Don’t Cut Corners
16 Jul 2013
When it comes to landscaping, don't neglect the corners in your yard.
Here are 10 ways to make corners as welcoming as the rest of your garden
By Lisa Truesdale It’s never a good idea to cut corners—especially if it means ignoring the corners of your yard when landscaping. Though often overlooked, yard corners, especially those created by intersecting fence lines, are roomy, untapped spaces just waiting to bloom. Here are 10 ideas for making yard angles more useful, functional and beautiful. [pp_gallery gallery_id="7715" width="100" height="100"]1. Get a Retreat -- Embrace a corner’s natural privacy to create a quiet sanctuary that’s out of the way but still offers views of the rest of the yard. Use the corner for a swing, hammock, comfy chairs, or bench seating padded with pillows made of fabric that can withstand the elements. Or install deck seating and planter boxes.
2. Get Sculptural -- Take advantage of fence junctions to highlight a garden sculpture or a sculptural ornamental tree. This idea works especially well when fencing meets at an acute angle rather than a perfect right angle.3. Get A Glow -- Brighten up the night by stringing popcorn lights overhead and placing lanterns on patios. Use uplights to highlight shrubbery and landscape features.
4. Get Compost -- Place a compost bin or pile in a corner. Existing fences will help keep the bin warm—essential for decomposition—and protect it from winds.5. Get Peace -- A trickling fountain or a small pond will beckon you and your guests to a calming corner. If you can’t afford the real thing, most hardware stores and garden centers sell smaller electric and solar fountains.
6. Get Structure -- Corners are perfect places for outbuildings and structures that tuck neatly into a nook. Try a garden shed, a teahouse or a pergola.7. Get Tweety -- Create a habitat where birds, butterflies and bees can soak in the peace and quiet a corner offers. To attract birds, add nesting boxes, feeders and native plants. Plant bee, butterfly and hummingbird plants like bergamot, lavender and spirea. Don’t forget to include a water source like a birdbath or bowl, and put a rock in it so bees can avoid drowning by having something to perch on.
8. Get Depth -- Give any corner an illusion of depth by planting layers—taller blooming shrubs in back, shorter ones in front. Outdoor lighting can highlight plantings at dusk.9. Get Playful -- Create a children’s play space by using the corner for a sunken trampoline, a teepee, a playhouse, or a small climbing wall.
10. Get Vertical -- Make your favorite corner even more private with a trellis that extends higher than the fence, then train climbing plants to cover it. Choose plants with fragrant scents, like climbing hydrangea, and set a couple of chairs nearby so you can enjoy the aroma.
