- Hide a bad view strategically with a trellis or tree, but don't block off everything. And remember one view you can always have: the sky. Keep an open space so you can see it.
- Low fences, 2 or 3 feet high, can help you create spaces within the garden. Even a short fence creates wonderment about what's on the other side. Any yard will seem larger if you can see beyond it, so keep the fencing low.
- Eliminate some deck railings if your deck is less than 3 feet high, or choose a railing element, such as narrower slats or coated wire, with less visual weight.
- Prune trees high, or choose small-leaf species, such as locust, honey locust, or Japanese maple that produce light, filtered shade.
- Choose an open design, such as widely spaced slats, if you need a border fence.
- Mask a solid fence with a vine, or try the ultimate theater-prop technique: Paint a scene to make it look like the landscape you don't have.
- Mix the geometry of angles, circles, and lines into structures, paths, borders, and fence lines to create fresh perspectives at every step.
Trim your maintenance time with our fresh tips.
- Don't flow the landscape design end-to-end from front to back. Work back and forth across the grain, either straight across, diagonally, or meandering, to add rhythm and interest.
- Change materials or patterns.
- Define several garden rooms or areas.
- Use a theme to carry the design through the layout. For example, several cone-shape conifers placed strategically throughout the landscape can at once unite the scheme and create a sense of space. You can also set a theme with color or structure repetition.
- Draw attention to corners, such as a path that bends out of sight. Even if there's not much around the bend, it creates the impression that there is.
- Use color. Red draws closer; blue fades away.
- Create a sense of volume with a few large building materials, such as pavers or beams. A large, clean pattern creates more openness than a small, concentrated, busy pattern.
Continued on page 2: Encourage Lingering
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