I love wildlife in the garden! We get quite a lot of birds, butterflies, bees and occasionally a mouse and a toad. Since the garden is small and can’t fit that many things at once I usually swap the bee boxes for bird feeder in the fall.
This year I’ve got this giant bird feeder from Wildlife garden. I hope to pack it full so it will last more than a few days before I need to go out and refill it.
The serviceberry glows in the morning sun. It has just begun to turn color and the orange and red leaves are looking beautiful.
We planted this tree in early spring. It’s still quite small but has already given us a taste what it will bring in terms of year-round interest: pretty white blooms in spring, red berries in the summer and gorgeous colors in the fall.
It can grow in sun to part shade. I did read that it needs full sun to get the prettiest fall colors. However, mine get only 6h sun a day and it doing just fine.
At the end of my garden is a green boxwood hedge. The green color of the hedge is similar to the color of the large trees in the background. They blend together so well that if you look quickly, it almost looks like they are the same. The hedge adds an impression that these huge trees are part of the garden – making the garden appear much bigger.
Behind the boxwood hedge is a small road that the hedge hides so neatly. All you see from the garden are the gorgeous trees.
In a few weeks the foliage of this Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) will turn deep, dark red. It will look even more dramatic than it already does against the black trellis. This is one gorgeous and tough climber.
I planted the Virginia Creeper just a few months ago and it has grown like crazy, despite half bad conditions. It’s in a shady and dry spot where other plants have died. This one doesn’t seem to mind at all.
The Virginia Creeper can take full sun to shade and pretty much any type of soil.
Hydrangea ’Limelight’ really glows, especially during dusk. The blooms shine even more when planted against a dark boxwood hedge. There, they create the most beautiful focal point.
Small gardens in particular need something that directs the eye to the furthest part of the garden: a strong focal point that adds depth. It could be a tree, or a shrub. Or perhaps some furniture, a pretty container, or some other garden decoration.
Here are a few things you should think about when choosing a focal point for a small garden.
The longest line in your garden is on the diagonal. Take advantage of it by placing you main garden path on the diagonal, making it as long as possible. A long path will make the whole garden appear bigger.
To trick the eye even more we’ve made the end of the path slightly narrower. Point A is only 65 cm (25 inch) wide while point B is 70cm (27 inch) wide. This adds to the perception of perspective making point A seem further away than it actually is when viewed from point B.
The main path in my garden is a wooden boardwalk but the idea of a diagonal path works with any any material.
Stora planteringslådor i en liten trädgård gör att helheten upplevs som större. Det kan verka kontraintuitivt att placera stora saker på en redan begränsad yta. Kommer det kännas trång? Svaret är nej, faktum är att stora element i en liten trädgård gör att helheten upplevs som större.
I min trädgård har jag byggt in stora upphöjda planteringslådor. De ger ögat något att fästa vid och fungera lite som en ankare i trädgården. Eftersom jag dessutom har valt att planterat större växter med enhetlighet i färgerna i lådorna upplevs de än mer som ett enda stort element. Det i sig ger ett lugnt. Motsatsen hade varit många mindre krukor eller dekorationer som hade gett ett mer rörigt intryck. Dessutom använder jag lådan för att markera tomtgränsen och ge insynsskydd ut mot gången utanför.
Här är den stora upphöjda planteringslådan.
Äntligen har vi fått till en pergola makeover! Detta var den sista stökiga delen av trädgården så det känns minst sagt skönt att ha det färdigt.
Vi målade, bytte tak och lade gråmelerad gårdssingel med trampstenar i oregelbunden skiffer. Eftersom även rundad gårdssingel kan sticka lite i fötterna är trampstenar himla trevligt.
Färgen blev svart på insidan och ljusgrå på insidan. Min tanke är att hålla insidan ljus för att den ska kännas större och mer välkomnande. Samtidigt så smälter den in i omgivningen med en mörk färg. Man kan tänka lite på det som en upplyst grotta ute i naturen, en grotta som man gärna kliver in i.
