While many people choose to grow their herbs inside or in a window box, if you have the space available a larger herb garden may be a good option for you. Since herbs are both beautiful and useful, they are a great addition to any garden.

Herb garden designs depend on a variety of factors. Things like available space, desired style, desired herbs and other factors will dictate what you can do with your herb garden designs. Perhaps the most important factor in herb garden designs is aesthetics. The style of your garden should complement the style of your home as well as reflect your personal style.

In the past English style herb garden designs have been quite popular, and are still the preference of those who like neat rows and symmetry. There is something nostalgic and appealing about neat hedge rows that frame lovely flowering herbs such as lavender, or small shrub plants like rosemary. They usually feature some type of center focal point in the middle, whether it is a statue, or garden furniture or a fountain.

Perhaps one of the best herb garden designs for a small space is a design that uses tiered planters. The reason this works well for smaller areas is that the footprint of the area used is small but as the tiers in the raised planter boxes move up, you gain more planting area.

Another of the most popular herb garden designs is the more modern design of the square garden. It is laid out in a similar fashion to the English style garden but is more open. Where the English garden is usually bordered by short neatly manicured hedges, the square garden is not. English herb garden designs usually feature paths that are covered in small pea gravel, but square herb garden designs feature paths that are covered in pavers of some type.

When you are planning your herb garden one of the critical factors is the variety of plants and where you will put them. Some of your herb plants will grow tall if you allow them to, while some will become very shrub like, being full and low to the ground. Some will require more sunlight than others and some will require more water than others. So when you are choosing the variety of herbs that you want to grow it is important to plan accordingly. Just choosing the herbs that you would like most to have in your kitchen and then planting them can result in problems.

Herbs can also be planted in your existing flower garden if you have one, and they often make beautiful additions.  But you will want to be careful as the plant food and pesticides (if you choose to use them) that you would use for flowers are much different than those used on edible plants. The products used for flowers are highly toxic if ingested, so erring on the side of caution is always best.

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The main difference between a beautiful garden and a haphazard growth of trees and plants is designing. Without the element of proper designing, any growth of plants and trees will give you the feeling of a forest. You might have chosen the plants and flowers you want to grow in your garden but if you ignore the most essential part of any gardening project, that is design, you will only get mesh of plants that may die off soon and waste your money and all the efforts. Let us share a few simple tips about how to design a simple garden. Once your neighbours see your self-designed garden, they will be green of envy.

If you have raw land for gardening or a simple garden, you have great scope for designing. You can use your creativity along with a few simple garden-designing rules to give it a beautiful shape and structure. And you have a large area to add more plants and flowers in the future.

Before you start designing the garden, have a closer look at your property. Bring measuring tape, a notepad and a garden hose with you. You may be surprised, but garden hose will help you decide the shape of the garden. You can arrange it in many ways, using different shapes as a base, like square, round or rectangle to design a basic and balanced garden. An asymmetrical and free formed garden can blend beautifully in surroundings.

Write down the measurements of the garden in your notepad. Knowing these will help you design the garden in a more comprehensive way, and also, it'll help you decide the quantities of soil and mulch additives. Using a scale, draw the garden on the graph paper along with the permanent features of your home.

Choose plants for your garden, which can grow according to the sunlight available in your garden. In addition, native plants are the best choice, as they need less maintenance. Colour scheme is an important element of the garden design. The colours should blend well with the house and existing landscape features. Colour scheme should be such, which alleviates your mood, creates a feeling of simplicity and peace. Red and orange are vibrant colours and green, blue or light purple are cool colours.

Focal point of the garden should be foliage plants, including ornamental grasses or other plants having beautiful kind of leaves. Plants should be arranged according to the garden shape. Place plants outward and forward in descending order in height which complement the focal point of the garden.

Garden design is the most essential part of constructing a beautiful garden. Gardens are very dynamic in nature and they change, grow, spread, die off and then bloom in many wonderful ways. If you're not sure if the plants you want to have will not affect one another in a negative way, or you're not sure about the design – ask a professional designer for help. You can share all your ideas and plans, and this way you can create a perfect garden of your dreams.

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Garden design defined- Many people wonder what garden design exactly entails. Well, its actually a very straight forward concept consisting out of an artful process which in turn comprises of design, creation and planning precise layout of not only garden plants but also as the landscape areas self. The owner of the garden or a professional such as a landscaper can undertake a garden design project, depending on the expertise required. Even if you decide on a professional, it's important to remember that his or her level of experience and expertise will vary from individual to individual.

Education- Most garden designers have been trained in both design and horticulture, with advanced know-how and experience on plants and their use. A Landscape Architect can also be considered part of a professional garden designer team, with formal training in the form of a degree, which includes state licensing.

Will only a pro succeed? -Its not only pro's that succeed in garden design. Amateur gardeners also have the to potential to gain immense levels of experience, expertise and know-how from working in their own gardens. Wanna-be designers can also get necessary knowledge from either part-time or full-time study in the form of a University or College Degree in Gardening. Gardening or garden design organisations or clubs are also a very popular choice for individuals who want to learn more about gardening. These clubs include The Gardeners of America, National Garden Club or American Horticultural Society.

Increased interest in garden design- The popularity of garden design has boomed substantially in resent years specifically during the last century, not only as a mere hobby for gardening fanatics, but also as an addition to professional garden designers' portfolio's.

Basic principles of design- It doesn't matter whether you are a garden designer by profession or an amateur trying your hand at something new, the basic principles of design will always remain the same if you want to ensure design effectiveness, resulting in a garden meeting the needs, goals and desires of the owner or user of the garden.

Elements of design- Essential garden design elements include, solid landscape layout such as paths, walls, water features, seating and decking; plant layout, with proper consideration to every plants individual requirements, the season, lifespan, habit in terms of growth including size and speed and lastly the combi of other plants and landscape characteristics.

Regular maintenance considerations- Regular maintenance considerations are also very important, this includes the time and costs spent to ensure the garden is properly maintained. This will have a direct impact on your plant choices, as special consideration needs to be taking in terms of plant growth speed, seeding, whether plants are annual, bi-annual or perennial, bloom-time and actual bloom duration, and numerous other factors.

Other considerations of importance- Of all the design considerations garden use is definitely regarded as the most important, desired style follows very close behind, and lastly the way the garden is intended to blend with your home or surrounding areas. Unfortunately, mentioned considerations are subject to two problems, namely budget and time limitations. Budget limitations are beaten chop-chop by a simple, basic garden design style with few and quick growing plants, inexpensive materials for landscaping and seeding instead sodding. Apart from this, garden owners can decide to design their gardens' over an extended period, in sections, with primary focus on each individual section instead of manage all at once.

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From the 1st of this month (October) all planning applications, without exception, will have to be accompanied by a full Tree Survey Report and an Arboreal Culture Method Statement which, for clever garden designers, could mean a steady stream of bread and butter income to supplement their design work, especially while the housing market holds its breath through these difficult financial times.

And for designers with a flair for planting schemes, there’s more good news now that CABE Space and other organisations are supporting a new campaign to give soft landscaping (greenery/plants) more priority in new developments.

The suggestion is that 2% of the total budget must be spent on planting and green space, and local authorities will have to crackdown on developers who don’t fulfil this approved and planned landscaping. The trouble is, and this is good news for the proactive designer, most developers are not landscape designers so even if they plant a few trees, they probably won’t be the right kind.

Some of our graduates have left the course and, not only established successful design practices, but also broken into journalism (again, a good way of supplementing your design income and getting your name known), to write about the importance of good design, planting etc in various local and national newspapers and magazines.

And so talking of CABE – which stands for The Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment and which is the body that advises the Government on architecture, urban design and public space – there’s currently a great opportunity for other would-be scribes who have qualified in design on our course, because this organisation is now actively recruiting design experts to put together a new 20-strong panel of freelance expert writers for 2009-11.

So, and I know we’re still a few weeks off, but if you’re thinking about drawing up your Christmas party invite list, you might want to include the names of a few local developers and architects and start building a supplementary income stream to get you through the current financial crisis, especially if you are just starting out.

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Colors are one of the most effective design ingredients in creating a garden. And plants are overall the easiest and most influential factor where color and variation can be established and managed.

However, for countless gardeners and home landscapers in their search for perfect color combinations, there is another segment to plants that is often neglected as a design element. And that would be in the many marvelous and contrasted textures of plants. Especially in green plants.

Green plants not only assist as a color principle like any other color, but can also be used as a neutral transitional color that blends other elements and colors together. Or basically, as a filler or where one space of the garden changes to the next. Natural transition is so important in creating a garden design.

I was reminded just recently as I was talking with a customer of how many people really don't think of green plants as being a design ingredient in designing gardens.

As we went over her design plan I pointed out that we had four colors in her design project and that we needed to repeat them throughout the design to form a little balance. She then stated that we only had three colors in her design.

I knew exactly what she was trying to say by that because it's what most people think. Green isn't in itself a true color. It's just the thread that holds the real colored elements in place.

Now if we pictured green as just being a neutral element, I probably could go along with this. However, as a professional, I observe it in a much different way. There are countless shades of green. Each can hold many varying textures that can create such exquisite contrasts to design with.

Some of the most colorful and lush landscape designs I've ever observed have just simply displayed this single color in many variations. Light greens, dark greens, yellow greens, etc. And I haven't even made mention of texture here. Even the same shade of green in different textures often creates a fascinating contrast for designing purposes.

Try and picture the abundance and beauty of a dark jungle. Their beauty and contrast are commonly made up by the many different variations of shade and texture and not vivid colors. Shady landscapes that compare to a deep forest or jungle are rather beautiful all by themselves.

Keep this in mind when making plans for your next garden. Just as one illustration, a combining of Hostas, Ferns, and Showy Grasses can bring about a very remarkable and eye catching display simply using the color green.

So maybe green really is a color.

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If you're thinking about some new ideas for your landscape garden design, Exterior Worlds has plenty of good ones to get you started. Just dive in and start planning.

Landscape Garden Design: Gathering Places & Focal Points

Your landscape will be more interesting and enjoyable if you consider:

• Outdoor kitchens. These structures create a focal point for your yard and, similar to the kitchen inside the home, become a natural gathering place. It is imperative that you have a good layout so that all your appliances fit and are convenient for use. Landscape designers and landscape architects will help you during the planning phase to check your deed restrictions concerning rules regulating such items as size, lot coverage percentages, height, and color materials.

• Patio design. A patio creates a transition space between the house and the yard. Depending on your preference, your patio design can run the gamut from an elegant open-air greenhouse to an outdoor living room. Patios affect the emotional and physical space of the interior by changing the view out the window.

• Landscape lighting. Expertise is essential in landscape lighting design, planning and installation. "About 50 percent of the technical work has to do with placement of the light fixtures," explains Jeff Halper, landscape garden design specialist with Exterior Worlds. "You really don't want to see the nuts and bolts of the system. You only want to see the beautiful effect created by the lights."

• Other hardscapes. You have many choices with hardscapes, the non-plant material of your yard. They include pool decking, entry walks and pathways, gates, decks and arbors, retaining walls, driveways and motor courts.

Landscape Garden Design: Themes

Many homeowners like to choose a theme for their landscape architecture. One popular choice is classical landscape design, which is a type of formal landscape design that uses linear, clean lines to develop an orderly look. These "lines" can be drawn with rows of trees and well-trimmed hedges or perhaps a seat wall made of perfectly arranged terra cotta tiles. Greenery can soften any harshness.

Another idea is an English garden design, which is noted for its informal approach to gardening and is hugely popular in the United States. Houston's semi-tropical climate is well suited for vine-covered arbors, riotous rose gardens, dazzling azaleas and beds of seasonal color-all plant materials that fit well within the English garden's impression of abundance.

If your home's architecture is a good match, think about a modern landscape design. In this style, boundaries between areas of color, textures and shapes are undefined-or conversely, sharply defined. Color and composition create the emotional response. Combining freshness and flair, these designs use dramatic geometric shapes to convey a point of view that is elegant and natural. Water and light are often used, as in beautifully-lit outdoor water fountains, to enhance the sensual loveliness and liveliness.

Don't forget a "green" green garden. That is, one that is ecologically helpful, practical and sustainable. "With a design for a green garden, the goals are similar to any other landscape project. However, we do put a special focus on reducing the Big Four of ongoing landscape maintenance: watering, trimming, weeding and mulching," says Halper.

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Tips for good garden design and landscaping

Good creative skills are essential for the specialised fields of garden design and landscaping. Consequently, it is important to have a comprehensive understanding of the industry and be able to apply acquired skills in a theoretical and practical manner. Lifestyle Learning Direct, one of the Gold Coast’s premier online learning and correspondence course providers, suggests that in order to be a good garden designer or landscaper you need to be able to:

Evaluate a design project, have a clear understanding of a designer’s role, and be able to conduct a meeting with a client.

Be knowledgeable about the historical influences on modern garden design.

Be able to identify the various ‘hard’ components of landscaping and design, such as garden structures and walls, fences and gates.

Have a good general knowledge about soils and plants, and other landscaping products such as compost, gravel, sleepers, pavers, cement, sand, rock and slate, and so on.

Be familiar with the pricing structure of various landscaping supplies.

Have had practical experience in several areas of landscape design and its allied industries, such as nurseries and landscaping supply yards.

Have an awareness of different styles of gardens, as well as lighting and water features and the various types of surfacing materials available for use in garden design.

Be knowledgeable about earthworks involved in landscaping and design.

Have a broad knowledge on the basics of starting a business, business plans, market analysis and ongoing management.

How can you become a better Garden Designer and Landscaper?

To gain professional garden design and landscaping proficiency, it is best to undertake a specialised course that teaches you the essential skills. Lifestyle Learning Direct. is a leader in the provision of writing distance education courses that aim to give students a broad understanding of the industry competency regarding both the theoretical and practical application of this knowledge.

Apart from understanding the application of good garden design ideas and landscaping elements and principles, you need to be conversant with other necessary components such as earthworks, marking out and job costing, as well as basic drawing skills and client/designer communication. As a result, you should develop the ability to apply this knowledge in a broad variety of situations, as well as recognise and correct all manner of design errors.

If you dream of being your own boss, as well as the theory of garden design and landscaping you also need to know the practical aspects of how to set up in business.

For more information in relation to fashion design and dressmaking, please contact Lifestyle Learning Direct.

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Good creative skills are essential for the specialised fields of garden design and landscaping. Consequently, it is important to have a comprehensive understanding of the industry and be able to apply acquired skills in a theoretical and practical manner. Lifestyle Learning Direct., one of the Gold Coast’s premier online learning and correspondence course providers, suggests that in order to be a good garden designer or landscaper you need to be able to:

1. Evaluate a design project, have a clear understanding of a designer’s role, and be able to conduct a meeting with a client.

2. Be knowledgeable about the historical influences on modern garden design.

3. Be able to identify the various ‘hard’ components of landscaping and design, such as garden structures and walls, fences and gates.

4. Have a good general knowledge about soils and plants, and other landscaping products such as compost, gravel, sleepers, pavers, cement, sand, rock and slate, and so on.

5. Be familiar with the pricing structure of various landscaping supplies.

6. Have had practical experience in several areas of landscape design and its allied industries, such as nurseries and landscaping supply yards.

7. Have an awareness of different styles of gardens, as well as lighting and water features and the various types of surfacing materials available for use in garden design.

8. Be knowledgeable about earthworks involved in landscaping and garden design.

9. Have a broad knowledge on the basics of starting a business, business plans, market analysis and ongoing management.

How can you become a better Garden Designer and Landscaper?

To gain professional garden design and landscaping proficiency, it is best to undertake a specialised course that teaches you the essential skills. Lifestyle Learning Direct. is a leader in the provision of writing distance education courses that aim to give students a broad understanding of the industry competency regarding both the theoretical and practical application of this knowledge.

Apart from understanding the application of good garden design ideas and landscaping elements and principles, you need to be conversant with other necessary components such as earthworks, marking out and job costing, as well as basic drawing skills and client/designer communication. As a result, you should develop the ability to apply this knowledge in a broad variety of situations, as well as recognise and correct all manner of design errors.

If you dream of being your own boss, as well as the theory of garden design and landscaping you also need to know the practical aspects of how to set up in business.

For more information in relation to garden design and landscaping, please contact Lifestyle Learning Direct.

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The small garden design begins and ends with thoughtful, precise planning. However, small does not mean limited. A small garden design can still deliver a huge "wow" factor.

Small Garden Design: The Problems

A small garden design comes with big challenges. Perhaps your property abuts the two-story blank wall of a neighbor's townhouse. Maybe the space is all straight lines and right angles. Or you've remodeled your home, changed the elevation, added a new room and reduced the size of your backyard, all of which affect the relationship to the existing landscape.

Turning Liabilities into Assets

With small garden design, as with all landscape design, the goal is to create spaces in which the home and architectural elements have a relationship with the yard and surrounding area. First, consider the big picture-your assets and liabilities. Begin by looking at the large, possibly immoveable factors, such as trees, a long fence-line or pool equipment, and decide if they are liabilities or assets. In this way, you test the viability and capacity of the site, a determination that will help clarify your landscape design options. Landscape designers or landscape architects can bring expertise and experience to this process.

Small Garden Design: Features to Consider

• Hardscapes. Decks, patios, pergolas, arbors and gates can be used to help define a small space, break it up or create interest. These choices, in effect, create other rooms. Your material selection adds further texture, thus making the space livelier.

• Water features such as swimming pools or outdoor water fountains. Swimming pools can be custom-made to fit into a small garden design. Also outdoor water fountains can be used to good effect in small gardens. Water features create movement and pleasant sounds, both elements that heighten your enjoyment of a landscape.

• Landscape lighting. Landscape lighting, in particular, can bring an element of drama to a small space. It is good to keep in mind that your landscape is viewed at night for about 30 percent of the time. Since so many people work and don't come home until after dark, landscape lighting means homeowners can still enjoy their outdoor property, whenever they get home. It turns the landscape into a 24-hour event. Landscape lighting is also very practical as it provides security and nighttime lighting for any tricky steps.

• Infrastructure, like irrigation systems and drainage systems. Irrigation and drainage systems are the work-horses of Houston gardens. Sprinkler systems deliver water to plants during our long, intense summer months and drainage systems take away excess water when we get our infamous torrential rains. They save money, time and worry.

The Heart of Small Garden Design

Jeff Halper, landscape design specialist with Exterior Worlds, says, "The overall objective of any great landscape design, including small garden designs, is to create a space that breathes with the home and has a relationship to its surroundings. It should reflect the client's visual desires and functionally work together in every aspect."

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There are many different issues that you need to learn about if you want to learn about the different Chinese garden design options that are available to you, and so if you are interested in learning about these fascinating but multitudinous Chinese garden design options, then you are definitely going to want to read on.

Different Chinese Garden Design Options

One of the most well known Chinese garden design options is that of water, and water is actually very important in any Chinese garden because water is one of the most representative Chinese symbols, representing purity and serenity.

Water can be used in many different ways in your Chinese garden, for instance you can put a water fountain as the centerpiece of your garden, or you could just stick to making a few shallow ponds here and there with pretty rocks and stones in them as decorations.

Another important Chinese garden design option that you want to take into consideration is that of magic lanterns, and these are another one of the most popularly used implements in any traditional Chinese garden.

These lanterns are not only incredibly beautiful and decorative, but as well they are extremely traditional and meaningful of Chinese culture overall.

There are so many other things that you can put in your Chinese garden as well, but regardless of what you want to put in it the most important thing to remember is that opposite of Japanese gardens, which are simple and sparse, Chinese gardens are incredibly dense and complex, and so you are thus going to want to make sure that you include a lot of different items and many different forums.

Try to incorporate as many different Chinese traditions as you can into your garden, and obviously then the bigger area of space you have to work with the better, because then you will be able to fit that many more elements into your available space.

Just remember to take your time while you are creating your Chinese garden, and try not to get frustrated because this will take the fun away from it, and having fun is the most important thing here. After all, you want your Chinese garden to come out looking great, but you also want to make sure that you are thoroughly enjoying yourself while you are actually creating it.

Also remember that doing more research on the issue of Chinese gardens in general before you start is a good idea, so that you can be that much more informed and have a better idea of what elements you should include in your garden.

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