It's easy to recreate your favorite garden concept on a small scale. Tips include realizing your limitations--don't plant a towering oak or overwhelming pine tree, for example--and trying to create the illusion of more space through layering vegetation and varying topography. You also want to create a comfortable, inviting environment, so include seating. And keep in mind that where you live will dictate, to an extent, what you plant, since not all plants thrive in all climates. Does this Spark an idea?
The Basics
These three design ideas all assume you have a standard square or rectangular area behind your townhouse with about 200 to 500 square feet of total space. Plants and other items are readily available at home improvement, home decor and garden stores.
Before you begin planting, map out what you are going to do on paper. Use graph paper to get the proper proportions. Figure out exactly what you want, and where you want it; then call around to get prices so you can figure out an estimated budget. Once you've located all the items and figured out how much you're going to spend, get to work.
Tropical Paradise
Start with the hardscape: use old brick to build a patio, leaving a perimeter of about 3 feet on the sides and 4 to 5 feet in the back.
Till the dirt areas and blend with potting mix, peat moss and sand. Put up a trellis on all three sides and plant Cape Honeysuckle, a scrambling shrub that grows fast and within about a year should cover your walls with rich green leaves and vibrant orange flowers.
Install a lava rock fountain in the center back; these are self-contained but do need an electrical source nearby for the pump.
Plant a pair of dwarf palms on either side of the fountain. Then plant a cluster of three king palms in each of the two back corners, and maybe throw in a tiki next to one cluster.
Layer the rest of your landscaping: ferns in the back, interspersed with , day lilies, fuchsias and, in the shady areas under the palms, bromeliads. Buy several bags of lava rock and scatter so they cover all the exposed surface between plants as well as the space between the plants and your brick patio. They look great and help the ground retain moisture.
For furniture, get an outdoor dining set with a thatch umbrella, or a cluster of two to four chairs around a fire pit.
Half a dozen tiki torches stuck in the ground are the final touch.
English Rose Garden
For a more serene, cultured townhouse garden, try an English rose garden. Create a patio, using interlocking cobblestone paving stones.
Install trellises on all three sides but use them to support climbing roses or ivy.
Get a cherub fountain or a bird bath, position in the center back and put a white wooden arbor around it. Plant more ivy or climbing roses on either side of the arbor and trail upward.
Plant rose bushes in all three sections of soil, about three feet apart, and buy a few stone or stone-look statues to position around your garden.
Buy several bags of pebbles or river rock and cover all exposed areas of dirt.
For your patio, get an elegant wrought iron outdoor dining or seating set.
Been Through the Desert
For warmer Southwest climates, a low-maintenance cactus or succulent garden can't be beat. Start with a patio--this time, gray gravel will do--and treat the surrounding patches of soil. Put bougainvillea on your trellises and layer succulents, cacti and rocks around your garden. As a centerpiece, try an old wagon wheel leaning up against a saguaro or desert willow.
For seating, buy an all-wood set and either stain gray or let age naturally. And, of course, you're going to need a firepit to enjoy those cool, high lonesome desert nights.
Tags: around your, around your garden, between plants, center back, climbing roses, cover exposed
