Outdoor LED Lighting Garden Design Ideas
These can be anything from a small, ornate gazebo to an attractive pot turned on its side surrounded by decorative cobbles. Features can cost as little or as much as you want. If you're on a tight budget, have a look around and see if you've anything lying around that could be painted and put in the garden, like an old chair painted a bright magenta or a flower pot painted azure blue. The limit is only your imagination, not your purse strings. The positioning of focal points is important. As we discussed earlier, they work best if they are at the end of natural viewpoints that line up from your main windows or patio doors. Even stunning planting schemes are enhanced with the use of a focal point. Just having something solid for your eyes to focus on helps bring clarity as well as creating a point of interest. The patterns you create with your paving can also create lots of interest. Like we said earlier, choose smaller size paving materials to make the area look and feel larger. Mixing materials together to create a pattern is also very effective. When it comes to hard landscaping materials, I try not to use more than three different types. By limiting your choices you'll create much more clarity which is important to when it comes to keeping things simple. Creating Interest by Mixing Materials You can make a paved area more interesting by mixing up the materials you use. For example, by using a brick that is similar to your house brick around the edge of the patio can look really nice and helps tie in the patio to the rest of your property. When combining different materials, make sure you don’t overdo it, otherwise the result might be very fussy.
As a guide, use no more than three different materials. This mix of three can be any type of surface you can comfortably walk on; it doesn’t have to be limited to paving. You can mix paving with gravel areas, decking, pebbles pressed in concrete, brick pavers, tiles on edge, mosaics and anything else you can think of that's weather proof. Paving Patterns The way you put the paving together will have a big impact on the final look of the garden. If you want to create a traditional, old style patio, then laying lots of different sized paving slabs in a random bond will create that look. If you prefer a more modern look, then between one to three sizes of paving laid in a geometric pattern will do the trick. The following paving examples give ideas on how you can mix certain paving types to create different looks to suit different garden styles. Traditional Paving Pattern Example Ideas: Random paving in this small, formal courtyard garden with old slate tile feature segment Modern Paving Pattern Example: Mixing different sized paving in sections can also be a very effective way to create interest and lead the eye to different parts of the garden. Adding a Feature Section Incorporating a small section of paving in a small garden draws the eye, breaking up the area and adding interest to your garden. This feature section of your patio could contain pebbles pressed into concrete, tiles on edge, shells, a mosaic. Your choice of combinations can be anything you can think of that’s practical.
Try to line up this feature section with the center of your patio, or at least have it line up with a key view point, so that, visually, it makes sense for the feature to be there. Avoid having it anywhere you are likely to want to put furniture, otherwise you’re not going to be able to see it properly and it will lose the impact. Built-In Planters It doesn't just have to be seating that is built into your patio. Raised planting borders can also look very attractive, and can double up as seating sometimes, too. Just as with the raised seating, the planting borders can be made out of timber, brick or rendered block work. The planters will need to be lined with either a special paint or liner so that the soil doesn't come through and stain the outside of the planter. When you are drawing the planter onto your plan, make sure that you draw both the external walls and the internal walls on your plan. This will enable you to see that you've definitely left enough room for the soil and plants before you start building it. It's very easy to think you've got your planters wide enough and then find that they actually have very little room for the plants. You don’t have to have built-in planters, of course. Plants in large pots and tubs can also look very effective in helping to create additional interest, color and variety on your patio. Water Features Having water incorporated into your garden can be exciting and dynamic, or it can create tranquility and relaxation. If the water feature is close to where you sit, it’s better that it relaxes, otherwise you'll constantly be wanting to go to the bathroom! When positioning the water feature, try to line it up with one of your main viewing points, either from the house or from the patio itself, so that it becomes a focal point. The water feature can be a built-in one, made from walling or rendered blocks with a waterproof lining. The wall around the water can also be used as additional seating if the wall height is not too high.
Having planting close to the water feature can also
look really good. So think about using plants to tie in your water feature to
the rest of the patio and garden. You can purchase stand-alone water feature
kits, too. Some of them require a reservoir of water to be below ground/patio
level, so factor this in before you buy them. Whatever type of water feature you
choose, do consider safety as regards the size, location and style of feature
you install. Lighting Your Garden The addition of small LED and solar lights in
your garden can create a truly magical effect in the evening. They are
relatively easy to install, and lighting these days is much more energy-
efficient than it used to be. It's a really good idea to light up any steps or
changes in level. Lighting can be very effective if it is positioned in the
base of planters or raised seating, throwing a shaft of light across the
paving. Think about lighting any feature plants and trees that you have, either
on the patio or close to it. If you're on a tight budget, a well-positioned
security light with a few LED lights can be really effective and relatively
inexpensive.
