Feb
03
2014
This
January my family and I were lucky enough to travel to Florida's Disney World
with my cousin and her family. We had a
wonderful time and the kids were in heaven!
With
all the snow burying Ontario these days, I thought this would be a great time
to share some photos and reflect on the trip.
As
the kids were busy looking for characters and deciding which ride to go on
next, I found myself taking in the grounds - the beautiful green character
sculptures, the colourful containers, and the beautiful mass plantings
throughout the parks. I realized again
how important the 'decorating' of outdoor spaces truly is, and how it is such
an important element in creating the overall experience of an outdoor space -
whether it's a theme park, or a back yard.
I hope these pictures provide you with a little inspiration at this snowy
time of the season!
I
took a few ideas from these large scale gardens which can be translated to the
home garden to simplify both design and maintenance, as we are all busy and
need to simplify where we can!
To
create interest but ease maintenance requirements, they have many planters that
are each filled with only one plant type.
This helps to make maintenance easier as different plants have different
maintenance requirements, planting this way lets you maintain each planter
the way the specific plant prefers.
Focal
points are an easy way to add interest. A landscape doesn't need to be
filled with features everywhere - the amount you need depends on the size of
the space. Typically, one key feature per area is all you need, as this allows
you to keep the rest of the space simple - making it easier to maintain.
One
of the easiest ways to minimize your maintenance is to make a mass planting. Choosing a few key plants to fill a space
means you only need to tend to the needs of a few types of plants. The photos above show that a space doesn't
need to have many types of plants to be beautified, the plants just need to be
appropriate for the area.