How to design a garden with good views

When looking for inspiration and gathering garden design ideas, consider the view from the window. It may sound obvious but a garden is there to be enjoyed all year round and we mostly look out at the garden from the house. Even dishwashing can be appealing while watching the changing seasons through the kitchen window! If you want to know how to design a new garden it’s worth putting in some time to consider the view from inside the house, which even in summer months, is where most people spend their time.

1. What is the style of your house?

Through the window garden design works best when it harmonises to some extent with the interior of the house. If you have a period property it will usually look better from inside if the garden has a flavour of the same age and style. Neat tidy lawns and formal flowerbeds work well with a Victorian style property as opposed to an informal sprawling cottage garden.

Harmonious links in a modern house are easy to achieve with large patio doors leading directly onto a terrace using the same tiles for an inside outside look. If you have large windows framing a seating area, make use of evergreens plants in containers to give structure and interest in winter and link the outside with in by using dramatic house plants next to the doors. This could be some form of topiary for all year interest or you can change the pots around according to the season. Azaleas donate an abundance of colour in the late winter and will live happily in containers for years.

2. Garden Design Ideas Using Focal Points.

Focal points are important when considering the view from a window as a destination point for the eye to linger. If you have a piece of art work, special urn or seasonally planted container, consider where it will best be viewed from indoors.

This urn has been positioned, surrounded by plants to be best viewed from the inside. Even in winter there will always be a focal point here.

3. Using a Tree as a focal point.

There is no better way to capture attention from the inside than a carefully situated tree. A tree used as a focal point has to work hard for attention all year round; look for one with more than one attribute. For garden design ideas on trees for a small garden visit our inspiration page. The deep pink blossoms of Prunus sargentii give spectacular spring interest. In autumn the fiery foliage dominates and over winter the pleasing shape of this high performance tree makes it a perfect choice for a larger garden.

4.Warning When Using Larger Trees and Shrubs!

Always check the eventual height and spread of your tree or shrub in case it blocks the view from your window. When planting near the house, low growing perennial plants are usually best. If you make a mistake you could end up blocking your view!

6. Garden Design Ideas – Framing your window

Carefully chosen climbing plants around the windows create a good framework. Don’t choose plants that are too vigorous  or you might end up cutting them back frequently to keep the window clear. The group 1 early flowering Clematis alpina  varieties are ideal garden design ideas for growing next to a window. They don’t get very big and give a welcome burst of spring flowers early in the gardening year. For a window that opens, try growing a scented climber near. The evergreen star jasmine is ideal for a sunny, sheltered position. The David Austin climbing roses are perfect for heady scent. Don’t choose a rambling rose to frame a window. Most are far too vigorous.

7. Create a Pergola to Support Climbers to see From the Windows

The approach to this cottage garden is made all the more appealing with the frame of climbing roses waiting to invite the visitor into the door. Use scented roses so that when the windows are open the smell of summer days wafts into your home in addition to making a delightful view from the inside. For more garden design ideas for a cottage style garden visit our cottage gardens page for inspiration.

8. How to Design Your Garden to Give more Impact

To give more visual impact to your window view plant the same types and shades of flower in big clumps so creating bold blocks of colour. Avoid planting intermingling bits of this and that, which tend to create a chaotic, unharmonious view. A carefully chosen piece of sculpture nestled amongst the flowers creates a great focal point from a window.

9. Use Plants to Create a Foreground

In this example the swimming pool and shed would totally dominate the view if it weren’t for the surround planting beds, which soften the scene and create a feeling of seclusion. Note the carefully positioned blue spruce on the left which acts as a foil for the shed, giving a balance to the picture. The neighbouring property is obscured by the use of trees in the background.

10. How to Design a Garden Seating Areas

A common mistake is to put the area you’re going to sit, complete with table, chairs and parasol right in front of the window, thus successfully obscuring the view of the rest of the garden. If possible, try not to do it! Instead, position the seating area slightly to one side so that it doesn’t become the focal point. Whenever you can, make the planting the stars of the show in your garden.

Think of your windows as frames for a painting and  enjoy the day by day changes that the different seasons will bring. A well planted garden looks good even on a rainy day when viewed from the inside!