Suggestions for my tropical/serenity garden changes w/pics.

15 years ago

I had this garden done about 3 years ago and now that everything is fully grown in it has lost appeal. Everything is looking crowded to me and the path is looking too wide, no? I would love any thoughts about how I may improve this space. I have since started adding furniture since it was intended for a private space for entertaining a few friends when the hubby and I want a quiet quant space for small dinners and relaxation.

Here is the path that I think needs to be narrowed and less stepping stone width wise so I can allow more planting space on the side beds...there is also the evergreen ground cover on the left side of the steeping stones that are covered in pics. Can I replant these thinned out on a more narrow path or will I kill them after 3 years of being established?

also, the bamboo water feature is now covered on the left by the overgrown bushes which I am considering having torn out, thoughts on tearing these out for more sculptured bush similar to something in the following pic?

here on the right side the garden/planting space seems so thin from the wide path, no?

{{gwi:27968}}

Here is a better picture of the left side which has a beautiful sculpted tree that blooms the more beautiful tiny purple flowers, but you can only see a bit of the branch in the picture, sorry..would have to take other angle picture:

so...any suggestions on how to make this space more serene and less crowded or are my ideas pretty much on the right track?

Thanks for any suggestions!

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Comments (4)

forensicmom
15 years ago
I think it looks beautiful and the spacing on the path area looks perfect. I wouldn't narrow it any more.
ffreidl
15 years ago
I'm not a landscape designer - actually, at the moment I'm not feeling like a terribly successful gardener either! - so take my comments with a grain of salt. My gut reactions are: The garden does seem a little crowded to me. You have a lot of sculptural shapes in a small area, many of them at "body height" and they're encroaching into your space. In both the first and third shot, you have a half hedge on the left that may need to be cut back, but with a such a beautiful wall of green behind it, maybe you could go for some softer plantings instead - some perennials of mixed height that have looser shapes (more similar to the white flowered planting you have on the left side of the bottom photo), more transparency and less bulk at mid level. You could maybe make use of some taller/thinner perennials (I'm thinking of shapes like lupin or kniphofia) for higher accents, if you want them, or you could stick with lower plants.

In the 2nd picture, I wonder if the taller sculpted evergreen should be moved further away from the deck so that it doesn't lean into your space and also that it will pull your eye further away from the deck. The smaller shrubs around that plant are also competing with it for attention, so maybe they also could be moved farther away as well or replaced with (again) something softer &/or more horizontal.

By the way, the color of your deck is just beautiful. Actually, the garden is very pretty, but I can see that it could feel a little cramped.

I don't have a strong opinion on the width of the path. The planting bed there does seem a bit narrow - maybe you would want to expand the width as it recedes from the deck, again to draw the eye into further reaches of the garden.

Would it help to add some darker leafed plants to create some "shadows"?

So, now let's hope some real landscapers chime in!
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catkim
15 years ago
I'm not a landscaper either, but an avid grower of tropicals, so your garden is very interesting to me. The view in photo #2 is especially nice with the bamboo behind the sculpted shrub.

I see you are in zone 10, correct? What is your general location?

The unfortunate thing about the shrubs you are considering removing is they have been squared off, not really a serene look. Are they star jasmine? (Trachelospermum jasminoisdes?) More loosely shaped, the scent of small white flowers would be an asset. But I agree with ffreidl above, that you could replace them with something softer. If you really want tropical, something with colored foliage would put a little zip in your scheme, maybe some Persian shield (Strobilanthes dyerianus) or a large-leaved croton.

I would also be tempted to place a few neoregelia bromeliads here and there for color. They don't take up much space but add a lot of drama. Keep them in their pots; simply nestle them into other bushes, stack rocks around them, or bury the pots.

Lastly, is there room for an ornamental red banana, Ensete ventricosum 'maurelii' in the back left area behind your deck? Or elsewhere? The large reddish leaves give a lush, ripe look and feel to small garden and would be a nice contrast to the finer-textured shrubs. Or, if you prefer flowers, a dwarf hibiscus might work.

Bromeliad examples:
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Ornamental red banana:
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timbu
15 years ago
If this were my climate, I'd use an assortment of hostas to replace the brown shrubs, and to fill gaps on the right. You surely have a wider choice of architectural plants where you live - see Catkim's post. Something with large leaves is missing from the picture, but I wouldn't make it too colorful.
If you say the path is too wide, I assume you define the black edging material as the edge of path; whereas for me looking at the photo, the edge seems to be where the creeping plants are, and it looks good right there. I suppose you don't have to rebuild anything, just add plants so they hide the black edging.
Hard to see what's going on in the background - a small shrub pruned square? Maybe remove that, and the small tree next to it.
Lovely pavilion, and I envy that vine-covered wall!

Suggestions for my tropical/serenity garden changes w/pics.

Comments (4)

forensicmom

ffreidl

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timbu

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