Bright, Fresh and Glamorous - It's All in the Garden

Posted: 27 July 2009 by Metricon Homes

Tags: colours, lighting, plants

With winter now settled upon us for the coming months – many of us have begun to hibernate, including our pets who have taken up permanent residency in front of the heater. Traditionally, this time of year is extremely quiet in the garden, and the temptation is to draw the curtains and forget about the jungle growing in our back yard until the warmer weather returns.

But given that so many of us are living in smaller houses, on smaller blocks, relegating the garden to the “too hard” basket can be a wasted opportunity.

Metricon’s Display Landscape manager, Robert, says this is a great time of year to enjoy the garden from the comfort of your kitchen or living room chair.

“There is so much benefit in a garden that has a definite winter and summer season with that changeability,” he says.

“A room in a house tends to stay the same – but you can really experiment and frequently change things within the garden without causing too much disruption.”

Whether you have a full view of the garden via bi-fold doors or it is just the sight of your neighbour’s fence from the kitchen window, there are plenty of ways to enjoy to outdoors from within.

Robert suggests the first thing to consider is colour.

“Having a bit of colour impact is important, because it makes you feel better when everything else is dormant,” he says.

Shrubs such as camellias and lavender are at their best in winter, and obviously deciduous plants such as magnolias can be a stunning display.

Materials such as paint, mirrors and sculptures can inject some energy into a quiet winter landscape.

“Often people use mirrors externally coupled with decorative ornate ironwork which always looks great.

I like the idea of having shelves on the walls to mount some pot plants and have more of a vertical garden should you be limited for space,” Robert concluded.

A helpful hint is to also consider lighting when installing your garden – whatever the size. Ensure there is appropriate lighting to enjoy your garden from inside – even when it is dark outside.