Nothing is more monotonous than a flat garden where the eye can't grab onto anything special except a few trees planted here and there on a vast lawn. Learn how to give relief to your garden in order to give it a very personal charm and to create a unique atmosphere.
The essential features to create relief
In a garden, there are simple techniques to give relief based on arrangements that will break the visual monotony of the whole and why not create some surprises!
The higher parts will be used to have an overall view of the garden while the lower ones will constitute a more intimate, more secret zone.
Stairs made of materials that give character, such as old railroad ties, red bricks or slates, wooden terraces, pontoons, Japanese steps leading to a specific point, mounds, embankments, rock gardens help to give life to a garden and to create well-defined spaces.
How to give relief to the garden?
If the ground is hopelessly flat, the solution is to remove at least 20 centimeters of soil to create levels.
With the soil removed, you can create mounds, beds and rock gardens to install specific plants that will add to the relief of the whole.
It is also possible to dig a pond in the farthest part of the house. This one will attract the eye on the varied fauna that will inevitably settle there.
A curved Japanese walkway can lead to the pond, providing an additional aesthetic appeal. If the pond is large enough, a pontoon or a footbridge can also be used to create a certain relief, even a perspective effect.
With the earth extracted from the hole to dig the pond, you can also create flowerbeds and other features that will make your eyes rest.
Another solution if you wish to avoid all earthworks: the creation of a garden in movement. Some shrubs lend themselves perfectly to being pruned in clouds, in waves, to create a veritable sea of plants. Rhododendrons, camellias or Japanese maples will bring color to the garden, creating a soft and Japanese atmosphere. Play on the movement of the paths by using curved lines and avoid straight lines.
How can you talk about a garden in motion without mentioning grasses? These plants of various sizes and shapes play with the light and undulate at the slightest breeze. A good way to create relief is to plant tall species such as Pampas grass or Cane of Provence in one area of the garden and alternate with smaller species such as Pennisetum.
Blue fescues, less moving, will bring a very graphic touch to the garden, they are wonderful on a white or black pebble mulch.
Playing with minerals is also a very good way to give relief to the garden: textures, shades, shapes can create very interesting contrasts in terms of tones but also heights. Think about it!
