By Nida Angelaidis
In all of my previous homes, I always tried to incorporate as many small garden vistas as possible because I love them—a small sitting area or space to pause that pops up on the regular garden path after turning a corner, looking in a different direction, or that reveals itself as you proceed on the walkway. I visit public gardens, arboretums, botanical gardens, etc. often for inspiration, but these places usually have vistas on a large scale that were designed by famous landscape designers. I like to take some of their ideas and scale them down to incorporate in my home garden. I’ve also gotten inspiration from many books and magazines, but one of my newer favorite sources is Pinterest, where I can easily search for the kind of information I am looking for.
When I have a garden area that looks a little empty, I spend some time analyzing what the area will be used for. Is it a major feature near the house that might be used for several functions, including a place to hangout with family and friends? Or maybe it’s just a little corner that can only fit a chair? A place that needs a larger bench because it has a far off grand vista of a field, mountain, or river that cannot be seen from anywhere else on the property? Or possibly a place that needs a mini shed so tools can be accessed easily without having to constantly retrieve them from the house? Maybe an open area to relax and have a fire pit. Or a tiny spot for some bright flowers.
An example of my latest vista is the entrance to the cottage on my property which was surrounded by muddy clay that is graded towards the street, creating an ice hazard in winter, and flooding in summer. I had a professional install a slate walkway with a drainage pipe, granite steps, and a gravel driveway. And they regraded the entire area away from the street so that most precipitation would move towards either the drainage grate or the backyard. I love it, and it has worked as planned—reducing water on the street, mud in the entrance, and providing a much safer entryway for me. It also gives a sunken garden feeling to the cottage entrance that was unanticipated, but creates privacy from the street. I have added a seating area, although I love that the granite steps are a great spot to relax as well. It’s still a bit bare, but I already added some shrubs, perennials, and bulbs around the entrance last year, and plan to add even more this summer, along with some container plantings.
Nida Angeliadis is a member of GCW and a garden alchemist.
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