Transforming Your Outdoor Space into a Staycation Haven

By LMG Calla Victoria

When creating a landscape design for your backyard there are several elements to be considered.  The first of which is privacy and screening. Jaimie Drurie, Garden Designer Extraordinaire, says that you should be able to walk around nude in your backyard!  If you are fortunate enough to have tight wood fencing around your yard the problem is solved, however, if your yard is enclosed with wrought iron fencing or page wire fencing, then some adjustments are necessary before you can achieve true “nude-strolling privacy” in your yard. The simple answer is prolific flowering veins. I selected four different kinds of veins for my yard. I love the butterfly-attracting Hyacinth bean veins that have purple veins in their large heart-shaped foliage, huge electric purple bean pods, and long plums of white flowers. These veins grow like crazy and will curtain a page wire fence.  

Hyacinth bean veins

Also, I added a couple of passion veins one red and one purple, these too are prolific growers. They have spectacular red or purple flowers, and then there is the delicious passion fruit to be harvested.

Passion vine

I also planted baby leaf spinach which coils so tightly around the page wire fencing that it looks like wallpaper, and when I am ready for a spinach salad, I need only walk to my backyard. After all of your privacy issues are handled, screen off any unsightly views. One of my neighbors has a pre-Katrina shade that is other than lovely, and the neighbor on the other side of me has a chicken coop that butts up to the fence, both of which I needed to screen off. In both instances, I chose the star jasmine because it is a vigorous climber, bloom like crazy, with an explosion of fragrance.

After privacy is achieved then you need to decide what you want in the yard, and you need only be limited by space.  If you have a tiny yard then perhaps a seating area and a water feature may be all that will fit; but if you have yardage then you can add outdoor rooms including lounging areas, kitchen and dining areas, statuary, water features, and lighting. Decide on a theme for your garden oasis, it could be an oriental garden, formal, English, whimsical, or a cottage-style garden, etc. Then survey the yard and find out if there are any confined areas that are surrounded by concrete, areas that are full sun, shady, etc.; and the types of soil you are dealing with. In your shady areas, the soil is mostly moist at all times, and in the sunny areas the soil is quite dry, and you may have some bog areas which are low-lying and retain water. This information will dictate the type of plant materials you should purchase for those areas, and how to layout the garden. In your full sun areas consider roses, succulents, and cacti.  In your bog areas think of water-loving plants like Elephant Ear, Cannas, or King Tut Papyrus.  In shady areas, you want to brighten up those areas with colorful bromeliads that love the shade and this is where your lounge area should be.  In confined areas, you can plant those invasive plants like mint and banana trees that we love but don’t want to take over the garden.

Aechmea Blanchetiana bromeliad loves full sun.

Fragrance is a very important element in garden design, place fragrant plant materials like jasmine, lavender, mint, allspice, alyssum, eucalyptus, or fragrant rose bushes at the entrance of your garden so that you and your guests are welcomed into the garden with a pleasant aromatic experience; also sprinkle fragrant plants throughout your garden to heighten your senses.

Mystery is another important element to consider in garden design. Your garden should unfold to the eye and not be completely visible at first glance. Pathways should curve and meander to draw you in with wonder as to what is around the bend. Use hedges, a grouping of container gardens, or other partitions to divide your yards into garden rooms. The garden should be an extension of your home; inside your house, everything is not visible at first glance, so think in those same terms for your garden oasis. The outdoor kitchen should be near the outdoor dining area, outdoor living rooms are quite popular with all-weather furniture and rugs.

Entry is another important design feature in garden design. Create entryways for each of your garden rooms. This can be simply accomplished by placing a lattice or iron archway at the entrance, or flank the entrance with two large urns or statuary.

Water features lend serenity to any garden oasis, they can be as simple as a small fountain or as elaborate as a pond with a waterfall, you are only limited by space and budget. Garden rooms just like the rest of your home should be enjoyed day or night. Gardens are great during the day but can become magical at night; this is easily accomplished with lighting. Solar technology makes lighting your garden a snap, you can find pathway lighting, spot and flood lights, and hanging lanterns all in solar. No electricians are needed! Enjoy creating your garden oasis!

Remember, never be too busy to stop and enjoy the beautiful flowers!