Part of having a luxury home is maintaining a high quality garden, it doesn’t matter how well laid out the interior is – a poor garden will always let it down before people have put a foot inside.
Of course a well-seeded lawn, neatly maintained borders, luxury paving or decking and some high quality garden furniture are essential in order to have a good garden. But what are the features that will turn a good garden into a truly magnificent show garden?
Sculptures and Freestanding Art
Like any of the features on this list, if done wrong it can have the opposite effect than intended. However when done right it can make a high quality garden a leading feature of a luxury home. You will usually find these sculptures either integrated with plants/bushes or as a centre piece for a lush green lawn.
These can either be fabricated from metal, or alternatively carved from a hard wearing stone. Either way the sculptures need to be built to last and not degrade or rot like what happens with wooden fixture over time.
To find inspiration for your sculptures visiting a nearby botanical garden is a good idea. They usually have subtle and well integrated pieces to inspire your creation.
Water Features
Water features are almost always a feature of a truly luxury garden, but it’s a vast category which presents a lot of choice.
Fountains are probably the most popular water feature, your fountain doesn’t need to be anything too fancy or showy. A subtle small stone water fountain is often all it takes to add that extra touch of class to your garden.
If fountains aren’t your thing then perhaps a synthetic waterfall is more modern and fitting with your style? There are lots of wonderful variations involving mirrored backing and subtle lighting to really make a waterfall the focal point of a minimalist garden.
One thing to remember before installing a water feature is the sound it’ll produce. This is as important as its appearance. Try and experience a full running model of your water feature before having it installed to make sure it’s relaxing and not distracting.
Pathways and Arches
Having a rustic pathway with interspersed archways is a fantastic way to create a romantic and cosy garden space. Not only do these look fantastic when professionally installed, they can really give a garden life and a story.
Your guests can follow the path and experience the feature pieces in the order you intend, rather than simply having everything on display as soon as you enter the space.
Furthermore archways look fantastic when integrated with crawling plants or vine fruit. If you have the climate for it it’s definitely worth a thought.
These paths and archways do however require a lot more maintenance than static art or water features. So understand that you (or your gardener) will have more maintenance if you decide on this avenue.
