sections of your garden. Remember that a pathway should never lead nowhere.

A pretty garden arch covered with a climbing plant is another element to entice the onlooker and lure them further into your garden.

2 Use trees

Planting a beautiful specimen tree in a prominent spot is the first step to giving your garden backbone.

Planting small trees in groups to form a corpse is another way to create a strong element.

Identifying an existing tree in your garden and creating a planting design around its base will focus attention.

You can use the strong structure of a tree to house interesting elements like bird feeders, kokedamas, hanging baskets and dramatic epiphytes like staghorn ferns.