Garden Moods

The garden and the mood of the garden can change quite dramatically depending upon the time of the day and the lighting conditions. The rather flat light during the overcast day gives the upper grasses a cool and distinctly unseasonable feel. But I do think it rather emphasizes the blue tones in the grasses, in particular the Festuca glauca 'Elijah Blue' which is a stunning ornamental grass with silver-blue needle like foliage. I am fond of this grass which forms dense clumps and can be grown in borders or containers on the patio.

By contrast the night scene on the patio (with illumination provided by the security lamp) is more intriguing. Some of the vibrant colours seem to really stand out, even the shadows provide a little mystery. The more naturalistic planting of the cluster of pots seems to be more subdued and is better in the daylight scene.

 

I have read many articles about designing to create a mood in your garden. What I find many of them are really advocating is choosing a theme, probably to match a mood that you may imagine you have at that period in your life. Common advice is often along the lines of

• Select the theme or mood – try to make it harmonious with your location, the architecture of your house, and your microclimate.
• Study a bit about the design you’ve chosen and determine what key elements give it its integrity and feeling, possibly Mediterranean or English Cottage, Woodland, Japanese, etc.
• Determine ways to interpret those elements in a manner that you find aesthetically pleasing, affordable and suitable for your part of the country, soil type, aspect etc.

However, I believe that the mood is, in many ways, beyond our control. The garden is an organic and living entity often with a life and mind of its own. So my top tip would be to embrace the changing moods of your outdoor space, do not try to restrain your ambition for your garden. After all our temperate western margin climate must the the best in the world for being able to take advantage of the capricious  nature of the great and marvellous outdoors.