Welcome to Marvin Gardens. The Private Studio is available by appointment only. In the meantime, read-up on some archived posts or reach out to me at MarvinGardensUSA@gmail.com
Thank you for visiting! amabel
Think Like a Landscaper When Planning Your Garden
One of the best tricks for planning you garden like a professional landscaper is to work around a focal point. This component of your design should be capable of drawing a lot of interest and attention from guests all by itself. However, by tying this in with other elements of the garden, a truly cohesive space can be achieved.
Your focal point can be a naturally occurring element, such as a large boulder or tree, or a strategically placed item, such as a building or sculpture. Larger gardens may employ more than one focal point, but this will detract value from a garden too small to handle it, appearing cluttered.
It’s important to employ a strong sense of contrast when developing your focal point and the rest of the garden. Although many aspects of the garden can be included in this venture, such as color, accounting for the texture of your garden gives one of the most subtle yet impactful impressions. Rhythm and repetition of design motifs are also very effective.
For more help planning your garden, please contact us at Marvin Gardens today!
Incorporate Your Patio in Your New England Garden Design
Even if the majority of your yard is taken up by a large patio, planning your garden to incorporate this feature is not a problem. Here are some garden ideas for your New England residence:
- If you live close to your neighbors but desire a little extra privacy during your morning coffee or afternoon yoga, shrubs planted along the outside of the patio or in containers on the border will create a sufficient barrier.
- For something a bit more exciting, spring bulbs bring a splash of color early in the season. Hyacinths, daffodils, and tulips all make great choices after a harsh winter.
- Incorporating late blooming perennials will fill in the space as the seasons shift.
- For a utilitarian approach to patio gardening, herbs and vegetables can be grown in easy to access containers. Herbs are especially viable at the edge of larger planter boxes closest to the door. After all, if you enjoy cooking, why not have a fresh supply of your favorite ingredients?
- Even in a shady patio, plenty of shrubs and ornamental grasses will flourish. Also, consider employing out of the ordinary containers for your plants, such as an ornate bathtub or antique wine barrels.
Traditional Landscape by via Houzz
For more help planning your garden, contact us at Marvin Gardens today.
Accessorize Your Garden With a Sense of Fun
For a more playful environment, there are many ways to incorporate whimsy into your garden. Controlling the colors, sculptures, shapes, and other display elements of your garden will generate an exciting atmosphere. Here are some ways to bring fun to your landscape:
- Bright colors just imply fun. Instead of blending subtle tones, contrasting distinct colors of the rainbow will leave your guests in a better mood. The trick is to utilize brightly colored items amidst a sea of green foliage.
- Unique sculptural selections can offer fun vignettes that speak for themselves without competing against the rest of the garden. They work well as bends in the garden path or walkway.
- Interesting, eye-catching, shapes around the garden demonstrate a childlike frivolity. With a free-for-all celebration of shape, guests are left looking for similarities as they view the premise.
- If you already have an amusing collection of attractive objects, consider moving their display space to the garden. Of course, you’ll want to ensure they are prepared to be kept outside, but using the garden as a home for a unique assortment of items leaves a positive impression on guests.
If you’re on the market for fun garden design accessories, please contact Marvin Gardens today!
Ideas for Natural Barriers in Your Garden Design
Plants, shrubs and trees are beautiful in and of themselves, but they also make wonderful screens for creating even better spaces in your backyard. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Define a Space – The savvy use of a combination of plants, shrubs and trees can create anything from a cozy, shaded nook for relaxing to a large, dedicated space for entertaining.
- Add Some Privacy – Given time, most trees or hedges will completely obstruct the view from your yard to the street and vice versa. The key to getting it done in a resonable time is to use foliage that meets your needs in terms of density and speed of growth.
- Eliminate an Eyesore – Another great use of natural barriers is to hide the necessary but unsightly equipment needed to run a modern home. You can use small shrubs around HVAC units and pool pumps but keep them well away from the equipment.
Traditional Landscape by Maine Landscapers via Houzz
For more specific recommendations on natural plant barriers and other creative garden design ideas, please contact us at Marvin Gardens.
Create a Garden That Connects Your Interior Design to Your Yard
One thing that homeowners don’t always consider when it comes to their garden design is how it will connect with their interior design. The following are a few ways that you can help create a more balanced home design by visually connecting your garden and your interior design together:
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Source: Marvin Gardens Facebook Color – Make the colors of your garden design compliment those of your interior design. For example, if your interior color scheme is more on the neutral side of things, add soft yellow or purple flowers and plants to your landscape. If your home’s colors are bolder, then use bolder colored landscape elements.
- Architectural features – Consider the best architectural feature of your home, then make it stand out. You can do this by clearing the space around it or by repeating its color or shape.
- Style – Different architectural styles will work better with different landscape features. For example, a Victorian style home will look fantastic with boxwood hedges, while open lawn areas and picket fences tend to work better for traditional Colonial style homes.
Use these tips to connect your garden design to your interior. Be sure to contact us at Marvin Gardens for all of your garden needs.
Create a Garden Design That’s Great for Daydreaming and Meditation
When it comes to designing your garden, you may already have particular tastes, one design you may want to think about is a space that promotes meditation and philosophy. Having a beautiful space to meditate can bring peace and it can benefit your health.
Here are some ideas you may want to consider adding to your garden design.
- Adding shapes such as spheres to your garden can bring a sense of structure and peace while also providing texture.
- Balance is key when promoting peace in your garden. This does not have to mean mirror imaging; asymmetrical balance can also add calm.
- Gardens that are used for meditation often use greenery and foliage instead of flowers. This is thought to provide fewer distractions.
- Well-placed seating such as a bench gazing out over the garden can provide a place to stop, breathe, and take in the beauty.
- Plants that provide texture can be a great place to draw the eye, also drawing the mind to stop and think.
If you are interested in different types of garden design and finding the right design to suit your needs, contact us at Marvin Gardens.
Great Reasons to Take Another Look at Your Front Lawn
The front lawn is the first thing people see of your home, so they will already have a first impression formed even before they step into the front door. You therefore have to make sure that the front lawn is always on top condition — you’ll never know who may drop by.
Aside from keeping the front lawn clean, you can also update it to increase your home’s curb appeal. Nowadays, this is an easier thing to do because of the many options for designing an outdoor space that are available to homeowners.
But how can you tell if your front lawn needs an upgrade? Here are some telltale signs:
- The front entryway isn’t highlighted enough to be prominent.
- It’s confusing to navigate a vehicle up or down the driveway.
- Views from outside aren’t blocked, resulting in a lack of privacy.
- The walkway to the front door doesn’t look welcoming.
- Your maintenance and watering expenses are higher than you’d want them to be.
If your front lawn exhibits these signs, then allow us at Marvin Gardens to come to its rescue. We have an extensive collection of garden accessories to liven up your front lawn. Contact us for more details.
If You Want to Garden, Just Get Started
Even if you think you have a brown thumb, you shouldn’t give up on the idea of having a garden. Think of any previous missteps as learning experiences and continue your exploration and experimentation of gardening until you found your niche. Now is the ideal time for planning your garden and getting a jump-start on spring!
Start Small
Going overboard by buying multiple plants and vegetables is easy when you’re eager to take advantage of spring. It’s easy to become overwhelmed with too many projects, though, so start small and focus on one thing at a time. Plant a favorite vegetable or some herbs and once those sprout, branch out to other greens.
Fit Your Space & Style
Planning a garden is feasible even if your property isn’t very big. Keep plants confined via a container garden or choose one specific area to plant. If you’re not an expert gardener, having things closer together makes it less likely plants will suffer from lack of attention.
Every Sprout Counts
Celebrate every new plant sprout as a victory and take heart that your gardening efforts are worthwhile.
For more helpful tips on planning your garden, contact our experts at Marvin Gardens today!
Maximize the Appearance of Your Garden With These Tricks
If you love gardening but don’t have much space, you can still have a great garden. With creative visual planting, your garden can look larger than it really is. Here are some helpful garden design ideas to help you create the illusion of a spacious garden.
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Source: Marvin Gardens Facebook Plant larger plants near the front of your garden and smaller plants at the back. This will give a two-dimensional illusion of depth that will make your garden area feel larger.
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Select tall trees with slender trunks that will create height in your garden. Many arborvitae, juniper and Leyland cypress trees are fast growing and provide good height without width.
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Plants with large leaves and coarse textures create strong contrast. Plant them towards the front of your garden with finer-textured plants towards the back to create the illusion of more space.
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Color creates strong visual interest. Strong, warm colors like red, orange, yellow and brown expand and appear closer. Soft, cool colors like green, blue, lilac and pink recede and appear further away. To create depth in your garden, plant warm colors near the front and cool colors near the back.
For more garden design ideas and gardening advice, contact us at Marvin Gardens.