5 inspiring designs for soft landscaping projects

1. Growing organic produce
   The incredible kitchen garden created by Rosebank Landscaping can be adjusted to scale to gently introduce your clients to growing their own organic produce, while still providing a serene space to enjoy. This tranquil yet functional garden used romantic jasmine and roses over pergolas to inject scent into the garden and the walkways were flanked with lavender to bring colour and fragrance to visitors as they move through the space. But ultimately, the focus was on providing excellent raised beds for the planting of organic fruits, vegetables and herbs.
2. Using sensory planting
   Ann Marie Powell’s celebrated garden for Chestnut Tree House is a haven for children at this Sussex hospice. Its success as a garden is thanks in part to the clever use of planting to create a sensory garden that’s abundant with texture, taste and scent. The ideas implemented in Powell’s garden can be transferred to small residential projects too, perhaps inspiring clients with young families to choose planting that is safe, tactile and fragrant. Such gardens can get children enthusiastic about gardening from a young age and encourage the use of vegetable plots for children to grow their own.
3. Complementing indoor spaces
   Lucy Willcox’s design for a residential garden in London’s Putney Heath maximised the use of soft landscaping to complement the indoor space of the home. It’s a design that’s conscious of the floor-to-ceiling windows of the house, meaning the garden is always on display, and mimics the free flow interior with an outdoor space that moves seamlessly into contrasting areas. In an area of the garden designed for relaxing, the planting was deliberately designed to be serene and calming, in contrast to the planting around the outdoor dining area that’s more dynamic.
4. Balancing formal and informal spaces
   Jane Brockbank’s project to transform a residential garden in Virginia Water involved juxtaposing areas of formal lawns and borders with wilder, freer spaces. In these more rugged areas, the grass becomes more meadow-like in the summer, allowing for paths to be mown through. Formal locations, like the cruciform pond, were designed as places to linger longer.
5. Coastal-style gardens
   In 2017, the soft landscaping of a house in Bexhill-on-Sea was the winner of the APL Awards. Frogheath Landscapes designed an interesting, colourful garden for their retired clients who wanted an easy garden to enjoy. It was styled on a seaside garden, using rocks and gravel with coastal-style planting of varying heights to add interest and complexity. The judges lauded the bright planting in particular that perfectly complemented this vibrant garden.

All five of these soft landscaping projects continue to be on-trend. To help create such landscapes for customers that will continue to give them pleasure and reduce maintenance, use Growtivation’s Product That Works professional landscaping range. Protect soft landscaped areas with a weed control fabric, such as Weedtex, Landtex or Groundtex, to suppress weeds in planted areas and also stabilise the ground. Lay Gravelrings gravel retention grids beneath paths and other areas to keep gravel where it is supposed to be.

Find out more about the Growtivation Product That Works range by downloading our Product Guide and your free copy of our Landscaping That Works guide to weed control and geotextile fabrics. Check out our handy Geo Fabric Product Selector to select the right geotextile fabric for the job.

To find out where you can buy Growtivation products visit our online Where to Buy facility or contact the friendly team at Growtivation for advice on 0800 197 8885 or email [email protected].