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Long garden design that preserves the view

ssnssn Posts: 2
in Garden design

We have a long rectangular garden. Most of the advice on layout for long narrowish gardens is to break it up into rooms or sections, so that you preserve interest and discover more of the garden as you move through it. This would be fine except that the bottom of our garden lets on to a lovely rolling arable field with woodland beyond and we love being able to see the view from the house.

Any advice on how to add interest without obscuring the view would be much appreciated.

Yours

Sam

Posts

  • Ladybird4Ladybird4 Posts: 37,215

    Hi Sam. Maybe some trellises set at each side of the garden but quite spaced out/offset and not too wide so that you get a glimpse of your view through the gap they create. You could select the pattern of trellis as there are some really pretty ones available now.

    Cacoethes: An irresistible urge to do something inadvisable
  • ButtercupdaysButtercupdays Posts: 4,496

    You could have a curving path that gave you promontories and bays and taper the height of planting from lowest in the centre to higher at the sides. Introduce a little variation, without going too high, so it doesn't look  boring, and slightly higher plants can hide what is on the other side. You could even have some taller plants, like some grasses or  fennel., that are see through and would enhance rather than block the view, if well positioned.

  • KT53KT53 Posts: 8,718

    I agree with Buttercupdays.  Curving path(s) and planting beds can break the garden up without interfering with the long view.  Tall grasses and similar plants can be used to separate areas, again without blocking the view.

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 86,887

    I agree with all of the above.  Try to think of your gardening as creating a frame for the vista - have a look here http://www.e-ruston-oldvicaragegardens.co.uk/pages/view/577/apple-walk-happisburgh-church-and-stock-border.htm - I know that this is probably larger than the area you have to play with - it's very much larger than mine - but the principle is the same.  


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • BobFlannigonBobFlannigon Posts: 619

    You could still split into sections but why not retain a wide pathway that runs down the middle of the garden all the way to the end (with smaller sections either side)?  That way you'll have some of the view, maybe just enough to encourage you to walk down to the bottom of your garden to see it all.

    Failing that, you could raise the top part of the garden/lower the bottom part so that you have a view across your garden and beyond.  Obviously you'll still need to plant 'low'

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