Text: Loren Shirley-Carr. Photographs: Loren Shirley-Carr and Supplied. Article from the April 2012 issue of Garden and Home Magazine.
From arbours to archways, structures make a statement year-round and will give your outdoor space that designer landscaped look.
1. On reflection
A terrace adjoining your swimming pool not only provides a cool spot in which to entertain or enjoy a sundowner, but is a great place to relax while watching your children swim. It also transforms the swimming pool into an attractive focal feature; make sure the materials you use harmonise with your garden’s style and that the design of the terrace reflects the lines of the pool, like the balanced proportions of the one in this garden designed by Mia Marsay of Over the Garden Wall.
2. Sitting pretty
An elaborate metal gazebo makes a charming focal point in this English-style garden designed by Karen Gardelli. Softened with climbing roses, it is set on a floor of paving (interplanted with Mazus reptans) that reflects its circular shape.
3. On the east side
This archway reinforces the oriental theme of the garden at Gardens in Wonderland in Jo’burg. A sleeper pathway interplanted with M. reptans leads through the arch which frames a view of a Zen gravel garden at the end of the pathway. It’s always a good idea to create an area of interest, visible through the arch, in order to draw people into the garden to explore.
4. End of an area
Developing different themes in your garden provides interest and allows you to indulge in a few different styles within one space. To do this, you need to create a visual barrier between each area and a decorative fence or gate is just the thing.
Consider natural wood for a Mediterranean-style design, as in this garden designed by Neville Orsmond of Engender Landscapes, or white picket fencing for cottage or prairie gardens, bamboo for oriental gardens or woven wattle for indigenous gardens.
5. Stylish storage
A garden shed is ideal for storing garden tools, lawnmowers and bags of compost, but it needn’t look ugly from the outside. A pretty design and a coat of paint in a colour that harmonises with the surrounding garden can turn it into an attractive feature. Place it in a corner and create a path framed with abundant plantings, leading to the door. Garden designed by Neville Orsmond of Engender Landscapes.
6. Fair and square
For today’s cluster garden, a more contemporary approach is often needed. This metal gazebo in a garden designed by Craig de Necker of The Friendly Plant suits the clean, modern lines of the home; its shape is also reflected in the square bed and formal water feature below. The height of the gazebo detracts from the boundary wall and neighbouring house. For a minimalist look, it was left unadorned.
7. Hide and chic
A great alternative to a patio, a summer house, like the one in this garden designed by Wendy Phillips of Makhutala Landscaping, provides a cool escape during summer. Ensure that the design of the structure fits in with the theme of your garden and matches your house in terms of style and materials used.
8. Seating arrangements
An arbour fulfils many requirements in a garden; it provides a pretty spot to sit, creates an arch for climbers to wind up, acts as a focal point and can even be used to disguise boundary walls. Position your arbour against a wall looking onto a pretty section of your garden and plant climbers on either side which will provide shade as they mature. Try star jasmine, as in this garden designed by Engender Landscapes, petrea, clematis or a climbing rose such as ‘Clair Matin’ or ‘Golden Arch’.
9. Outdoor production
A pergola is a line of horizontal beams supported by pillars, usually with a path beneath it and climbers clambering over it. Spring-flowering wisteria is a good choice, but you could also use petrea, wild jasmine, climbing roses or bougainvillea. A pergola can be used to direct traffic to an entrance or a certain spot in the garden and is particularly effective when it leads you towards a focal point such as a fountain or statue at the other end.
10. Making an entrance
An archway is a great way to divide your garden into separate ‘rooms’. It entices the visitor to explore further and wander through to the other side in search of new vistas, creating a sense of anticipation by preventing the entire garden from being seen all at once. A timber arch beautifully draped in climbers like this Rosa ‘Charmaine’ also adds vertical interest.
Sources
Engender Landscapes 082 412 1724
Gardens in Wonderland 011 782 3472
Karen Gardelli 082 745 2891
Makhutala Landscaping 083 264 1555
Over the Garden Wall 012 664 4192
The Friendly Plant 082 805 0910
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