water feature

Long garden ideas: 10 rules for a long, narrow plot

These long garden ideas will help you turn a narrow outdoor space into a ‘garden room’ you will love. 

If you have, or have ever had, a long, narrow garden, then you’ll be more than aware of the tricky task of finding small garden ideas that make it look wider than it actually is, while desperately trying to ensure every corner looks pretty yet functional. 

You’ve probably spent hours rearranging garden furniture and trimming back hedges in a frenzied attempt to make your narrow garden space look more square, but in the back of your mind you know that, unless

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Create a garden for all five senses |

Let us show you how to plant yourself happy with sensory garden ideas that will stimulate all the senses.

Sensory gardens are intimate outdoor spaces filled with enticing sounds, scents and textures, designed to delight. All gardens provide sensory experiences, but garden ideas with sensory at their heart will have a concentration of different elements that stimulate the five basic senses of sight, sound, touch, smell and taste. 

These gardens are sometimes stimulating, sometimes calming, and offer tangible, visceral experiences that can evoke emotions and aid relaxation.

While sensory garden plants are for everyone, they are particularly beneficial to children,

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12 design and planting tips |

With laid-back, alfresco living at their heart, Mediterranean garden ideas are all about spending time outside with friends and family, soaking up the beautiful surroundings, and recreating the feel of sunnier climes.

From the sleek and stylish gardens of Italy’s Amalfi coast, to the natural, rustic appeal of French farmhouse plots, Mediterranean gardens are brimming with garden ideas to borrow and recreate in your own home garden. 

Mediterranean garden ideas – where to start

Evoking the feel of Mediterranean garden ideas has a lot to do with the choice of planting, but the materials used for landscaping are also important

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Japanese garden ideas: 11 design tips for a zen backyard

Japanese garden ideas are works of art. 

Immaculate, serene and perfectly poised, these gardens have often taken a lifetime of study and devotion to produce.

And we may not have much time in our own lives to put aside for learning the gentle art of cloud pruning, intricate gravel maintenance or Kanso (the Japanese equivalent of Feng Shui).

But we can take inspiration from these life-affirming garden ideas to bring a little magic, reflection and quiet contemplation to our own outdoor spaces. 

Japanese Garden Ideas

1. Introduce water into a Japanese style garden

A lake surrounded by plants and trees next to a traditional brick house

(Image credit: Future / Mark Bolton )

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Water feature ideas: 11 ways to add water to any backyard

Adding water feature ideas to your garden design will allow you to boost to the sensory experience of your backyard, altering the mood and feeling, or bringing life and movement to even the smallest outdoor space. 

A fountain or cascade can be energizing and create drama, while the still, reflective surface of a pond, or gentle flow of water in a rill or stream, can provide a meditative and soothing experience. 

Water features offer the opportunity to add an interesting array of aquatic and marginal plants and increase the biodiversity for wildlife. 

Water feature ideas can also act as a

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Contemporary Garden Design Ideas | Airtasker US

More and more people are getting into gardening these days, and who can blame them? Gardening as a hobby lets us get more vitamin D and helps with our mental and emotional wellbeing. It’s also a form of exercise and can be a bonding activity between loved ones. There’s no better time to start one than right now.

We’re all familiar with traditional gardens: they are awesome spaces to stay in and perhaps remind us of our childhood homes. But if you want to create something slightly different – specifically contemporary garden designs – you’ve come to the right place! 

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34 Patio ideas for a stylish outdoor living space

Make the most of your outdoor space by turning your patio ideas into a special focal point within your garden. Whatever your garden shape or size a patio makes it easy for your garden ideas to shine with little maintenance required. From porcelain to concrete there are a variety of materials to choose from.

‘Your patio is the social centre of your garden so it’s essential to design it perfectly. You don’t want it to dominate your garden and overshadow your greenery, but at the same time, it shouldn’t be too small to be unfit for purpose. We advise that

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Casual Gardener: Less is more in a Japandi garden

Japandi merges the best of Japanese minimalism with Scandinavian cosiness…

IN some way it must be down to globalisation but I still can’t get my around Japandi, a minimalist style that takes its inspiration from both Japan and Scandinavia – locations separated by a mere 5,000 miles. The philosophy behind Japandi, according to one of its advocates, is an “appreciation for simplicity, traditional craftsmanship, and a respect for natural and enduring materials”. By all accounts it has taken the world of interior design by storm and many of its principles are being adopted in outdoor spaces too, where it’s said

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