Garden Rooms -- An Extension of Your Home (Part One)

We've all seen them in Better Homes & Garden, Fine Gardening, Arboretums, Garden Tours -- "Garden Rooms."  If creating a garden space seems complex, we can simplify it by examining the landscape and considering it as an extension of your indoor living space.  Evaluate your landscape as if it is a room in your home. Outdoor garden areas aren’t complicated to create as long as you follow a few basic guidelines.  If you consider these guidelines,  you'll be well on your way to visualizing your own space.  

Big or small....reflective or public....all share these basic elements of design: 

• Sun & Shade
• Soil
• Water Drainage
• Views
• Sound
• Number of People
• Flow
• Look Up
• Creativity

​Before you purchase anything for your outdoor space, step back and assess your site and your needs.  A summary of these will serve as your touchstone. As you plan your garden room, continue to revisit the answers to the questions below to ensure you are headed down the right path.  This will save you from disappointment, as well as wasted time and money.

SHADY

SUN & SHADOWS  
Where are the sunny areas, shady areas?  This helps to determine your ceiling and your plant material.  You may want to enjoy the summer sunrise, but not the hot, baking summer sun at dinnertime.

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SUNNY

SOIL 
If you want a screening hedge, flower bed, or vegetable garden look at the soil.  Is  it wet, dry, compact?  Go to your extension office and acquire a soil sample kit.  This inexpensive and informative test gives valuable information about how to amend soil for your planting needs.


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WATER DRAINAGE 
Water drainage:  Make sure all changes in the landscape direct water AWAY from your house.  Naturally wet areas or places with natural springs are not an optimal place for patios and fire pits.  Always address any drainage problems as part of your process.



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FRAMED VIEW

EYE SORE

VIEWS
Take two view inventories.  Views from within and outside your garden, and also the views inside your home looking out..  What views do you like? Which views do you want to change?  What do you see from your kitchen sink? The answer to these questions will help you situate bird feeders & baths, furniture, plantings, and focal points.  Do you need to screen an eye sore, or a neighbor’s view into your eating area or into your bedroom?  If you are inside during the winter months, what are your views?  How will furniture on a deck or patio affect your views?   

BORROWED VIEW

SOUND
Sound can be positive or negative.  Are surrounding properties or roads creating noise?  You may benefit from a small water fountain to create white noise, a screening hedge to absorb sound, or outdoor speakers to pipe in your favorite music.  Have you thought about the sound under your feet?  Gravel garden paths offer a pleasant feel and sound as you stroll, whereas mulch is quiet.

INTIMATE DINING FOR TWO

FEEDING A CROWD

WHAT & HOW MANY?
How many people will you want to entertain? Just the two of you? Or do you have large family events in the near future –like baptisms, confirmations, graduations, holiday cookouts? Do family members have mobility issues?

FLOW
How do you move through your space?  How will you get from your door to the grill  or from the grill to the table? If your grill is currently up or down steps and you’d like to change it’s location, now is the time. How fast do you want to move through the space?  Will people walk side by side or one at a time?  For example, the path to and from your grill, may have a more even solid surface, where as a garden path slows one’s pace with stepping stones.

Encourages guests to walk
​side by side to back yard.

Causes slower pace as transition
​from patio to grass.

Encourages a slow stroll through the garden.

LOOK UP
 Are there power lines? Neighbors that look down on your property? Do your trees “litter” by dropping sharp seed pods or sticky goo?  These factors impact the placement and maximum height of the trees you plant, pergolas, awnings, and umbrellas as well as seating areas.

CREATIVITY
 Even small front yards can be made into a small sanctuary with careful thought and planning.  Your garden room should reflect your personality.  In addition to plant material, select furniture, lighting, and accessories that suit your unique taste .

The thought and planning you invest in designing your garden room will pay you dividends for years to come.  In Part Two, we narrow the focus to concentrate on selecting the most appropriate materials to suit your individual needs.  At the end of the day, you’ll get the most use of your garden room if you make all the parts of the space work for you!

Check back in two weeks for part two.