By HILARY JOHNSON
Small Landscape Design for Urban Dwellers
Urban living is often associated with high-rise buildings, fast-pace life, noise and pollution, stress, and limited yard space spaces. And the only opportunity to get a glimpse of the colors of nature is either at the park, which is often congested, or out of town, which is often impossible.
However, this doesn’t mean that you are stuck for life. There is one thing you can do in order to ensure that you get a beautiful sight right at your limited properly: urban landscape design.
First things first: having a small yard in the city to put up your landscape design does not mean that you will not achieve the proper design elements. The fact is, whether large or small, the size of the yard will never hinder you from fulfilling the objectives you have set for your urban landscape project. You just have to remember this: you need to plan carefully your landscape design.
Taking time to plan is the key to any successful project. From the design, plants you will use, materials you will incorporate should be studied. This, however, is not an overwhelming task.
One key element to the success of an urban landscape design is sticking with what is realistic. You cannot place a big fountain, an ambitious pond, a boulder or a rock in the middle of your 100 square-feet yard.
This will only overwhelm everything that you have put around your available space. Your limited space should be maximized in such a way that every landscape element you will put will blend together harmoniously.
When we say harmoniously, we speak of unity; all the components in the design should go together as one and must express consistency and style.
Another factor you must consider is the way you build. For a garden of a suburban home, the owner can afford to build outward. But for a limited space of an urban home, the style of building should be upward. One way of building up is by using raised flower beds. To maximize the space on your terrace, you can utilize container gardening.
Playing with color is very important when you want to create an illusion of largeness to you limited garden space. Color gives a different perception or an effect to the way the garden will appear on the eyes. Cool colors such as greens and blues can actually make the small space look larger. Alberta pine and blue spruce are good examples of plants that can be placed on a small landscape design.
We mentioned earlier that big fountains and ambitious ponds are out. But it does not mean that you cannot put water element on you urban landscape design. If water is really what you want, try to use a birdbath.
It may not be as elegant as a pond or a fountain, but it will still be a good focal point to your limited landscape design. After all, a small water element carries a relatively cheaper price tag, not to mention low-cost maintenance.
Another landscape design element you should not rule out is the rock. A small rock garden that is proportioned to the area of your property will make an attractive focal point to your landscape design.
A small yard will not hinder anyone to make a big change in your property. Take note of the things mentioned above and start your urban landscape design now!