Calm and tranquillity have been popular gardening trends in recent years. An edition of The Wall Street Journal celebrated the trend in an article entitled In Search Of Outer Calm. But the story went seven steps further. Using a combination of old-fashioned journalistic footwork and solid reporting, the newspaper stitched together a compelling manifesto for the creation of a garden (large or small) by seeking answers to the question: what differentiates an oasis of calm from a typical backyard? Answer: a more immersive experience.
Create Your Botanical Oasis of Calm
The story quoted Giulia Poerio, Ph.D., a psychology researcher who focuses on emotion and well-being at England’s University of Essex, as observing that a more immersive garden experience is created when:
Your attention is occupied by sights, sounds, smells, textures – and the more multisensory you make something, the less likely you are to think about work.
That, in a nutshell, is “how to build your botanical chill pill”. So here goes.
1. Tone Down the Colour Scheme
According to New York landscape architect Edmund Hollander, loud plant hues don’t cultivate serenity. Says Mr. Hollander: “Reds, oranges and yellows are hot colours that stir passion.” He recommends looking at the other end of the spectrum for tranquility. He suggests the following: “The gradation of blues into greens is almost the colours of a stream, with whites and creams representing movement, if you will.” Good advice.
2. Avoid Wide Open Space
A partially screened view adds a sense of perspective and discovery, experts suggested. Consider softening hard edges – such as fencing, walls, sheds, staircases – with plenty of greenery. Treat your garden, however large or small, like a journey interrupted with elements of tranquil and soothing visual surprise.
3. The Grass is Always Greener…
An age old sentiment, which, however in this instance, refers to ornamental grasses. Whether you live in a large house with an expansive garden, or a smaller condo with a somewhat restrictive porch, grasses are a saviour when it comes to creating a private space within a not so private space.
George Ball, the chairman of Burpee, put it like this:
If you’re sitting in a chair next to taller plants, you feel protected.
Go for ornamental grasses that dance in the wind. They lend a kind of diaphanous haze to the garden experience. The good news is that grasses are among the least expensive plants to buy from a garden center, so there’s no reason not to experiment. There are also many perennial as well as annual grasses to choose from and they flourish well into the fall season, with the perennial species reemerging the following spring.
4. The Sound of Water
The sound of water is soothing, whether burbling sounds of a river, the ebb and flow of the Caribbean surf or the idyllic splash and gurgle of a garden fountain. So, don’t forget the sound of water if you want to create a truly immersive garden experience. Mr. Hollander also added:
Nothing creates a greater sense of peace than the sound of water.
Garden fountains don’t have to be fancy, but the sound they make needs to be sufficiently intrusive that you can actually hear it.
5. Consider Organic Furniture
Cold metal? Synthetic material? Run a mile. What you need is rattan, wood or cane. Quoting interior designer Amanda Norcross, The Wall Street Journal story reported that woven furniture also brings “this subconscious connection to the maker. It has a life to it.” Well said.
6. Add Some Art
Sculpture adds enormously to the calming effect of a garden. Again, the pieces you select don’t have to be expensive, just quizzical and unusual.
7. You’ll Never Walk Alone
Pathways created with gravel resonate and lead, aurally, to the meditative effect. A colourful and weatherproof outdoor can make you feel like you’re floating.
So, if you want a tranquil garden this summer, go for the quiet approach and build something immersive. You’ll be glad you did!