Modern small garden Design Photos

September 16, 2020
Small Modern Garden Design

1 Garden Design Calimesa, CATaken to its extreme, the sleek materials and minimalist approach of modern landscaping can sometimes seem cold or uninviting. Yet modern design’s emphasis on crafting an organized space and respecting unadorned materials has the potential to create a setting which feels not only friendly and inviting, but also personalized and artful. Designer Colin Miller of Envision Landscape Studio in Walnut Creek, California, shares his tips on designing a contemporary landscape that is less space-age and more suited to the welcoming indoor-outdoor lifestyle modern gardeners are trying to create.

Photo by: Colin Miller.

Opt for a Natural, Loose Planting StyleNeatly organized lines of stiff, sculptural plants are the norm in many contemporary landscapes, as though the architect wanted to impose the minimalist structure of the building on the exterior spaces. Yet this type of planting style seems to utterly reject any relationship with the natural world. Miller shares a friendlier approach. “There’s no reason to feel stuck with rigid, architectural plants, ” he says. “When your plantings have a loose, alive appearance, they bring a sense of playfulness, liveliness, and warmth.”

02_barden_residence_miller Garden Design Calimesa, CAPhoto by: Colin Miller.

In a modern landscape, there is enough organization in the hardscape that you have the option to go more natural in the plantings. “You don’t see a lot of perennials in modern gardens, and I’m not sure why that is, ” says Miller. “The flower color warms things up a lot, and combines well with the color from ornamental grasses. Perennials can get a little loose and messy looking, so you need to use them very strategically, but they can really soften a corner or a walkway.”

Use Plants to Connect Your Garden With Its SurroundingsPlants with bold silhouettes have a clean look which feels appropriate next to the architecture. “We start with an organized palette in and around the outdoor rooms, then as we go farther out, we want the plantings to almost dissolve into the surrounding natural environs, ” explains Miller. “In our area the gardens often have beautiful backdrops, sometimes overlooking golden California hills, or a riparian area near a creek.”

03_north_ridge_miller Garden Design Calimesa, CAHe designs the outer edges of the planted areas almost as one would weave a tapestry, creating a loose fabric of textures and colors which blurs the boundary lines of the landscape and visually claims the scenery beyond. Near a riparian zone, he pulls in rushes and other fresh, lush plants. Next to grassland, he draws upon the motion and softness of ornamental grasses. “We never want a landscape to feel like a sterile museum, ” he says.

Photo by: Huettl Landscape Architecture.

Bring Warmth to Your HardscapesA sterile, lifeless appearance is a common pitfall in modern design. There’s an emphasis on the use of “honest” materials, which is to say they aren’t pretending to be something they are not. For example, a simple concrete patio is more honest than is concrete that has been stamped and colored to look like flagstone. Yet as Miller points out, “the natural colors of concrete, steel, smooth stucco, and some types of stone have a cool appearance which can be uninviting if overused. The obvious solution is to add color, but color can take you away from a modern aesthetic.”

05_barden_residence_miller_steps
Garden Design
Calimesa, CA 06_barden_residence_miller
Garden Design
Calimesa, CA
Source: www.gardendesign.com



Landscaping Tips

Though your home is your castle, there is no necessity to surround it with a moat. Here are 5 tips that will help you to make your landscaping feel more warm, welcoming and cozy.

1. Put some flowers nearby your entrance. Flowers make any area look more welcoming and attractive, so greeting your guests with Petunia, Snapdragon, Lily-of-the-Nile or some other garden flowers is always a great thing to do. What is more, to add some space between your house and the entrance, you can consider adding a little white fence. It will create an illusion that your front yard is bigger than it actually is. What is more, adding fence will create a great space for planting flowers to add some color and coziness.

2. Add rambling vines to make your yard look absolutely lovely. You can not deny that rambling vines always create romantic and even magical atmosphere. So why not to use this tip while decorating your yard?

3. To hide the unattractive driveway, consider adding some color, texture, and height. You can easily do it by adding various sorts of flowers. To start, create an island of green lawn right in the hub of a drive. Then add a couple of low boxwood hedges with flowers toward the back of your island.

4. If you want your yard to blossom and flourish bust still do not have enough time to maintain it, consider planting low-fuss lilies. Such flowers look absolutely gorgeous and come in the variety of rainbow hues, so you can pick the one you love most. What is more, low-fuss lilies do not care about the sort of soil, they love the sun and welcome hot, they do not afraid of drought. In other words, Crinums is an ideal flower for all those who are looking for low-maintenance solutions.

5. The last tip also touches the low-maintenance aspect. To make your life easier, group plantings into beds and islands. This will help you to avoid mowing and trimming around each individual plant, save a lot of time and even money.

Share this Post