Gardening For All Seasons Presents -Earth Designs by Katrina Wells

How to create a contemporary garden.

There are many ways that you can create a contemporary garden with a modern look. Not all these need be expensive or time consuming to achieve - a simple change of planting or colour scheme can work wonders in a space. Keep an eye on contemporary trends and try to incorporate them in your garden. You could try some of the following:

Introduce metal into your garden. Planted metal containers, either shop bought or bespoke, are a simple way to do this. Use them in repetition to create a designed feel.

Use structural plants with strong architectural forms to create a modern look. Here again, repetition will create rhythm and give the space a designed appearance.

Paint walls or other surface in bright or contrasting colours - block or large areas of colour will create the best effect.

Combine decking and paving to create a clean, crisp contemporary form. Be bold - don't be afraid to experiment with patterns and colour combinations.

Use lighting to create a stylish, contemporary mood when the sun goes down. Up and down lighters on vertical surfaces can be used to highlight your garden's outstanding features, while low voltage spots in the beds are a safe and easy way to pick out specimen plants and create a general ambient wash. There are also a large number of architectural exterior lights on the market, such a light sticks, blocks or bollards. By applying a little thought to their placement, you can achieve truly stunning results. A few well chosen feature lights can be infinitely more effective than a host of randomly placed spots.

Mulch your planted areas with a specialist aggregate. For a truly contemporary feel, avoid such staple mulches as bark chips or pea shingle, and try glass gravel, metallic gravel, black volcanic glass or even crushed CDs instead. There are a plethora of funky and unusual aggregates out there - the only limit here is your wallet!

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Earth Designs Ltd is a bespoke garden design and build company operating in London and the south east. They offer a 'concept-to-creation' service to their clients, catering to a variety of garden needs. For further information go to www.earthdesigns.co.uk.
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