Courtyard Gardens

by Malcolm Kay

With an increasing tendency for empty nesters, young couples and singles towards higher density inner city living, and the desire to spend minimal time on maintaining gardens or other outdoor spaces, most new apartments, townhouses and condominiums tend to have only pocket sized backyards, courtyards or balconies. So it becomes particularly important to make the most of such limited areas by landscaping and utilizing the space in the best possible way.

But you don’t have to be a professional landscape architect to create an inviting courtyard space - you just have to follow a few basic design principles. Whilst you can’t physically increase the size of a small garden, you can certainly employ a few visual tricks to create the illusion of space.

One important way of doing this is to create a thematic link between the indoor and outdoor areas. Linking the backyard or courtyard to the family room or kitchen, breaks down the division between inside and outside, making the total area appear larger. To establish this link, try to use paving materials that are similar to those used in the house. If you have a tiled area inside, consider extending the same or similar tiles outside. If you have a solid wood or wood laminate floor, one simple solution is to lay interlocking wood deck tiles on the external patio or courtyard (see for example www.ezydeck.net). Although such tiles are best laid over a concrete pad, they can also be laid over a level and well compacted gravel surface. And they can be moved and re-laid at will should you decide to change the design of your outdoor space at any time.

Light colors in the paving and on the courtyard walls will also create an impression of space, so lighter colored tiles would generally be preferable in small spaces.

In confined spaces, more space should be devoted to sitting & walking areas than to plants which should be placed in wide, raided beds. Deck tiles could be used as stepping stones along a pathway interspersed with gravel or stones and bordered by plantings. Don’t overdo the garden art. One sculpture or water feature is more than enough.

Clan simple lines are generally better in small situations rather than a busy appearance and a formal look is usually more suitable than an informal look. Several large pots or planter boxes will look less cluttered than numerous small ones.

Avoid using flowers with strong red, yellow or orange colours as they tend to advance towards you. Blues, purples and grays are preferable because they are not dominating. And make sure plants are selected for all round appeal and not just for a brief burst of colour for a few weeks, but dull for the rest of the year.

With a bit of planning, even the smallest of areas can be made to look larger than you may think.

Author

Malcolm Kay is the CEO of Intex Pacific Pty. Ltd. an exporter of landscape materials including modular decking tiles. For further information see www.ezydeck.net

Gardening News

'Guerilla Gardening' Digs L.A.
LAist - 0 KB- Found: 5 hours ago
Guerilla gardening is largely thought to have its roots in England, where folks have long planted unexpected gardens in neglected public spaces as a sort of call to action that highlights the misuse of land and repurposes it into something beautiful. They often work in crews or teams and go on carefully-planned gardening missions. Recently a local team of guerilla gardeners transformed a ...

Central Texas gardening workshops, seminars offer tips, advice
Austin American-Statesman - 0 KB- Found: 11 hours ago
Round Rock Community Garden Club 9:15 a.m. Monday . Judy Barrett lectures on 'Ecological Gardening Rain Barrels, Compost Bins, Potting Soil and More.' Baca Center, 301 W. Bagdad Ave., Building 2, Round Rock. Free. 218-5499.

Gardening Gift Guide
Carteret County News-Times - 0 KB- Found: 15 hours ago
(ARA) - Whether you have a few plants at your desk, a container garden on your deck, or a full-fledged garden in your backyard, gardening is enjoyed on many different levels.

Free UT event is a buffet of summer gardening activities
Memphis Commercial Appeal - 0 KB- Found: 20 hours ago
If you want to see plants thriving in the summer sun and learn about gardening throughout the seasons, you can join hundreds of like-minded people on July 10 at the 19th annual Summer Celebration at the University of Tennessee's West Tennessee Research & Education Center in Jackson.

Vegetable gardening with my Three Sisters
Grand Bend Strip - 0 KB- Found: 2008-07-04, 01:03 GMT
Vegetable gardening, though not for everyone, can be a very therapeutic endeavour. Planting the seeds, harvesting, and then being able to enjoy the resulting food on your plate is rewarding in itself. Then there is the physical health benefit of the exercise and fresh air.

Event marks 25 years of master gardening
Corvallis Gazette-Times - 0 KB- Found: 22 hours ago
The Oregon Master Gardener Association and OSU Extension Service have organized the 25th annual Gardeners Mini-College, scheduled for July 24 through 26. This years event agenda includes featured talks on rain gardens, gardening with native plants, backyard bees and alternatives to pesticides. Forums on spiders in the garden, winter vegetable gardening and the worldwide legacy of Clematis also ...

Gardening: Reader offers and competitons
Daily Telegraph - 0 KB- Found: 2008-07-04, 00:12 GMT
Gardening offers for Telegraph readers.

Free gardening classes
The Sacramento Bee - 0 KB- Found: 2008-07-03, 08:35 GMT
The UC Cooperative Extension master gardeners of El Dorado County offer a class on organic gardening methods from 9 a.m. to noon July 12 at the Agricultural Extension Building, 311 Fair Lane, Placerville. A class on summer pruning will be held from 9 a.m. to noon July 26. An additional class, "In Love with Lavender," will be held from 9 a.m. to noon July 19 at the El Dorado County Main Library, ...

Green gardening has its advantages
The West Frankfort Daily American - 0 KB- Found: 6 hours ago
Going green. Its a motto and way of life thats gained quite a bit of popularity lately, expanding beyond its original base of environmentalists and spilling over into the everyday lives of many Americans.

Local Gardening Events
The Lakeland Ledger - 0 KB- Found: 14 hours ago
GARDEN LECTURE SERIES LakelandSponsored by Lakeland Beautification Board and the city of Lakeland Parks & Recreation Department. John King will speak on "Butterflies & Birds."WHEN: 6:30-7:30 p.m. MondayLOCATION: Lakeland Public Library, 100 Lake Morton DriveconservationWORKSHOP ChampionsGate

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 next

Robo Directory - The Best Web Directory Online