Every gardener knows how important it is to have a secret oasis to go back to whenever you feel overwhelmed, stressed, or simply when you want to get away for a while. There’s always something magical about having a quiet place nobody knows about. Today we are going to learn some tips and tricks for a secret garden landscaping, but make sure it stays secret!
Secret Garden Landscaping Tips and Tricks
1. Choose a Sheltered Location
Naturally, a secret garden needs to be placed in a sheltered area. Keep it away from the main activities you are undergoing in your landscape. Think about the most isolated place in your garden, such as an area found beneath a canopy of trees, along with a brick wall/fence or even in a private side yard, if you happen to have any.
2. Ensure Privacy
Secret garden landscaping can’t miss its most important element, privacy. If you want to create some privacy for your secret garden, it’s time to use creativity for plants and hardscape. Ideally, you should enclose three sides of the garden, and then limit the sight lines into the surrounding areas. For this, you can use tall shrubs or grasses, or a locally suitable noninvasive hedge along the garden boundary. If you already have some existing walls and fences, make them a part of the enclosure.
3. Create a Fancy Entrance
Since your secret garden isn’t just another space with flowers and trees, the entrance to it needs to be special as well. Moreover, if you conceive an impressive entrance, you can help with the (visual) transition that helps you change your mood. An entry that gently limits the view, while remaining wide enough for safe access, is more suitable for keeping the special secret atmosphere, enhancing the feel of enclosure and isolation. Moreover, it limits the sight lines as well. For this, you can go for arbors and arches, but a curved side path can do just fine.
4. Go Wild
Secret garden landscaping doesn’t really match a manicured look. It’s okay to let go a little when you are designing your secret retreat. Let plants grow a little wild and choose billowing grasses, flowering perennials, and some vines here and there. Don’t forget about native plants either, since they attract birds, bees, and butterflies.
5. Make Some Secret Walkways
If you want your secret garden not to get boring, you should create some secret walkways. Usually, people use leafy canopies just for the dining or lounging areas, but why not use them on walkways as well? Of course, it depends on how big your garden is and how bushy you trained your plants to be. This offers a sense of seclusion even if you’re away from any trees or fences.
6. Be Creative with the Landscape Lighting
If you know how to use it, creative landscape lighting can turn into the icing on the cake if you want to have an amazing secret garden. For this, you will need to use lights that are small and subdued. This helps you create a low, peaceful ambiance. Besides maintaining a certain mood in your space, the lights also help with highlighting certain areas where you need light: stairs, exits, or pathways.
7. Add Some Fragrance
Choose plants for local growing conditions and check toxicity where children or pets use the garden. A fragrant plant list is inspiration, not a planting plan for every climate.
A perfect secret garden landscaping is complete if you add some fragrance to it. Don’t be afraid to go for plants that have a strong smell when they bloom. Here you have a list of suggestions:
- Lilacs;
- Mignonettes;
- Hyacinths;
- Lily of the valley;
- Sweet peas;
- Dianthus;
- Nicotiana;
- Lavender;
- Gardenias;
- Magnolias;
- Heliotropes;
- Petunias;
- Oriental lilies, etc.
However, it’s important not to overdo it. Some flowers can have a very strong smell that can become disturbing if you spend a lot of time in your secret garden. Whether you decide on planting lily of the valley or you want to learn how to grow lavender by yourself, don’t mix too many different fragrances. Also, consider the space you have available. The more enclosed the garden is, the stronger the smell.
8. Create an Antique Feel
We all know the typical image of a secret garden, with a romantic feel to it. For this, you should choose some wrought iron furniture and focus on planting roses. However, not all kinds of roses are suitable for antique secret garden landscaping. Choose a rose suited to your climate, available sunlight and mature space. A nursery can help compare named cultivars; heirloom roses are a group, not one variety.
9. Let Flowers Go to Seed
When fall comes, it’s a good idea to let some of the flowers go to seed. Besides offering a vintage aspect to your secret garden, they may also help the birds who are looking for seeds to feed themselves. This is important for their birds since they can’t find a lot of food when the temperatures drop. Moreover, the birds will make the garden look lively even long after summer is gone.
10. Add Some Water
If you love having wildlife in your secret garden, it’s a good idea to add a birdbath or a shallow pond. In this way, birds will have a cool retreat during hot summer months and they will visit your space much more often. However, if you decide to complete your secret garden landscaping with a pond, it’s important to know how to maintain it. Keep a birdbath clean and refreshed. Treat any pond as a separate design project, especially where children visit; do not add fish merely as decoration without planning their care.
11. Take Advantage of the Seasons
There is some seasonal magic you can unlock from nature every year. If you’re planning to have an amazing secret garden all year long, it’s a good idea to learn how to take advantage of natural cycles. In this sense, choose some plants that have a recurrent charm. A simple solution to this is to set up 1 – 2 containers to add seasonal color. Choose from tulips, daffodils, summer annuals, perennials, Mediterranean herbs, or small-scale Japanese maples, for instance.
12. Ensure a Good Circulation
If you’re setting up a small secret garden, it’s important to split the space wisely. Plan for the movement that will take place in your yard. For example, keep in mind that you should place the furniture off-center if you want to create a pathway all the way to the opposite edge. To maximize the enclosure and restrict the movement to the established alleys, limit the access points. Keep routes and exits accessible; the number of entrances should follow how the space is used.
13. Make It Personal
Secret garden landscaping is nothing without a personal touch. In this sense, it’s a good idea to add objects with meaning. Adding a thoughtful object will make the entire space feel more like your own. It doesn’t necessarily have to be an outstanding object, but something that is relevant to you, such as a rock you picked up on a special beach. You can go even further and add historical objects or ones that have a spiritual meaning, such as a statue. Regardless of the item you choose, it’s a good idea to partially hide it behind some garden beds to make it appear more mysterious.
14. Add Comfortable Furniture
The main idea of your secret retreat is to relax and reconnect with nature, right? To do so, you will need to install comfortable chair and benches in your garden. Wrought-iron furniture is perfect, especially if you want to add a vintage feel to it, as we said earlier, but remember to add some cushions as well. If you’re planning to have guests over, add a couch or more chairs. For those of you who love a wild look and feel, some hammocks are a great idea as well.
15. Consider a Roof Garden
A roof garden requires an assessment by a qualified building professional before you add soil, planters, furniture or occupants. Saturated growing media, drainage, waterproofing, safe access, guards and wind exposure all need consideration. A decorative trellis is not a substitute for a compliant guard. Check local approvals before committing to this option; a ground-level courtyard may be simpler.
16. Set Up a Roof
A properly designed covered seating area can extend the time you spend outside. Choose outdoor-rated lighting and keep vines clear of fixtures. Do not put a fire bowl beneath a roof or amid foliage. Follow the appliance instructions and local fire rules; the U.S. Fire Administration advises keeping fire pits at least ten feet from the home and anything combustible. Use extra clearance wherever required.
Conclusion
Secret garden landscaping should have no secrets to you now. From hiding entrances, setting up wrought-iron furniture, to planting the right flowers and filling the air with enticing fragrances, there are plenty of ideas you can use to add a touch of whimsical to your yard. Regardless of which ones you choose, make sure that your space has a magical atmosphere to it.
Images source: depositphotos.com
