The Modern Garden
The modern garden can be broadly split into two categories. Living and non-living. By this we mean that most gardens will contain flowers, trees, shrubs and maybe fruit and vegetables alongside paths, walls, pots and various forms of garden furniture.
Generally, the first thing that you will see when you approach a garden is either a hedge or boundary fence or wall. Within these boundaries we collect features that can be split into categories.
The first of these is the features that exist for protection. These might include walls, fences and gates. Latterly, this has also included lighting (i.e. sensor lights) to improve security for example. Secondly, we have features for movement. This includes paths, driveways and steps. The third category is features that are put in the garden to improve plant growth, such as plants support systems (to keep plants upright), watering systems for dry spells and greenhouses to ensure that the plant is able to grow in adverse weather conditions. The fourth type of feature adds to the are those that we put in place to add to the beauty of the garden. It is of course possible for these features to have a dual purpose i.e. to support plant growth, as well as making our gardens more appealing to the eye. A good example of this type of feature would be a rockery, which not only adds variety and looks nice in the garden but is able to support alpine plants or container plants which may not thrive in the garden otherwise. The final type of feature that we add to a garden are those to provide cover, either for us or for our equipment. This might be a garden shed or a summerhouse.
It was during the 1980's that a surge was seen in the trend for 'outdoor living' and nowadays the majority of gardens have a centerpiece of a patio, furniture (i.e. table and umbrella), decorative lighting or plants and of course, the barbeque!
The features that you choice will of course depend on personal preference as well as space and budget.
