Garden Focal Points For Better Design
Garden focal points play a huge role in garden design and come in many forms. Creating a garden you love requires adding some personality to the space, and focal points do this for you. Focal points aim to be the centre of attention and generate interest when used well.
From natural focal points to structural or artistic additions, there are various ways you can enhance your garden design with these elements. As a premier garden design service, Creative Gardens & Driveways understands what it takes to create a stunning outdoor space and appreciates the value of well-thought-out focal points.
To help you create an outdoor space that withstands the test of time and looks amazing throughout the seasons, we are sharing everything you need to know about garden focal points. In this guide, we will share recommendations for garden focal points and how to use them within your garden design for maximum impact.
What Are Garden Focal Points And Why Do They Matter?
To understand the value of garden focal points, you first need to understand what these are and the role they play in garden design.
Garden focal points are visually dominant features that play a major role in the design of an outdoor space. These specific features are placed specifically to draw the eyes to specific areas or zones, and can anchor the rest of the layout together.
By having a main focal point, the space can appear more well-designed and considered. These elements provide structure and can offer direction to the design or flow of the garden, for example, when placed near pathways or seating areas. They can attract attention to emphasise the importance of a specific area within your garden design, and keep eyes in the right place.
There are various kinds of garden focal points, whether bold or subtle, all of which aim to create visual emphasis in specific areas of the landscape. This is very useful for garden zoning and defining unique areas within the landscape, but can also be a primarily decorative addition to the space.
Garden Focal Points To Enhance All Forms of Landscape Design
Now you understand the value of garden focal points, it is time to consider how they can be added to your outdoor space for better garden design. There are various forms of garden focal points, including:
Statement Trees & Shrubs
Some of the best garden focal points are natural elements such as trees and shrubs. Ornamental trees, with unique branch patterns or lush foliage, can be a great way to enhance the appeal of your outdoor space and guide flow.
Whether used individually or placed in groups, these garden focal points can create areas of interest and shade throughout the seasons. As some trees change with the seasons, with their leaves becoming rich jewel tones in the autumn before falling in the winter, you can ensure your outdoor space remains engaging throughout the year. These trees can offer seasonal interest and allow you to experience a new landscape with every passing month.
Some of the best trees and shrubs for garden focal points include:
- Japanese Maple: With rich red leaves, this is a stunning focal point tree for your garden that offers colour throughout the year
- Olive Tree: These trees thrive in the UK climate and can be planted in containers or pots for flexible garden design
- Silver Birch: The unique colour of the bark and branches of these trees makes them ideal garden focal points in every season
- Multi-stem Trees: With multiple stems, these trees have an interesting structure that can highlight key areas of the garden and are certain to be a focal point
Water Features
Water features are some of the most popular garden focal points as they look amazing in all kinds of outdoor spaces, come in various forms, and offer additional benefits. Water features are not just a good design feature, but can also make your garden more wildlife-friendly by attracting birds, insects and other creatures such as frogs to your landscape.
Still water features, such as ponds or water bowls, can be attractive to wildlife and enhance design in various ways. They offer depth to your garden design, creating new areas of interest. Water is a reflective surface which can also make your garden appear bigger and more engaging as it plays with sunlight during the day.
For additional appeal and tranquillity, running water features such as fountains or waterfalls produce a soothing ambient noise. This not only evokes a sense of calm and peace in your garden, but can reduce noise pollution from neighbouring landscapes or properties.
Even small outdoor spaces can benefit from these garden focal points, as there are options such as wall-mounted fountains or preformed pond kits which can fit into any-sized garden.
Sculptures And Garden Art
For a more designed approach, consider sculptures and garden art as your focal points. With custom-made options or features direct from the shelf, you can add areas of interest to your garden design with unique art.
Sculptures and art are a great way to personalise your outdoor space, as they can reflect your interests and personal style. They can also be amazing conversation starters, especially if you invest in a custom piece.
Ideal for all styles of gardens, sculptures and art can come in many forms. With materials such as metal, stone or wood, you can find features to enhance your traditional or contemporary garden design, as well as reflect your unique style well. For example, modern gardens can benefit from simple, geometrical structures such as metal spheres or corten steel decor.
The key to using these garden focal points for better outdoor appeal lies in their placement and scale. With this in mind, smaller gardens should avoid large sculptures, unless this is going to be the only focal point used in the garden, as too much can overshadow your outdoor space, making it appear cluttered. With these kinds of garden focal points, less is often more, as it ensures each piece is getting the right kind of attention.
Pergolas And Garden Structures
For a more permanent option, pergolas and similar structures can make excellent garden focal points. Pergolas in particular allow for more customisation, as they can be enhanced with shades, arches or climbing plants to align with your garden design.
Unlike many other garden focal points, structures like this can also be practical additions to your outdoor space as they offer shade and screening to key areas. Pergolas can be installed over outdoor seating areas, patios, or pathways to provide shading, as well as enhance the visual appeal of your garden.
Containers, Planters And Pots
While plants can be great garden focal points, so can the containers they come in. Container planting is a great solution for those seeking flexible garden design, as well as a low-maintenance landscape, because plants in pots are usually easier to take care of.
By carefully considering the planters and containers used across your landscape, these can become garden focal points and make your outdoor space more attractive throughout the seasons. For example, using large, patterned pots or colourful containers can add visual appeal to flower beds, borders, and patios.
This appeal can be enhanced by the flowers chosen for each container, such as varied displays or layered planting. Using a combination of tall grasses and bold flowers, you can rely on container planting as your main focal point and have an outdoor space that looks great.
Conclusion
Designing an engaging and attractive outdoor space is easier done with garden focal points. These structures, plants or artistic elements are used to draw the eyes into specific areas, start conversations and represent your personal style.
As each garden is unique, the best garden focal points will vary based on multiple factors. Luckily, there are plenty of options from trees and shrubs to outdoor art and even water features.
At Creative Gardens & Driveways, we specialise in garden design and offer a bespoke service to align with all needs. Our team can help create your ideal outdoor space and provide recommendations for the best garden focal points and their placement to suit you.
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