Have you decided to embark on the ambitious journey of creating a new garden for yourself? Are you going to give your existing garden a complete makeover or are you creating a completely new garden from scratch? Would you like some insights to guide you along the journey from someone with over 30 years experience doing just that?
IF there's one thing we've learnt from our long experience in designing and creating beautiful gardens is that the journey can have it share of ups and downs and frustrations. And there may be several times along your journey where you might feel like giving up or ask yourself, why did I even take this project on?
But we know from the feedback we've received from so many of our clients that when they get to the end, they are so satisfied, happy and thankful with what they have in their new garden, that they are overcome with joy.
So this article exists for you to read at the beginning of your journey for inspiration and maybe to read again, at some point during your journey where you might be wondering whether it is all worth it.
Because it's important to never lose sight of your goal, your destination. It's important to stay focussed on the big picture. The dream. The goal. That wonderful new garden you once pictured in your mind only as a dream.
This article has been written to remind those who have gotten mired down in all the technical details of their project they may have forgotten the most important goal of all, the creation of a garden that elevates your life and the lives of those around you who share it with you.
The first thing that takes your mind off the dream
It's funny but by the time you actually reach the point of engaging a landscape designer, you might already have started losing sight of the dream garden you had in mind at the beginning.
That's because as you start the process and the discussion your focus shifts to all the practical considerations you need to address in order to get to your end goal. The costs, the timeframes, the type of paving you want around the pool, the features of your outdoor kitchen, etc All of these naturally grab our attention.
It's a bit like you can't plan your dream European holiday without organising your passport, flights, accommodation, etc Then there's all the challenges of getting to the airport on time. It's not until you are on the plane, sitting back and relaxing that you can start focussing again on your holiday.
Similarly it's important not to let all the details that need to be sorted out take you away from contemplating the dream garden you are now really beginning to make happen.
The garden of your dreams
Here's a little exercise you can do to help visualise the dream garden you are in the process of creating.
Sit back, relax and close your eyes.
How recall a time when you were in a beautiful garden and had a moment of joy. Was it just taking in the whole beauty of a gorgeous garden? Or was it enjoying some tiny details that really grabbed you? Like watching birds collect nectar or bees buzzing from flower to flower, collecting pollen?
Or was there a time when you walked into a garden and caught the delicate scent wafting from a Jasmine plant or a daphne or gardenia?
Sometimes it's these tiny moments that anchor you in recalling something pleasurable that uplifts your spirits. Maybe these are the moments you are hoping to recapture in your own garden.
Maybe it will be the mesmerising dance of beautiful plants swaying in the wind that will thrill you most. Or perhaps the thrill of seeing the newly opened petals in a sea of gorgeous flowers on a beautiful spring morning.
It's important when will trigger pleasurable emotions for you or others in your new garden
All of these things mentioned are triggers of pleasure emotions for anyone who spends time in your garden. The more you include the aspects that delight you, the more meaningful your garden will be. But as you contemplate the 'details' it is wise to contemplate how each of these details impacts upon the level of emotional pleasure you can have.
How the function of a garden can bring joy
As any parent will tell you, one of the most enjoyable things you can do is to simply sit on the grass and watch your children play. It can be such a serene, uplifting and yet relaxing experience.
So for a parent with kids, the function of the lawn becomes a place for the kids to play. But if you have no kids, the same space can function as an entertainment area for grownups, which brings a different kind of joy.
Outdoor kitchens are all the rage now and are a popular addition to many gardens. And with them comes the additional function of cooking and entertaining outdoors. Social gatherings of family and friends give us great pleasure. The laughter, the smiles, the joys of everything from deep conversations to frivolous chats, all create memories that may last a lifetime.
Take a moment to contemplate how your new garden will function. And how social gatherings in it may give your life more meaning. In this chaotic world we all live in, having some free time is a luxury we all hold dear. Having a social gathering lets reconnect with people and balance the workload of our lives.
A little inspiration from a surprising source
She is renowned as an actress who starred in a number of iconic films. And we might more normally associate her with jewellery stores like Tiffanys and a love of diamonds. But Audrey Hepburn was also a lover of gardens. Her quote here shows what gardens and plants in particular meant to her.
We often overlook the fact that plants are our cousins. Like us, they need love and care to grow.
But more importantly, they contain within themselves the same life force that we have. Impossible to define in many ways, this life force or essence is common to plants as it is to humans.
So just as we share our life force with other people, we too share it with plants. (And animals for that matter.)
While these days it seems like most clients tell us they long for a 'low-maintenance garden', we always caution them by reminding them that the only no maintenance garden there is, is one without any life in it at all. At best even a low maintenance garden needs some attention. This is not to say you need to become a keen gardener if you are not, but it does mean that every garden needs some amount of care, even if it's just to trim a hedge or maintain some poor-performing plant.
Audrey Hepburn's words are relevant to you because they are all about a focus on the future. And whatever point you are at on your journey towards a more beautiful new garden, it's important to think about just how much it will reward you with a better way of life.
There's something about that life force that you feel when you are around nature, whether you are in a forest or a veggie garden. It permeates all around you and if you let it, it will begin to make you smile and feel more at peace.
We say this to ensure that you recognise how much plants can elevate your mood and feeling of wellbeing. Plants are, by definition, the most fundamental element of what makes a garden a garden. Take the plants away from a space and you can no longer call it a garden.
So as your journey towards your ideal garden evolves, remember that it's the plants in your garden that will be the greatest source of life-affirming energy that may uplift you from your roughest day.
Social gatherings - the lifeblood of wellbeing
It's true that a garden can be a peaceful sanctuary for you to find some time alone. To just be at one with yourself and your thoughts, in harmony with nature.
But a garden too can also provide the perfect place for us to gather together with those we love for connection on more deeper level. We believe that gardens are the perfect place for that connection to occur.
Sometimes that connection can occur in a lovely and spontaneous way. In a garden created by the very people who now get to enjoy it.
The image you see here is of a lunch that was provided to us by our client just before Christmas on our very last day of landscaping their garden in McCrae, overlooking Port Phillip Bay.
Our whole crew had been working very hard to finish this major landscaping project in time for Christmas so that the client would be able to enjoy it with their family and friends.
In appreciation of the fact we were on time, the client graciously put on this lunch for us all. It was a very special way of them saying thank you to us and was deeply appreciated by us all.
It was beautiful act of kindness and generosity that will be remembered by everyone who was there.
Like many social gatherings it elevated everyone's mood and provided one of life's joyful moments.
Gardens have a way of doing that. Creating a space for people to gather together for connection, conversation and communing.
When you have a space where you can invite your family and friends to come together to share a meal with you, you are giving them a gift that has meaning for both them and you.
Like in that movie 'Field of Dreams' - "if you build it, they will come". This is true if you create a garden where entertaining can occur.
It might be the addition of a pool, a spa, an outdoor kitchen or even a basketball ring. But whatever it is that brings people together it will be worth your while in your new garden.
How might a new garden, with these features change your life?
How art can play its part in your dream garden
One thing that sometimes gets forgotten along your path towards your dream garden is art.
Art is a very personal thing. It is a field full of many and varied opinions. There can a great deal of passion evoked in discussing art.
But art in a garden can do much to uplift, inspire and add even more beauty.
Art when applied to a garden can be described as "something added to elicit a desired emotional response that elevates our spirt to a state of admiration and appreciation".
When you think of art in a garden, you probably imagine sculptures, wall art, paintings, water features, etc all added to a garden for artistic effect. And these are true.
But when you think of the big picture, a garden can be a work of art all in itself. From the tiles you choose for your swimming pool, to the pavers you select for your deck and the plants you choose to plant, your entire garden can be a beautiful, uplifting, stunning artwork itself.
The way your designer uses shapes, contours, and contrasts. The way all the elements are laid out. The design of the garden can capture you attention and affection and just make you say "Wow, I LOVE this garden!".
One thing to keep in mind, along with the word 'art' is the word 'authentic'. This means "true to one's own personality, spirit, or character".
When you work with your designer to create a garden that is authentic to who you are, how you live your life and what is important to you, it can be, all of itself, a work of art to you.
And this ultimately is what you should keep in mind the most, as you travel towards your dream garden
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