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Furnishing Your Garden Oasis
A garden furnishing is any item that supplements its structure in both the horizontal and vertical directions. These items may be so major as to influence the whole layout of the garden. A feature like a large water feature with planted banks, or a swimming pool, or a gathering area with a fire pit or grill, needs to be planned from the beginning. This means detailed planning of the of the site and detailed planning of the services like electrical lines, gas lines and water lines that will supply it. Careful consideration of the flow from space to space should be a top priority. Also consider whether to merge spaces together or separate them as independent areas.
Other furnishings are thought of as finishing touches and are added after the garden’s major furnishings are complete. Ornaments are in this category. Some of these may be focal points, visible immediately, drawing attention to and conveying a message about the character and feel of the garden. Other furnishing may be hidden only to be discovered once you enter into a particular space in the garden. You follow a path to a new space and you find a sculpture, a sitting area, a fountain, a fire pit or a sundial. Particular plants can be a part of this type of furnishing. At certain times of the year, fall for example, you may want a plant to highlight its spectacular foliage. Such objects are not an intrinsic part of the design, but should still be considered part of the overall vision of your garden oasis. You may have to finish the surrounding structures before you can put these furnishings in place.
Furnishings, both large features and small ornaments, are the tip of a design process. What draws your attention is only the most visible part of the total space. When your eye registers the dancing flames of a fire pit, it sees the result of a long process. The fire feature is the culmination of many design decisions. Your family and guests can see that the fire feature is a warm and inviting space and located in a comfortable location. You or your garden designer decided the size of the fire features, its materials, the shape and style of the fire pit, and where exactly to position it. More planning was involved in deciding on the mechanisms needed to make it work. Finally, the ideas had to be implemented, from the initial installation of the fire feature to the first flames.
Some of the features that catch your eye as you enter a garden may be less obviously staged and entail a more casual or changeable approach. A mass of colorful plants that change with the days or the seasons are an example of this type of garden furnishing. Movable planters and pots can be arranged to accent or highlight certain plants. An arrangement of chairs around a table can be a focal point in a garden scene. The eye picks out colors, shapes and sizes that stand out from the background. Many times there is a subconscious message of invitation saying to your family and quests here is where you can come to sit, relax, eat, drink and enjoy conversation. For this reason, even casual garden furniture conveys an impression of the garden.
Fitting Objects into Your Garden Oasis Design
Planning will give you a clear idea of the kind of item your garden oasis needs. Selecting objects to suit a particular garden space is a question of scale and, without a doubt, one of taste. However, making the right decision can be a bit tricky. Some people can buy an item that works perfectly with the rest of garden, but not everyone can get it right first time. Most people would prefer to see the two elements like chairs and a fire pit together to be certain each furnishing compliments the other. Plants are particularly challenging to some. Remember to consider mature sizes of the plants you select. Maintenance of the plants is also to be considered. Working with an experienced garden designer or reputable garden center can help you make good choices. Taking photographs of the proposed area of the garden with you to the garden center can help.
For some people, it is a challenge to get the size of a garden feature or furnishing just right. If you are trying to decide how big to make a water feature, use a garden hose or stakes to layout the size and shape of the water feature. Once marked, look at its size and shape from various viewpoints and approaches. For an ornamental furnishing you could improvise a mock-up and position it in the garden to help you find the right size and scale for your garden space. If you are choosing chairs, tables, grills fire pits, or children play items, work out the dimensions of the area you have available. Make sure you allow space for people to circulate so that the furnishing can be used effectively. Also consider the vertical dimension when installing fire features and grills. You will not want to place a fire feature directly below a low hanging tree or other obstacle.
Focal Points and Contrasts
An object positioned as a visual focal point stands out from its setting. A vertical ornament such as an obelisk, a large tree, or a trellis with climbing vines soar above ground-level objects and plants and draw the eye to that focal point first. This can happen when an object, plant or furnishing is placed so the eye sees it sooner than the background. Garden designers use this concept of an object standing out when the object can be seen clearly against its background. Contrasts to achieve a focal point can be in the form of different materials, texture or chairs and fire pits, texture of different plants, winding or straight paths, shape of plants and, of course, color.
When the background of a garden space is composed of natural materials, whether it is a wood or stone fence or plants, almost any man-made furnishing makes a contrast. In the garden, light colored plants enhanced by smooth textures stand out most conspicuously against the opposite type of foliage. A marble statue, a bright red Adirondack chair or Cor-ten steel fire pit commands your eye’s attention. Sometimes this stark contrast enhances the space and magnifies the focal point. Even if you choose colors and materials that are closer to naturally occurring ones, the objects will still stand out because of their firm lines. When combining the firm lines of a piece of furniture or fire pit, picking background plants with smooth, free flowing texture helps highlight the focal point.
Creating the Perfect Picture in Your Garden Oasis
Whether you prefer formal or informal, the rule is to plan your garden oasis as a collection of individual pictures or spaces, each space with a focal point. For example, when you have a collection of different-sized individual items such as clay pots or modern planter boxes, group them so that when first seen they impress the eye as an entity rather than as a distracting collection of scattered objects. Although at times distracting, grouping planters of different sizes and different foliage can create a unique visual appeal. When you have a more formal modern layout, lining a path or wall with similar sized planter boxes with similar foliage creates a visual wall and guides the eye toward the true focal point to be framed.
You can use visual tricks such as framing devices to present your garden features. Start with the entrance to your garden oasis. When you open the door onto the patio, what do you see first? Then ask, what do you want your guests to see first? Framing the key focal point is the trick. Lighting a specific focal point will draw your eye’s attention to that object. Lining the pathway out to your spaces in your garden with down lights help the eye follow the path to the key focal point. Another method of framing is to isolate a key ornament from its surroundings. Raising that ornament above the surrounding foliage at times works. Preserve that ornament’s star status by making sure nothing in the periphery competes for attention. Dramatic up lighting can achieve the ornament’s star status. The down lighting leads the eye down the path to the up lit furnishing.
Framing can be accomplished with sight lines. Imagine a long, straight set of sight lines that center on the main feature. Many large, formal gardens use perspective in this manner. The straight lines draw your eye along the lines to the center feature. Many formal garden use highly manicured foliage with stark sculpture and furnishing. The stark, straight lines convey a sense of formality in both foliage and pathways. If the style and layout of your garden oasis is more informal, artfully curved and natural lines guide your gaze more gradually. Natural lines of plants with free flowing textures indicate the direction the eye should follow and will guide you to the focal point.
About the Author
Curt Roland is the President and Chief Product Designer at bentintoshape.net
Curt has over 20 years of product, manufacturing and landscape design experience.
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Clay Center Charleston WV 2008