Ideas 4 You

If at all youre planning a Landscape Design project there are plenty of factors that you would need to keep in mind and come to a final decision only after you make sure that the Design in your hands is the best that you could come up with.

Landscape Design Tips The following Tips would surely help you execute your plan well and even more, you would be able to make the right decisions and hence have a beautiful Landscape Garden in your front or backyard.

Does the Design blend with your home?

You need to make sure that the Landscape Design that youve come up with or the Design that youre Landscape Designers came up with are compatible with your home in a sense that it shouldnt stand out and at the same time it should be noticeable.

The colours and shapes that you pick need to go hand in hand. Dont try and pick everything that you could possibly place in your Garden as this would make it seem more like a jungle.

Uniformity in the plants as well

When planning your Garden, you need to make sure that you pick your plants well. See to it that youre Garden doesnt look like a rainbow. Pick your colours and plant plants with leaves and flowers of that particular colour in beds or any other Design that you think would look good.

Do you want to place benches?

If youre planning on walking in your Garden in the evenings and spending time there, you should probably thing of adding a few park benches as well. This would be a great place to spend your evenings after work.

If youve got kids at home make sure that you create a sought of play area too. Usually you wouldnt want them playing and threading on your lawns, so why not create a special spot just for them?

Repetition is good, too much however is bad

Its good to repeat certain Designs through your Garden as this would make it look better and people would notice the Designs. However, if you repeat too much it wouldnt look good. Therefore, every aspect of your Garden should strike a balance if you want it to look beautiful.

Labyrinths have become popular in the design of landscapes in recent modern times.  The history of labyrinth goes back thousands of years as a symbol of salvation and enlightenment.  It is a one way path leading to the center and back again where one can find solitude and peace within.  It is a place for prayer.    As a landscape designer I had the opportunity to design a prayer garden for a local church and it was one of  the most enjoyable and fulfilling projects I have  ever done.  Here is the story of the labyrinth.

I was approached back in 2010 to design a memorial prayer garden where parishioners could go to meditate and pray and enjoy the beauty of nature all in one place.  At the start of the project, I encountered an empty slate of lawn area with a gazebo in the center surrounded by a group of walkways.  The area ended up being the perfect fit for a 30 foot round labyrinth and the gazebo was able to be reused as an additional sitting area on the left corner.   I also felt it was important that the design included benches for guests who would prefer to have a place to rest and partake in prayer.  Once the design was completed it was time to build the labyrinth.  The structure modeled after the Labyrinth of the Cathedral of Chartres in France was constructed out of grey and charcoal Euro circle pavers with sections of different colored stone as areas of accent along the perimeter.  Bluestone treads were placed from the entrance of the labyrinth to the surrounding walkways that were able to stay intact.

Memorialized seat walls and bricks were added to the the labyrinth for visitors to visit, meditate or pray.  Gardens of colorful, fragrant and drought tolerant shrubs and perennials such as viburnum and lavender will  surround the labyrinth on all sides.

The story of the labyrinth traces back to history thousands of years ago.  The sacred geometry of the labyrinth focuses on the numbers four, seven and twelve, each emerging from separate paths.  The central portion of the labyrinth represents a cross surrounded by four sections representing the four gospels and seven is the number of 180 turns there are in each quarter of the labyrinth, also representing the seven liberal arts of medieval education.  Twelve is the number of paths going to the center of the labyrinth representing the twelve month calendar.  As one walks the labyrinth it is meant to be the path of life...a journey to the center of oneself and back out into the world.  Walking into the center of the labyrinth is a symbol for realization and "letting go". Time in the center symbolizes clarity, insight and illumination. Finally, the journey out symbolizes union, initiative and taking control of ones life.  The labyrinth in all is a metaphor for "lifes journey".

It has been such a wonderful experience being involved in such a project and seeing the results go from a drafted design to the completed project has been very rewarding.  One can say the whole experience has been both spiritual and enlightening and I know the labyrinth will bring fulfillment to the lives of all those who encounter it.  I know it has certainly brought fulfillment to mine.


Author: Lee@A Guide To Northeastern Gardening Copyright 2011. All Rights Reserved.

Lower Gardens Near Entrance



Phormium from Red Garden



At Top, Site of Future Visitors Center

I took some quick snapshots today of the Humboldt Botanical Garden.  The hardscape is exceptional.  The garden is an impressive addition to Humboldt County and I am thankful it exists, thankful also that my art class is just next door.  A lot can be gleaned from a stroll through the garden, many of the plants were selected based on design requirements and local hardiness, making them good choices for local residential gardens and commercial landscapes.  Ive been at the garden several times over the past few years, once, artists had installed art and sculpture the garden, transforming the garden into an art gallery.  Further up and into the garden, there is a landscape, literally, a sculpted mound referred to as a ziggurat and a labyrinth, that is pretty incredible.  The piece is called All Happy Now and was designed by Peter Santino.  On the day of the art in the garden party there was a band playing and beer pouring about the ziggurat, it was really enjoyable.





Very zen gravel path



Sun Valley Group Greenhouse

Garfield Park Conservatory


The greenhouse reminds me of Frosty the Snowman and the greenhouse where Frosty melts.  Which makes me think, this greenhouse could be decked out at Christmastime and serve as an enchanted place for kids to visit Santa.

Headwaters Fund Native Plant Walk

Below are a few photographs from the Lost Coast Brewery Native Plant Garden.  Lost Coast Brewery is consistent supporter of the botanical garden and is usually present in kind at most garden fundraisers and events.

Dormant, Native Spice Bush Calycanthus occidentalis

Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi

Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi

Coastal Strawberry Fragaria chiloensis

Coast Silk Tassel Garrya elliptica



Rose Garden

There are plenty of opportunities to learn about plants through the HBGF Education Series.  Plant Identification, Part 1 will take place at the garden Thursday, February 24th.  Geology of the Humboldt Botanical Garden on March 17th.



A Garden with Many Vistas and Views



A Simple Yet Contemporary Deer Fence

Contemporary Gate Latch Love It!

Visit Humboldt Botanical Gardens