The foundation of a good garden is one that will enhance your health, happiness and relaxation.
Gardens have become an integral part of modern living and landscape designs reflect the requirement of a seamless link between our interior and external environments.
There has been a significant shift in our psyche and the outdoor environment now plays a more meaningful role in our everyday lives.
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This has seen an increase towards garden designs that provide enchantment, evoking an element of magic that draws on a deeper connection to nature.
When we enter a garden, we are often transported into a sacred place where the elements of nature meld with the senses and if the design has been well executed, it encourages us to slow down.
Gardens give us an opportunity to laugh, play and even work in a rewarding capacity. Every garden may be different, but they all have something to offer.
They can be havens where the calm and serenity provides a soothing relief from the modern-day lifestyle, the effect is often described as intoxicating. To achieve such effects there are a multitude of design and plant considerations that can be drawn upon.
The art of illusion within a garden can have a dramatic effect on the way we perceive and interact within a space. It's vital to maximise space to its full potential with strategically placed plants and other features can give the impression that there is more space than really exists.
Hedges can be used to give the impression of space and lead the eye to vistas and focal points; they can detract attention from other features or draw you into areas. Hedges can also screen undesirable views or other garden elements to provide privacy and protection.
The stars of any garden are the plants and no matter what size, shape, colour and texture, plants play the lead part in making our gardens magical.
There is enchantment to be found in every garden, just stop to smell the roses, linger a little longer, look a little deeper and listen for the subtle messages that nature has to offer.
Nature wants to collaborate with us just as much as we yearn to be fulfilled by nature and one pathway to paradise can be discovered through the enchantment of a garden.
- John Gabriele is a horticulture teacher with a love for green spaces.
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