I found Havetid years in the past once I was headed to Belgium for a month. I used to be on the lookout for locations (gardens, museums, off-the-beaten-path explorations) that I wished to take pleasure in within the area.  In my search, I found the Havetid backyard weblog. It turned out that the backyard itself was past the vary of my anticipated travels (It’s in Silkeborg, Denmark), however even with out an in-person go to, I discovered the location and the photographs of the attractive backyard filled with backyard design concepts and planting inspiration. I encourage you to dive into Inger and Jørn’s web site and uncover some inspiration for your self – however within the meantime, these have been a few of my favorites with some notes about how I’m translating the design concepts.

The clamshell stone planter

Inger and Jørn have created a wonderful backyard that is filled with fascinating concepts. Their weblog is a treasure trove of photographs of what seems to be each nook of the backyard.  I pulled just a few of my favorites that gave me fascinating concepts. I’m considering how I’d break a rock comparable to this in order that I, too, can plant a tiny sedum or rooster and hens (sempervivium) backyard inside. It seems like a clamshell and is a very eye-catching focus.

A sedum and herb-filled heart driveway backyard

Why have a stable driveway when you possibly can have one thing planted down the center?  And why accept turf or a singular floor cowl when a fairly rock backyard with blended sedums is much more fascinating? This driveway rock backyard is crammed with robust, low-growing vegetation. (I’m noting fescue (Festuca), Thyme, Oatgrass (trisetum), sedum varieties, and sage.)

An attention grabbing green-on-green planting scheme

An all-green backyard will be fascinating regardless that you don’t have a lot of colours to excite your eye. Hold the curiosity excessive by pairing quite a lot of fascinating textures. On this backyard, the cobbles, the European ginger groundcover, hostas, ferns, bleeding hearts, and field woods of varied shapes give loads of curiosity. All of those vegetation are straightforward to develop and shade-tolerant.

A palette of colours that’s delicate and quiet

This backyard doesn’t have a riot of shade however as an alternative embraces a extra container palette of soppy pinks, white, and lots of shades of inexperienced.

There’s a fixed drumbeat on the earth of plant breeding and advertising – it’s that gardeners need and want extra shade. Plant sellers insist that buyers need shade, shade, shade! However do they?

I discover this persistence for extra and ever brighter colours leads so many individuals down a path of garish design chaos. It requires backyard makers so as to add one other layer of experience to their arsenal of garden-making abilities (aka shade professional), and the outcomes are sometimes lower than fascinating.

I like how this backyard is snug with a easy few colours that present greater than sufficient curiosity. The bottom line is density and distinction, at all times.

Dissect your eye path whenever you discover one thing that appears pleasing

I like this picture – and whenever you see one thing that pleases you, it’s value dissecting it to determine why.

In visible arts (like backyard design), it’s useful to concentrate to your eye path. What do you discover first, second, third, and so forth, as you absorb a scene?

When you have one thing small (like an undersized terracotta vase), you may make it have a a lot greater affect by utilizing a couple of. This grouping of earthy vases wouldn’t look as putting if the vases have been positioned in another way.

Think about If there was just one, it’d look too small and would really feel fiddley. Or, if the vases have been spaced out across the mattress, your eye path would have jumped round from one vase to the following, most likely offering an excessive amount of confusion (which one do you have a look at first?).

On this picture, the Terracotta vases give one focus. The orange is contrasting with all the opposite colours – it’s what most individuals will discover first. It’s substantial sufficient to look purposeful and considerate.

When you absorb the principle focus aspect, your eye can then simply begin to soak up different parts of the scene. (My eye goes to the white tulips subsequent – the place does yours go?)

Sudden Crops

These beautiful spherical balls aren’t boxwood – they’re cotoneaster (Cotoneaster dammeri “Rami”).  I needed to double-check as a result of I couldn’t imagine my eyes – however sure, they’re actually cotoneaster.  If you wish to know extra about how these have been created, try this put up. 

Crops as sculpture

This raised mattress concept charmed me, too.  Why not have a raised backyard mattress crammed with field balls, rectilinear boulders, river rock, and a weeping larch (I believe that’s what that’s?).  Who says raised beds are only for vegetable gardens? And why not create a collage of fascinating shapes from quite a lot of pure supplies? This planting is admittedly extra about sculpture.

This backyard definitely isn’t devoid of flowers, however I’m discovering that I’m more and more drawn to these locations that aren’t too floriferous.  This haven of textures is beautiful. It strikes me that it’s actually a cross between a rock backyard, a topiary backyard, and maybe a cottage-style backyard. I’m finding out each element for inspiration.

I’d love to listen to what you discovered inspiring on this backyard…ensure you try Inger and Jørn’s web site and report again with another improbable discoveries.

-Rochelle

Havetid is usually open to guests yearly in the summertime. Test the web site for upcoming dates.

photographs from Havetid

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