Jeff Halper offers the following royalty-free article for you to publish online or in print. Feel free to use this article in your newsletter, website, ezine, blog, or forum. ----------- PUBLICATION GUIDELINES - You have permission to publish this article for free providing the "About the Author" box is included in its entirety. - Do not post/reprint this article in any site or publication that contains hate, violence, porn, warez, or supports illegal activity. - Do not use this article in violation of the US CAN-SPAM Act. If sent by email, this article must be delivered to opt-in subscribers only. - If you publish this article in a format that supports linking, please ensure that all URLs and email addresses are active links. - Please send a copy of the publication, or an email indicating the URL to [email protected] - Article Marketer (www.ArticleMarketer.com) has distributed this article on behalf of the author. Article Marketer does not own this article, please respect the author's copyright and publication guidelines. If you do not agree to these terms, please do not use this article. ----------- Article Title: How To Design A Small Backyard Garden Author: Jeff Halper Category: Landscaping Word Count: 622 Keywords: landscape design, landscaping design, small garden design Author's Email Address: [email protected] Article Source: http://www.articlemarketer.com ------------------ ARTICLE START ------------------
Small backyards can be found throughout Houston in neighborhoods like Upper Kirby, Rice Village, West U, and Bellaire. Houses in these neighborhoods can be very small, consisting of only one story and two or three bedrooms at the most. Many townhomes and patio homes are also found in these parts of town that have extremely small backyards which require exceptional landscaping design skills to effectively develop. The challenge inherent to working in small backyards of any kind lies in the limited amount of space available to design structures and forms. Outdoor rooms and structures have to be scaled down to reflect the size and architecture of the home. Trees and gardens must be also be smaller so as to not dwarf the home and consume what little open space there is. Hardscapes and decorative elements must be built in such a way as to create the illusion of a much larger yard than is actually present. Perspective is the key to creating this sort of complimentary relationship between hardscapes, outdoor rooms, patios, garden design, and home architecture. In a small backyard, all landscaping elements are much closer to the house and consequently will bring a much greater visual impact to bear on its aesthetic. Patios are typically highly customized and tend to be constructed using very unique materials whose powerful visual appeal will offset the smaller size. Furniture tends to also be smaller as a general rule, and walkways and paths must be very narrow in order to enlarge the appearance of the surrounding lawn. For example, bisecting a small backyard behind a townhome with an 18" wide, winding pathway creates the optimal illusion of a larger yard by dividing a single space into two. In a similar manner, organic design must also be scaled down to proportions appropriate to the size of the house and surrounding lot. Certain popular garden styles such as French, Italian, or Mediterranean styles most likely cannot be installed in their purest, most traditional forms. Custom modifications have to be made to them so that they may be scaled down to the proportions of their environment. Large trees cannot be planted in a small backyard with limited space. However, a multitude of smaller species exist that will thrive in the Houston climate. These trees can be planted in rows to create organic walls of greenery, or they can be planted individually in key locations and areas of interests. When proportionally scaled against the home itself as a frame of reference, even smaller trees can be made to look like large ones if different species of different heights and foliage types are integrated into the landscape and garden design. Another way to enlarge the look of a property is to build a decorative wall around the property. While this might appear at face value to work against to the idea of expanding space, the opposite holds true. Small backyards appear dwarfed when one can see beyond them into a larger lot next door. By enclosing the space, and then creating a landscape design within that enclosure, the yard will actually appear much larger as a self contained environment separated from the outside world. Decorative elements can then be used to further decorate these walls in any number of ways. Planters can be built into their sides that can be used to grow anything from herbs to seasonal flowers. Decorative urns and pottery can be used to punctuate wall corners and adorn adjacent patio areas, and wall fountains can be integrated into vertical hardscapes to add a sense of tranquility by day and illuminated movement at night. Jeff Halper has a passion for landscaping and landscape design, for more information about landscaping and gardening visit http://www.exteriorworlds.com ------------------ ARTICLE END ------------------ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
