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Choosing flowering shrubs for scent as well as looks doubles the appeal of any outdoor space. Adding beautiful flowering shrubs to mixborders, highlighting important garden elements like patios, decking, entrance areas, stairs and retaining walls are great garden design solutions. When choosing flowering shrubs one of the things to pay attention to is plants decorative features, blooming time and period and, of course, color palettes. You can create various compositions with shrubs blooming at different seasons. Decorative shrub clusters look stunning when certain shrubs start to bloom, while the others have just finished.

Introducing garden pots to your outdoor space is a satisfying and flexible approach to gardening. They are placed at a certain distance from each other, should be sturdy and have appropriate sizes. Garden pots placed pairwise can become decorative objects for entrance areas, stairs and pathways. Pots of light colors spectrum are great options for those garden areas which receive little sunlight, drawing the eye to the planted plants. Flower pots are not only beautiful, they are practical and mobile, allowing for rearrangement. They can remain in the garden even in winter, with plants withstanding sub-zero conditions.

Garden planters are used in landscape design as decorative objects in their own right, enhancing the outdoor space. More often than not we come across with garden areas not suitable for planting: bad soil, lack or excess of water. In order to bring life to such areas planters are introduced. This landscape approach is applicable to gardens of different forms and sizes, as planters can be used both in large and small outdoor spaces. Planters enhance chosen landscape design style and are flexible to be placed in almost any garden areas: patios, house entrance, stairs, decking, pathways and recreation areas.

Water garden is a complex ecosystem, requiring right balance. It consists of water features, different groups of plants and aquatic habitats. Garden pond can be either natural or artificial, with certain amount of given plants species. The amount of plants depends on the volume of water that your pond will accommodate. The plants should perform two functions: apart from being ornamental elements, they should absorb carbon dioxide respired by fish and supply water with oxygen. During winter period plants should be removed to the basement.

Landscape lighting emphasizes key garden elements, creates stunning lighting combinations and helps to turn drawbacks into an asset. You can try different lighting schemes, where different functions will call for different light intensities, powering them when needed. Another great option is an automatic lighting schemes switch timer, used in the evening. When deciding on lighting design, avoid both over and under-illumination of certain areas. Lighting should be soft and uniform, landscape lights and luminaires must meet certain criteria.

Garden paths are a part of the actual construction, an integral part of the garden composition, a zoning tool. Aside from their obvious utility, pathways are necessary to the cohesive integrity of the garden, linking together all garden elements. Appropriate paving materials can transform the garden and add functionality. Types of garden pathways differ regarding intended placement, shape, materials and dimensions. Flagstone, paving stone, shale or concrete plates are generally used as materials for main garden pathways. An important dimension to consider is width.

Outdoor lights with intense focused beam provide well-lighted areas in the garden. Lights are mounted on high footing, lighting up larger areas. Halogen lamps, LEDs or filament lamps work best here. Outdoor lighting is a basic light source in the garden. It can consist of built-in or suspended luminaires, lights and more powerful floodlights. Outdoor luminaires help to mark out garden paths, ponds and recreation areas, highlight flower garden and small architectural forms. All outdoor lighting solutions, be it a spotlight, accent light or single floodlight are very long lasting and durable.

Solar garden lights are used both as main and secondary light source, having nice diffused light. During the day they accumulate solar energy (direct sunlight not being a requirement) and disperse it during evening hours. They are cost-efficient and eco-friendly, precipitation and dust proof. The lights have automatic motion sensor, which turns on and off in due time. Solar garden lights can be used to highlight individual ornamental plants, garden compositions, paths, patios and entrance areas. They can be of different size and shape, have square or rectangular lamps.

Garden style determines what kind of lighting you should have. The best lighting option for French style garden are classic lights, combining art forging elements. Forged lanterns should be sturdy and proof against climate conditions. They look great with members of the conifer clan (Ephedra), symmetrical flower beds and parterre lawn. In order for forged street lighting to be long lasting and durable, it is covered with rustproof paint. Forged elements play a big role in creating unique landscape design. Garden lights are a distinctive feature of the garden, highlighting main garden constructions and other design elements.

Adding a water feature to your garden is an effective design element, complex hydroengineering system, which can be installed in pools, ponds or lakes. Fountains consist of pump, water reservoir, insulating materials, filters, wiring and pipes. They are generally classified into two groups: indoor and outdoor fountains. The second ones are easily subjected to serious contamination. Litter and foliage leftovers may clog water reservoirs, that’s why having a good filtration system is crucial. Indoor fountains are quite small and as a rule have less complex structure.